Xeon Gold 6238R vs Core i7-12700K

Xeon Gold 6238R

28 Cores56 Thrd165 WWMax: 4 GHz2020

Core i7-12700K

12 Cores20 Thrd125 WWMax: 5 GHz2021

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon Gold 6238R

28 / 56

34,751

+1.2%

34,347

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 Xeon Gold 6238R

#41

Xeon W-2195

MSRP: $150|Avg: $5

128%

#50

Xeon Gold 6238R

MSRP: $2612|Avg: N/A

100%

#54

EPYC 4465P

MSRP: $399|Avg: $399

86%

#55

Ryzen 5 PRO 7645

MSRP: $229|Avg: $192

82%

#56

Xeon E5-4667 v3

MSRP: $128|Avg: $128

82%

#59

Ryzen 9 PRO 7945

MSRP: $409|Avg: $450

78%

#60

Xeon Platinum 8571N

MSRP: $599|Avg: $418

78%

#61

Xeon Platinum 8270

MSRP: $7405|Avg: N/A

78%

#62

EPYC 4464P

MSRP: $429|Avg: $450

75%

#63

EPYC 4345P

MSRP: $329|Avg: $329

75%

#64

EPYC 4344P

MSRP: $329|Avg: $314

74%

#65

EPYC 4364P

MSRP: $399|Avg: $334

70%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i7-12700K

#113

Core i7-14700F

MSRP: $359|Avg: $330

104%

#114

Ryzen 3 PRO 3200G

MSRP: $89|Avg: $52

104%

#115

Core i9-14900K

MSRP: $589|Avg: $469

104%

#116

Ryzen 5 PRO 5655GE

MSRP: $146|Avg: $146

103%

#117

Core i7-13790F

MSRP: $392|Avg: $350

103%

#118

Core i5-14500

MSRP: $239|Avg: $251

103%

#119

Core i5-11600KF

MSRP: $237|Avg: $157

103%

#120

Ryzen 5 5600XT

MSRP: $192|Avg: $180

103%

#121

Core i5-13600

MSRP: $255|Avg: $255

102%

#122

Core i3-13100F

MSRP: $109|Avg: $119

102%

#123

Ryzen 5 5600G

MSRP: $259|Avg: $160

102%

#124

Core Ultra 9 285K

MSRP: $589|Avg: $550

102%

#125

Core i5-13400E

MSRP: $221|Avg: $221

101%

#126

Ryzen 7 8700F

MSRP: $270|Avg: $257

101%

#127

Core i9-14900KF

MSRP: $564|Avg: $480

101%

#128

Core i7-12700K

MSRP: $409|Avg: $285

100%

#129

Core i9-13900KF

MSRP: $599|Avg: $480

100%

#130

Core i7-12700

MSRP: $250|Avg: $250

100%

#131

Core Ultra 5 245T

MSRP: $270|Avg: $270

100%

#132

Core i5-8500

MSRP: $192|Avg: $80

99%

#133

Core i5-9400F

MSRP: $182|Avg: $80

98%

#134

Core i5-11400

MSRP: $182|Avg: $141

98%

#135

Core i5-13600K

MSRP: $329|Avg: $319

98%

#136

Core i5-13500

MSRP: $242|Avg: $264

98%

#137

Ryzen 7 8700G

MSRP: $329|Avg: $269

98%

#138

Core i7-14700

MSRP: $384|Avg: $348

98%

#139

Ryzen 5 2500X

MSRP: $159|Avg: $80

97%

#140

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE

MSRP: $100|Avg: $60

97%

#141

Core i9-13900K

MSRP: $599|Avg: $500

97%

#142

Core i3-14100

MSRP: $134|Avg: $131

96%

#143

Ryzen 5 3400G

MSRP: $149|Avg: $80

95%

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 ($2,612) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon Gold 6238R is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon Gold 6238R	Core i7-12700K
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($2,612)	✅ More affordable ($285)
Longevity	✨ Modern (Cascade Lake (2019−2020) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) / 10 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i7-12700K ($285), 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 ($2,327 less, 89% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon Gold 6238R	Core i7-12700K
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+806%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($2,612)	✅ More affordable ($285)

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.

Xeon Gold 6238R Benchmark Check

Core i7-12700K Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6238R and Core i7-12700K

Xeon Gold 6238R

The Xeon Gold 6238R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 28 cores and 56 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 38.5 MB. L2 cache: 28 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 34,751 points. Launch price was $2,612.

Core i7-12700K

The Core i7-12700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 November 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) architecture. It features 12 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 34,347 points. Launch price was $409.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 6238R packs 28 cores / 56 threads, while the Core i7-12700K offers 12 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon Gold 6238R has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6238R versus 5 GHz on the Core i7-12700K — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-12700K (base: 2.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Xeon Gold 6238R uses the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-12700K uses Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6238R scores 34,751 against the Core i7-12700K's 34,347 — a 1.2% lead for the Xeon Gold 6238R. L3 cache: 38.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 6238R vs 25 MB (total) on the Core i7-12700K.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6238R	Core i7-12700K
Cores / Threads	28 / 56+133%	12 / 20
Boost Clock	4 GHz	5 GHz+25%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	3.6 GHz+64%
L3 Cache	38.5 MB+54%	25 MB (total)
L2 Cache	28 MB+2140%	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)	Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
PassMark	34,751+1%	34,347
Geekbench 6 Multi	21,433	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 6238R uses the LGA3647 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-12700K uses LGA1700 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2933 on the Xeon Gold 6238R versus 4800 on the Core i7-12700K — the Core i7-12700K supports 199.7% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-12700K supports up to 128 of RAM compared to 1 TB — 196.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 6 (Xeon Gold 6238R) vs 2 (Core i7-12700K). PCIe lanes: 48 (Xeon Gold 6238R) vs 20 (Core i7-12700K) — the Xeon Gold 6238R offers 28 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: C621,C622,C624,C627,C628 (Xeon Gold 6238R) and Z690,B660 (Core i7-12700K).

Feature	Xeon Gold 6238R	Core i7-12700K
Socket	LGA3647	LGA1700
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	4800+119900%
Max RAM Capacity	1 TB+838860700%	128
RAM Channels	6+200%	2
ECC Support	✅	✅
PCIe Lanes	48+140%	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-12700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Gold 6238R supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon Gold 6238R) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-12700K). The Core i7-12700K includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 770), while the Xeon Gold 6238R requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Xeon Gold 6238R targets Server. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6238R rivals Xeon Gold 6248R; Core i7-12700K rivals Ryzen 7 5800X.