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: +22.5% higher average FPS across 17 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-1848TER needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 16,952).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1848TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon D-1848TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 95W vs 57W.

Xeon D-1848TER

2023

Why buy it

✅+17.7% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.
✅Draws 57W instead of 95W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 17 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-1848TER

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.5% higher average FPS across 17 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-1848TER needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+17.7% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.
✅Draws 57W instead of 95W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 16,952).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1848TER, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon D-1848TER mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 95W vs 57W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 17 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-1848TER better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-1848TER 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-1848TER is the better fit. You are getting 17.7% 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-1848TER is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon D-1848TER is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 17.7% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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-1848TER is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 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-1848TER Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
1080p
low	308 FPS	177 FPS
medium	278 FPS	144 FPS
high	231 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	143 FPS
medium	221 FPS	114 FPS
high	178 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	71 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	68 FPS
medium	140 FPS	57 FPS
high	108 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1848TER

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	141 FPS
medium	321 FPS	124 FPS
high	291 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	124 FPS
medium	282 FPS	112 FPS
high	258 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	91 FPS
medium	221 FPS	84 FPS
high	208 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	58 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1848TER

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	424 FPS
high	360 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	398 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	424 FPS
high	360 FPS	376 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	328 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	404 FPS
medium	360 FPS	313 FPS
high	360 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	214 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1848TER

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
1080p
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	424 FPS
high	360 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	424 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	424 FPS
high	360 FPS	424 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	418 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	424 FPS
medium	360 FPS	401 FPS
high	360 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	308 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1848TER

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon D-1848TER

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-1848TER

The Xeon D-1848TER is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 15360 kB. Socket: FCBGA2227. Thermal design power (TDP): 57 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,952 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon D-1848TER offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon D-1848TER has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.1 GHz on the Xeon D-1848TER — a 45% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K is built on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon D-1848TER's 16,952 — a 16.3% lead for the Xeon D-1848TER. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 15360 kB on the Xeon D-1848TER.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
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)	15360 kB+25%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	—
Process	14 nm	—
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	—
PassMark	14,397	16,952+18%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon D-1848TER uses FCBGA2227 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1848TER
Socket	LGA1151	FCBGA2227
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
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-1848TER). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon D-1848TER requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.