PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon D-1746TER needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 15,660).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1746TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon D-1746TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌41.8% higher power demand at 95W vs 67W.

Xeon D-1746TER

2022

Why buy it

✅+8.8% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.
✅Draws 67W instead of 95W, a 28W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon D-1746TER

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon D-1746TER needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+8.8% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.
✅Draws 67W instead of 95W, a 28W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 15,660).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1746TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon D-1746TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌41.8% higher power demand at 95W vs 67W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon D-1746TER better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-1746TER makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon D-1746TER is the better fit. You are getting 8.8% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon D-1746TER is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon D-1746TER is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 8.8% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon D-1746TER is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), 25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 20 threads instead of 8/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Xeon D-1746TER Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	308 FPS	173 FPS
medium	278 FPS	141 FPS
high	231 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	143 FPS
medium	221 FPS	114 FPS
high	178 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	71 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	67 FPS
medium	140 FPS	57 FPS
high	108 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1746TER

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	154 FPS
medium	321 FPS	135 FPS
high	291 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	135 FPS
medium	282 FPS	122 FPS
high	258 FPS	109 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	87 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	98 FPS
medium	221 FPS	91 FPS
high	208 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	63 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1746TER

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	392 FPS
high	360 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	392 FPS
high	360 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	344 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	327 FPS
high	360 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	223 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1746TER

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	392 FPS
high	360 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	392 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	392 FPS
high	360 FPS	392 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	392 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	392 FPS
medium	360 FPS	392 FPS
high	360 FPS	358 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	309 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1746TER

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon D-1746TER

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Xeon D-1746TER

The Xeon D-1746TER is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2227. Thermal design power (TDP): 67 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,660 points. Launch price was $1,069.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon D-1746TER offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon D-1746TER has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.1 GHz on the Xeon D-1746TER — a 45% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon D-1746TER uses Ice Lake-D (2022−2023) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon D-1746TER's 15,660 — a 8.4% lead for the Xeon D-1746TER. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 15 MB (total) on the Xeon D-1746TER.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	10 / 20+25%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+58%	3.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	15 MB (total)+25%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1.25 MB (per core)+400%
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Ice Lake-D (2022−2023)
PassMark	14,397	15,660+9%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon D-1746TER uses FCBGA2227 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1746TER
Socket	LGA1151	FCBGA2227
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Xeon D-1746TER). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon D-1746TER requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.