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 $2,614 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 143.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 255W, a 160W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon W-3175X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-3175X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 46,125).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 39 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-3175X, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Xeon W-3175X

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +54.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+220.8% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅200% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 15.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌168.4% higher power demand at 255W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon W-3175X

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,614 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 143.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 255W, a 160W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon W-3175X needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +54.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+220.8% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 28 cores / 56 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅200% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon W-3175X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 46,125).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 39 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon W-3175X, which brings 28 cores / 56 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 15.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌168.4% higher power demand at 255W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-3175X better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-3175X 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-3175X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 54.0% 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-3175X is the better fit. You are getting 220.4% better PassMark, backed by 28 cores and 56 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 220.8% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Xeon W-3175X is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon W-3175X is 679.0% more expensive on MSRP at $2,999 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 54.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 143.1% better value on paper (37.4 vs 15.4 PassMark/$), 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 W-3175X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 220.8% larger total L3 cache (39 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 28 cores / 56 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 W-3175X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	308 FPS	195 FPS
medium	278 FPS	157 FPS
high	231 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	160 FPS
medium	221 FPS	125 FPS
high	178 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	73 FPS
medium	140 FPS	60 FPS
high	108 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-3175X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	360 FPS	443 FPS
medium	321 FPS	387 FPS
high	291 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	260 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	382 FPS
medium	282 FPS	336 FPS
high	258 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	221 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	238 FPS
medium	221 FPS	211 FPS
high	208 FPS	187 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	154 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-3175X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	360 FPS	1018 FPS
medium	360 FPS	908 FPS
high	360 FPS	877 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	790 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	734 FPS
medium	360 FPS	634 FPS
high	360 FPS	602 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	538 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	469 FPS
medium	360 FPS	369 FPS
high	360 FPS	329 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	270 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-3175X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
1080p
low	360 FPS	938 FPS
medium	360 FPS	850 FPS
high	360 FPS	735 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	743 FPS
medium	360 FPS	650 FPS
high	360 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	479 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	536 FPS
medium	360 FPS	476 FPS
high	360 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	363 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon W-3175X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon W-3175X

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-3175X

The Xeon W-3175X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 December 2018 (6 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 38.5 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 255 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 46,125 points. Launch price was $2,999.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon W-3175X offers 28 cores / 56 threads — the Xeon W-3175X has 20 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon W-3175X — a 25.3% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.1 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon W-3175X uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon W-3175X's 46,125 — a 104.8% lead for the Xeon W-3175X. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 38.5 MB (total) on the Xeon W-3175X.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	28 / 56+250%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+29%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+16%	3.1 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	38.5 MB (total)+221%
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	46,125+220%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	31,350
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,467
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	17,358

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon W-3175X uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Xeon W-3175X supports up to 512 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 6 (Xeon W-3175X). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 48 (Xeon W-3175X) — the Xeon W-3175X offers 32 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and Intel C621 (Xeon W-3175X).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
Socket	LGA1151	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	512 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	6+200%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	48+200%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Xeon W-3175X 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 W-3175X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon W-3175X
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
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 W-3175X debuted at $2999. On MSRP ($385 vs $2999), the Core i7-9700K is $2614 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 15.4 pts/$ for the Xeon W-3175X — making the Core i7-9700K the 83.4% better value option.