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

✅Costs $1,055 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $1,440 MSRP).
✅Delivers 158.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 14.5 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $1,440 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 140W, a 45W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon W-2155 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-2155 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,858).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2155, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon W-2155

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.5 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($1,440 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌47.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon W-2155

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,055 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $1,440 MSRP).
✅Delivers 158.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 14.5 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $1,440 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 140W, a 45W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon W-2155 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +18.3% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-2155 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,858).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-2155, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.5 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($1,440 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌47.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-2155 better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-2155 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, Xeon W-2155 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 18.3% 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, Xeon W-2155 is the better fit. You are getting 44.9% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 20 threads.

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

Xeon W-2155 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon W-2155 is 274.0% more expensive on MSRP at $1,440 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 18.3% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 158.2% better value on paper (37.4 vs 14.5 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i7-9700K is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2017). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 W-2155 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
1080p
low	308 FPS	166 FPS
medium	278 FPS	144 FPS
high	231 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	141 FPS
medium	221 FPS	120 FPS
high	178 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	76 FPS
medium	140 FPS	70 FPS
high	108 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	43 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-2155

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
1080p
low	360 FPS	327 FPS
medium	321 FPS	282 FPS
high	291 FPS	260 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	232 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	291 FPS
medium	282 FPS	253 FPS
high	258 FPS	236 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	206 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	229 FPS
medium	221 FPS	202 FPS
high	208 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	163 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-2155

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
1080p
low	360 FPS	521 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	521 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	521 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	521 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	521 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	521 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	508 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	379 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	312 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-2155

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
1080p
low	360 FPS	521 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	521 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	521 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	521 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	521 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	521 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	521 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	521 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-2155

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon W-2155

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 W-2155

The Xeon W-2155 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 29 August 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 13.75 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400, DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 20,858 points. Launch price was $1,440.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon W-2155 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon W-2155 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.5 GHz on the Xeon W-2155 — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon W-2155 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon W-2155's 20,858 — a 36.7% lead for the Xeon W-2155. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 13.75 MB (total) on the Xeon W-2155.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	10 / 20+25%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+9%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+9%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	13.75 MB (total)+15%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	14,397	20,858+45%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W-2155 uses LGA2066 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
Socket	LGA1151	LGA2066
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 W-2155). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon W-2155 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-2155
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 W-2155 debuted at $1440. On MSRP ($385 vs $1440), the Core i7-9700K is $1055 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 14.5 pts/$ for the Xeon W-2155 — making the Core i7-9700K the 88.3% better value option.