Core i7-9700K vs Xeon E3-1245 v6

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: +66.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌30.1% higher power demand at 95W vs 73W.

Xeon E3-1245 v6

2017

Why buy it

✅Draws 73W instead of 95W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,711 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon E3-1245 v6

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +66.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Draws 73W instead of 95W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon E3-1245 v6 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌30.1% higher power demand at 95W vs 73W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (8,711 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-9700K better than Xeon E3-1245 v6?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E3-1245 v6 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 gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-9700K is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 66.8% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-9700K is the better fit. You are getting 65.3% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Core i7-9700K is the smarter buy today. Core i7-9700K is at an unclear MSRP at $385 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 66.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Core i7-9700K is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2017), 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 8 threads instead of 4/8. 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 E3-1245 v6 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	308 FPS	203 FPS
medium	278 FPS	158 FPS
high	231 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	91 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	170 FPS
medium	221 FPS	131 FPS
high	178 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	71 FPS
medium	140 FPS	58 FPS
high	108 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	321 FPS	216 FPS
high	291 FPS	197 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	169 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	218 FPS
medium	282 FPS	193 FPS
high	258 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	151 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	182 FPS
medium	221 FPS	158 FPS
high	208 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	111 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	218 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	218 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
1080p
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	218 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	218 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	218 FPS
medium	360 FPS	218 FPS
high	360 FPS	218 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	218 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon E3-1245 v6

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon E3-1245 v6

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 E3-1245 v6

The Xeon E3-1245 v6 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 March 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 73 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400, DDR3L-1866. Passmark benchmark score: 8,711 points. Launch price was $284.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon E3-1245 v6 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-9700K has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.1 GHz on the Xeon E3-1245 v6 — a 17.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E3-1245 v6 uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon E3-1245 v6's 8,711 — a 49.2% lead for the Core i7-9700K. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 8 MB on the Xeon E3-1245 v6.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+100%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+20%	4.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
PassMark	14,397+65%	8,711

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1151 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon E3-1245 v6
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Xeon E3-1245 v6). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon E3-1245 v6 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.