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: +53.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $32 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $417 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 22.0 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $417 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Silver 4108 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4108, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.

Xeon Silver 4108

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,177 vs 14,397).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 22.0 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($417 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon Silver 4108

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +53.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $32 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $417 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 22.0 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $417 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Silver 4108 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4108, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (9,177 vs 14,397).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 22.0 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($417 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌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 Silver 4108?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Silver 4108 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 53.1% more average FPS across 50 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 56.9% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 8 threads.

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

Core i7-9700K is the smarter buy today. Core i7-9700K is $32 cheaper on MSRP at $385 MSRP versus $417 MSRP, and it gives you a 53.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 69.9% better value on MSRP (37.4 vs 22.0 PassMark/$), 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) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 8 threads instead of 8/16. 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 Silver 4108 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
1080p
low	308 FPS	169 FPS
medium	278 FPS	134 FPS
high	231 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	138 FPS
medium	221 FPS	107 FPS
high	178 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	65 FPS
medium	140 FPS	54 FPS
high	108 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Silver 4108

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
1080p
low	360 FPS	124 FPS
medium	321 FPS	110 FPS
high	291 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	110 FPS
medium	282 FPS	100 FPS
high	258 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	75 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 Silver 4108

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
1080p
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	229 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	229 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	229 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Silver 4108

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
1080p
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	229 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	229 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	229 FPS
medium	360 FPS	229 FPS
high	360 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	229 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Silver 4108

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon Silver 4108

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 Silver 4108

The Xeon Silver 4108 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 11 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 9,177 points. Launch price was $417.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Xeon Silver 4108's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3 GHz on the Xeon Silver 4108 — a 48.1% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Silver 4108 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon Silver 4108's 9,177 — a 44.3% lead for the Core i7-9700K. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 11 MB on the Xeon Silver 4108.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+63%	3 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+100%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+9%	11 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	8 MB+3100%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	14,397+57%	9,177

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Silver 4108 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
Socket	LGA1151	LGA3647
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Xeon Silver 4108). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon Silver 4108 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Silver 4108
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Xeon Silver 4108 debuted at $417. On MSRP ($385 vs $417), the Core i7-9700K is $32 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 22.0 pts/$ for the Xeon Silver 4108 — making the Core i7-9700K the 51.8% better value option.