Core i9-9900X vs Xeon E7-8891 v3

CPU

GPU

Core i9-9900X

10 Cores20 Thrd165 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2018

Xeon E7-8891 v3

10 Cores20 Thrd165 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2015

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i9-9900X

10 / 20

21,655

+0.2%

21,615

0.0%

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i9-9900X

#258

Core i5-8600

MSRP: $213|Avg: $130

106%

#259

Core i3-9100TE

MSRP: $122|Avg: $60

106%

#260

Core i5-12500T

MSRP: $302|Avg: $214

106%

#261

Core i9-13900

MSRP: $549|Avg: $599

105%

#262

Core i7-11700

MSRP: $323|Avg: $274

104%

#262

Core i7-8700K

MSRP: $359|Avg: $160

52%

#263

Core i9-13900T

MSRP: $549|Avg: $570

104%

#264

Processor 300T

MSRP: $82|Avg: $82

103%

#265

Athlon 3000G

MSRP: $49|Avg: $60

103%

#266

Athlon 220GE

MSRP: $65|Avg: $60

103%

#267

Ryzen 9 3900X

MSRP: $499|Avg: $441

102%

#268

Core i5-10500

MSRP: $200|Avg: $178

102%

#269

Celeron G6900T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $50

102%

#270

Core i9-10850K

MSRP: $453|Avg: $300

101%

#271

Core i9-13900E

MSRP: $554|Avg: $554

101%

#272

Core i9-9820X

MSRP: $889|Avg: $280

101%

#273

Core i9-9900X

MSRP: $989|Avg: $300

100%

#274

Ryzen 7 1800X

MSRP: $499|Avg: $120

45%

#274

Core i7-9700K

MSRP: $385|Avg: $200

100%

#275

Core i3-10320

MSRP: $154|Avg: $140

99%

#276

Core i5-9600KF

MSRP: $262|Avg: $150

98%

#277

Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE

MSRP: $180|Avg: $180

98%

#278

Core i7-14701TE

MSRP: $392|Avg: $390

98%

#278

Ryzen Threadripper 1900X

MSRP: $549|Avg: $116

42%

#279

Ryzen Threadripper 1920X

MSRP: $799|Avg: $265

40%

#279

Core i9-11900KF

MSRP: $513|Avg: $349

98%

#280

Core i7-7820X

MSRP: $599|Avg: $198

40%

#280

Athlon Silver 3050GE

MSRP: $75|Avg: $65

97%

#281

Core i7-9700E

MSRP: $259|Avg: $180

97%

#282

Core i7-11700K

MSRP: $399|Avg: $350

96%

#283

Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

MSRP: $329|Avg: $330

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E7-8891 v3

#527

Xeon Platinum 8592+

MSRP: $11600|Avg: $11600

229%

#528

Xeon E5-2687W v3

MSRP: $2141|Avg: $749

215%

#529

Xeon Max 9480

MSRP: $12980|Avg: $12980

202%

#530

Xeon E5-2689 v4

MSRP: $2723|Avg: $100

198%

#531

EPYC 7543

MSRP: $10257|Avg: $468

194%

#532

Xeon Platinum 8368Q

MSRP: $7719|Avg: $7719

191%

#533

Xeon Gold 6250

MSRP: $3400|Avg: $2000

191%

#534

Xeon E5-2699 v4

MSRP: $4115|Avg: $400

190%

#535

Xeon W-3245M

MSRP: $5002|Avg: $5002

180%

#536

Xeon W-3265M

MSRP: $6300|Avg: $3500

178%

#537

Xeon Platinum 8180

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2363

121%

#538

Xeon Platinum 8280M

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $6223

119%

#539

Xeon Platinum 8280

MSRP: $10009|Avg: $2940

116%

#540

Xeon E7-8891 v3

MSRP: $6841|Avg: $418

100%

#541

Xeon E5-4669 v4

MSRP: $7007|Avg: $300

79%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Generational Difference: This comparison involves processors from different technological eras. The Core i9-9900X (2018) utilizes 14 nm technology and DDR4-2666, providing a fundamental performance advantage.

Insight	Core i9-9900X	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($300)	⚠️ Higher cost ($418)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Skylake (server) (2017−2018) / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Haswell-EX (2015) / 22 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Xeon E7-8891 v3 (2015) relies on 22 nm technology and DDR4-1333/1600/1866, DDR3-1066/1333/1600, placing it in a different performance category relative to modern standards.

Insight	Core i9-9900X	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+40%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($300)	⚠️ Higher cost ($418)

Performance Check

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 i9-9900X Benchmark Check

Xeon E7-8891 v3 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9900X and Xeon E7-8891 v3

Core i9-9900X

The Core i9-9900X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 21,655 points. Launch price was $989.

Xeon E7-8891 v3

The Xeon E7-8891 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EX (2015) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 45 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1333/1600/1866, DDR3-1066/1333/1600. Passmark benchmark score: 21,615 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i9-9900X and Xeon E7-8891 v3 share an identical 10-core/20-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i9-9900X versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E7-8891 v3 — a 25% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900X (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Core i9-9900X uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 uses Haswell-EX (2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900X scores 21,655 against the Xeon E7-8891 v3's 21,615 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i9-9900X. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 1,459 vs 900, a 47.4% lead for the Core i9-9900X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 9,475 vs 9,500 (0.3% advantage for the Xeon E7-8891 v3). L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900X vs 45 MB (total) on the Xeon E7-8891 v3.

Feature	Core i9-9900X	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Cores / Threads	10 / 20	10 / 20
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+29%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+25%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	19.25 MB (total)	45 MB (total)+134%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+300%	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm-36%	22 nm
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Haswell-EX (2015)
PassMark	21,655	21,615
Cinebench R23 Multi	13,985	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,459+62%	900
Geekbench 6 Multi	9,475	9,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900X uses the LGA2066 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Xeon E7-8891 v3 supports up to 1536 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 169.2% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 4-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 44 (Core i9-9900X) vs 32 (Xeon E7-8891 v3) — the Core i9-9900X offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X299 (Core i9-9900X) and C602J (Xeon E7-8891 v3).

Feature	Core i9-9900X	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Socket	LGA2066	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-1866
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	1536 GB+1100%
RAM Channels	4	4
ECC Support	❌	✅
PCIe Lanes	44+38%	32

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i9-9900X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-9900X) vs Yes (Xeon E7-8891 v3).

Feature	Core i9-9900X	Xeon E7-8891 v3
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	Yes

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-9900X launched at $989 MSRP, while the Xeon E7-8891 v3 debuted at $6841. At current prices ($300 vs $418), the Core i9-9900X is $118 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-9900X delivers 72.2 pts/$ vs 51.7 pts/$ for the Xeon E7-8891 v3 — making the Core i9-9900X the 33% better value option.