Core i9-9980HK vs Xeon E-2236

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 i9-9980HK

#207

Core i9-9980HK

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E-2236

#179

Xeon W-3223

MSRP: $294|Avg: $294

104%

#182

EPYC Embedded 8224P

MSRP: $855|Avg: $1048

103%

#187

Xeon Gold 5520+

MSRP: $1083|Avg: $764

102%

#188

EPYC 8124P

MSRP: $639|Avg: $639

102%

#194

Xeon E-2236

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#196

Xeon 6515P

MSRP: $740|Avg: $886

99%

#201

Xeon Gold 6248R

MSRP: $2700|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E-2236 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Core i9-9980HK	Xeon E-2236
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-HR (2019) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i9-9980HK ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Core i9-9980HK	Xeon E-2236
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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 i9-9980HK Benchmark Check

Xeon E-2236 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9980HK and Xeon E-2236

Core i9-9980HK

The Core i9-9980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,966 points. Launch price was $583.

Xeon E-2236

The Xeon E-2236 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 29 May 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 80 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 13,885 points. Launch price was $284.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-9980HK packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon E-2236 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-9980HK has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9980HK versus 4.8 GHz on the Xeon E-2236 — a 4.1% clock advantage for the Core i9-9980HK (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i9-9980HK uses the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon E-2236 uses Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9980HK scores 13,966 against the Xeon E-2236's 13,885 — a 0.6% lead for the Core i9-9980HK. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9980HK vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon E-2236.

Feature	Core i9-9980HK	Xeon E-2236
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz+4%	4.8 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.4 GHz+42%
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+33%	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-HR (2019)	Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019)
PassMark	13,966	13,885

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9980HK uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon E-2236 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.