Xeon Gold 6230N
VS
Core i3-8109U

Xeon Gold 6230N vs Core i3-8109U

Intel

Xeon Gold 6230N

20 Cores40 Thrd125 WWMax: 3.5 GHz2019
VS
Intel

Core i3-8109U

2 Cores4 Thrd28 WWMax: 3.6 GHz2018

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. The Xeon Gold 6230N is positioned at rank 614 and the Core i3-8109U is on rank 857, so the Xeon Gold 6230N offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

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 Gold 6230N

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
9953%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
1879%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
1670%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
1290%
#366
Xeon Silver 4216
MSRP: $1011|Avg: $800
100%
#367
EPYC 9454P
MSRP: $4598|Avg: $3333
99%
#369
Xeon Gold 6542Y
MSRP: $2878|Avg: N/A
96%
#370
EPYC 7502
MSRP: $2600|Avg: $1299
96%
#371
Xeon 6730P
MSRP: $3726|Avg: $3726
95%
#372
Xeon Gold 6330
MSRP: $2128|Avg: $2128
95%
#373
Xeon Gold 6548Y+
MSRP: $3726|Avg: $3726
94%
#374
Xeon Gold 6448H
MSRP: $3658|Avg: N/A
94%
#375
Xeon D-2766NT
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $212
94%
#614
Xeon Gold 6230N
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#618
Xeon W-2133
MSRP: $617|Avg: $617
98%
#622
Xeon E5607
MSRP: $135|Avg: $27
95%
#626
Xeon Silver 4209T
MSRP: $563|Avg: $649
94%
#627
Xeon E3-1240
MSRP: $273|Avg: $39
94%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i3-8109U

#845
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
1402%
#846
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
1382%
#847
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
1269%
#848
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
1263%
#849
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
1251%
#851
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
1208%
#852
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
1159%
#853
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
1157%
#854
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
1126%
#857
Core i3-8109U
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#863
Pentium Dual Core T2390
MSRP: $86|Avg: $5
98%
#867
Core i7-1160G7
MSRP: $426|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 Gold 6230N is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon Gold 6230NCore i3-8109U
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
✨ Modern (Cascade Lake (2019−2020) / 14 nm)
✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i3-8109U ($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.
InsightXeon Gold 6230NCore i3-8109U
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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6230N and Core i3-8109U

Intel

Xeon Gold 6230N

The Xeon Gold 6230N is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 27.5 MB. L2 cache: 20 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 4,175 points. Launch price was $2,046.

Intel

Core i3-8109U

The Core i3-8109U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,184 points. Launch price was $304.

Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 6230N packs 20 cores / 40 threads, while the Core i3-8109U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Xeon Gold 6230N has 18 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6230N versus 3.6 GHz on the Core i3-8109U — a 2.8% clock advantage for the Core i3-8109U (base: 2.3 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Xeon Gold 6230N uses the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-8109U uses Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6230N scores 4,175 against the Core i3-8109U's 4,184 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i3-8109U. L3 cache: 27.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 6230N vs 4 MB (total) on the Core i3-8109U.

FeatureXeon Gold 6230NCore i3-8109U
Cores / Threads
20 / 40+900%
2 / 4
Boost Clock
3.5 GHz
3.6 GHz+3%
Base Clock
2.3 GHz
3 GHz+30%
L3 Cache
27.5 MB+588%
4 MB (total)
L2 Cache
20 MB+7900%
256K (per core)
Process
14 nm
14 nm
Architecture
Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark
4,175
4,184
Geekbench 6 Single
1,100
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 6230N uses the LGA3647 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-8109U uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon Gold 6230NCore i3-8109U
Socket
LGA3647
FCBGA1528
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
RAM Channels
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
16
🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon Gold 6230N) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-8109U). The Core i3-8109U includes integrated graphics (Iris Plus Graphics 655), while the Xeon Gold 6230N requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-8109U targets Performance Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i3-8109U rivals Ryzen 3 3200U.

FeatureXeon Gold 6230NCore i3-8109U
Integrated GPU
Yes
IGPU Model
Iris Plus Graphics 655
Unlocked
No
AVX-512
No
Virtualization
VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use
Performance Laptop