Xeon E-2378
VS
Core i9-10980HK

Xeon E-2378 vs Core i9-10980HK

Intel

Xeon E-2378

8 Cores16 Thrd65 WWMax: 4.8 GHz2021
VS
Intel

Core i9-10980HK

8 Cores16 Thrd45 WWMax: 5.1 GHz2020

Performance Spectrum - CPU

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 Xeon E-2378

#214
Xeon 6521P
MSRP: $1250|Avg: $1250
110%
#215
Xeon E-2456
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $289
110%
#218
Xeon Gold 5512U
MSRP: $1230|Avg: N/A
107%
#219
Xeon D-1733NT
MSRP: $300|Avg: $300
105%
#220
Xeon 6520P
MSRP: $1295|Avg: $1295
105%
#221
Xeon Gold 6314U
MSRP: $2977|Avg: N/A
104%
#222
Xeon E-2478
MSRP: $568|Avg: $269
104%
#223
Xeon W-1390
MSRP: $494|Avg: $400
103%
#225
Xeon W-1250
MSRP: $285|Avg: $333
102%
#226
EPYC 9135
MSRP: $1214|Avg: $95
101%
#227
Xeon E-2378
MSRP: $362|Avg: $562
100%
#228
Xeon w3-2525
MSRP: $609|Avg: $800
100%
#230
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX
MSRP: $1337|Avg: $368
99%
#232
EPYC 7282
MSRP: $650|Avg: $199
99%
#233
Xeon w5-2545
MSRP: $889|Avg: $1100
97%
#234
Xeon W-1250P
MSRP: $311|Avg: $311
97%
#237
Xeon w3-2535
MSRP: $739|Avg: $800
96%
#239
EPYC 7313P
MSRP: $913|Avg: $824
95%
#240
Ryzen 7 PRO 1700
MSRP: $329|Avg: $60
95%
#241
Xeon w5-2555X
MSRP: $1069|Avg: $1145
95%
#242
Xeon E-2246G
MSRP: $311|Avg: $268
94%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i9-10980HK

#187
Core Ultra 9 288V
MSRP: $600|Avg: $600
128%
#188
Core i7-10870H
MSRP: $417|Avg: N/A
127%
#202
Core i9-10980HK
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
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 ($562) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E-2378 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E-2378Core i9-10980HK
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($562)
More affordable ($0)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Rocket Lake-E (2021) / 14 nm)
✨ Modern (Comet Lake-H (2020) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i9-10980HK ($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 ($562 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E-2378Core i9-10980HK
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($562)
More affordable ($0)

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E-2378 and Core i9-10980HK

Intel

Xeon E-2378

The Xeon E-2378 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Rocket Lake-E (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 17,069 points. Launch price was $800.

Intel

Core i9-10980HK

The Core i9-10980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,037 points. Launch price was $583.

Processing Power

Both the Xeon E-2378 and Core i9-10980HK share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Xeon E-2378 versus 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10980HK — a 6.1% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980HK (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Xeon E-2378 uses the Rocket Lake-E (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-10980HK uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E-2378 scores 17,069 against the Core i9-10980HK's 17,037 — a 0.2% lead for the Xeon E-2378. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

FeatureXeon E-2378Core i9-10980HK
Cores / Threads
8 / 16
8 / 16
Boost Clock
4.8 GHz
5.1 GHz+6%
Base Clock
2.6 GHz+8%
2.4 GHz
L3 Cache
16 MB (total)
16 MB (total)
L2 Cache
512K (per core)+100%
256 kB (per core)
Process
14 nm
14 nm
Architecture
Rocket Lake-E (2021)
Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark
17,069
17,037
Geekbench 6 Single
1,821
Geekbench 6 Multi
9,986
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E-2378 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i9-10980HK uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E-2378Core i9-10980HK
Socket
LGA1200
BGA1440
PCIe Generation
PCIe 4.0+33%
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity
128 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
20
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: Yes (Xeon E-2378) / not specified (Core i9-10980HK).

FeatureXeon E-2378Core i9-10980HK
Integrated GPU
No
AVX-512
Yes
Virtualization
Yes