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: +5.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $2,815 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 184.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 185W, a 90W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Gold 6338N needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 42,086).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅+192.3% higher PassMark.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅300% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌94.7% higher power demand at 185W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon Gold 6338N

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $2,815 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Delivers 184.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 13.2 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $3,200 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 185W, a 90W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Gold 6338N needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+192.3% higher PassMark.
✅+300% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 32 cores / 64 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅300% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 42,086).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 48 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6338N, which brings 32 cores / 64 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.2 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($3,200 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌94.7% higher power demand at 185W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6338N better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6338N 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 Gold 6338N is the better fit. You are getting 192.3% better PassMark, backed by 32 cores and 64 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 300% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Xeon Gold 6338N is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon Gold 6338N is 731.2% more expensive on MSRP at $3,200 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 192.3% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 184.3% better value on paper (37.4 vs 13.2 PassMark/$), 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 Gold 6338N is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2018), 300% larger total L3 cache (48 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 32 cores / 64 threads instead of 8/8, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 Gold 6338N Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	308 FPS	185 FPS
medium	278 FPS	149 FPS
high	231 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	154 FPS
medium	221 FPS	120 FPS
high	178 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	72 FPS
medium	140 FPS	60 FPS
high	108 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	38 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	360 FPS	232 FPS
medium	321 FPS	208 FPS
high	291 FPS	172 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	199 FPS
medium	282 FPS	180 FPS
high	258 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	124 FPS
medium	221 FPS	114 FPS
high	208 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	81 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	360 FPS	945 FPS
medium	360 FPS	826 FPS
high	360 FPS	781 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	692 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	747 FPS
medium	360 FPS	644 FPS
high	360 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	540 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	479 FPS
medium	360 FPS	379 FPS
high	360 FPS	337 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	275 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6338N

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
1080p
low	360 FPS	893 FPS
medium	360 FPS	811 FPS
high	360 FPS	697 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	599 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	701 FPS
medium	360 FPS	615 FPS
high	360 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	450 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	505 FPS
medium	360 FPS	452 FPS
high	360 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	344 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6338N

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon Gold 6338N

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 Gold 6338N

The Xeon Gold 6338N is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 32 cores and 64 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 48 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 185 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 42,086 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 32 cores / 64 threads — the Xeon Gold 6338N has 24 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338N — a 33.3% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6338N uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon Gold 6338N's 42,086 — a 98% lead for the Xeon Gold 6338N. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 48 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 6338N.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	32 / 64+300%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+40%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+64%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	48 MB (total)+300%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Ice Lake-SP (2021)
PassMark	14,397	42,086+192%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 6338N uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus 2667 on the Xeon Gold 6338N — the Xeon Gold 6338N supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338N supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 128 GB — 191.8% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 8 (Xeon Gold 6338N). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 64 (Xeon Gold 6338N) — the Xeon Gold 6338N offers 48 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and LGA4189 (Xeon Gold 6338N).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
Socket	LGA1151	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	2667+66575%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+2184433%	6144
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	64+300%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6338N supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon Gold 6338N requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6338N rivals EPYC 7513.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6338N
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	None
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Xeon Gold 6338N debuted at $3200. On MSRP ($385 vs $3200), the Core i7-9700K is $2815 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 13.2 pts/$ for the Xeon Gold 6338N — making the Core i7-9700K the 95.9% better value option.