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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Xeon Gold 6242R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $3,325 less on MSRP ($2,977 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Delivers 117.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 12.1 vs 5.6 PassMark/$ ($2,977 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Xeon Platinum 8268

2019

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6242R across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (35,081 vs 36,011).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($6,302 MSRP vs $2,977 MSRP).

Xeon Gold 6242R

2020

Xeon Platinum 8268

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $3,325 less on MSRP ($2,977 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Delivers 117.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 12.1 vs 5.6 PassMark/$ ($2,977 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6242R across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (35,081 vs 36,011).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 12.1 PassMark/$ ($6,302 MSRP vs $2,977 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6242R better than Xeon Platinum 8268?

Yes. Xeon Gold 6242R is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 6.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 2.7% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Xeon Gold 6242R is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 6.5% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6242R is the better fit. You are getting 2.7% better PassMark, backed by 20 cores and 40 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon Gold 6242R is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 6242R is $3,325 cheaper on MSRP at $2,977 MSRP versus $6,302 MSRP, and it gives you a 6.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 117.3% better value on MSRP (12.1 vs 5.6 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon Gold 6242R is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 20 cores / 40 threads instead of 24/48. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

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 6242R Benchmark Check

Xeon Platinum 8268 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	199 FPS	194 FPS
medium	160 FPS	157 FPS
high	129 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	159 FPS	159 FPS
medium	124 FPS	124 FPS
high	96 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	73 FPS	72 FPS
medium	60 FPS	60 FPS
high	47 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6242R Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	501 FPS	424 FPS
medium	440 FPS	370 FPS
high	364 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	249 FPS
1440p
low	442 FPS	366 FPS
medium	389 FPS	322 FPS
high	326 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	212 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	228 FPS
medium	247 FPS	203 FPS
high	225 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	148 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6242R Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	900 FPS	877 FPS
medium	900 FPS	877 FPS
high	863 FPS	872 FPS
ultra	781 FPS	787 FPS
1440p
low	814 FPS	731 FPS
medium	720 FPS	632 FPS
high	665 FPS	600 FPS
ultra	596 FPS	537 FPS
4K
low	516 FPS	468 FPS
medium	423 FPS	368 FPS
high	372 FPS	328 FPS
ultra	306 FPS	269 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6242R Open Xeon Platinum 8268

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	900 FPS	877 FPS
medium	900 FPS	848 FPS
high	783 FPS	733 FPS
ultra	671 FPS	637 FPS
1440p
low	824 FPS	736 FPS
medium	707 FPS	646 FPS
high	605 FPS	555 FPS
ultra	515 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	602 FPS	531 FPS
medium	523 FPS	473 FPS
high	458 FPS	416 FPS
ultra	387 FPS	361 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6242R Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6242R and Xeon Platinum 8268

Xeon Gold 6242R

The Xeon Gold 6242R 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 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB. L2 cache: 20 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 36,011 points. Launch price was $2,529.

Xeon Platinum 8268

The Xeon Platinum 8268 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 December 2018 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake-SP (2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 35,081 points. Launch price was $6,302.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 6242R packs 20 cores / 40 threads, while the Xeon Platinum 8268 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon Platinum 8268 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.1 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6242R versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Platinum 8268 — a 5% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 6242R (base: 3.1 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Xeon Gold 6242R uses the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Platinum 8268 uses Cascade Lake-SP (2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6242R scores 36,011 against the Xeon Platinum 8268's 35,081 — a 2.6% lead for the Xeon Gold 6242R. L3 cache: 35.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6242R vs 35.75 MB (total) on the Xeon Platinum 8268.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
Cores / Threads	20 / 40	24 / 48+20%
Boost Clock	4.1 GHz+5%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.1 GHz+7%	2.9 GHz
L3 Cache	35.75 MB	35.75 MB (total)
L2 Cache	20 MB+1900%	1 MB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)	Cascade Lake-SP (2018)
PassMark	36,011+3%	35,081
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	24,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,394
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	12,046

🧠

Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA3647 socket with PCIe 3.0. Maximum memory speed reaches 2933 on the Xeon Gold 6242R versus DDR4-2933 on the Xeon Platinum 8268 — the Xeon Gold 6242R supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 1024 of RAM. Both feature 6-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 48 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: C621 (Xeon Gold 6242R) and C621,Lewisburg (Xeon Platinum 8268).

Feature	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
Socket	LGA3647	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	2933+73225%	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	1024	1024 GB+104857500%
RAM Channels	6	6
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	48	48

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6242R) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon Platinum 8268). Primary use case: Xeon Platinum 8268 targets High-end Server. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6242R rivals EPYC 7302; Xeon Platinum 8268 rivals EPYC 7452.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6242R	Xeon Platinum 8268
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	—	High-end Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon Gold 6242R launched at $2977 MSRP, while the Xeon Platinum 8268 debuted at $6302. On MSRP ($2977 vs $6302), the Xeon Gold 6242R is $3325 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon Gold 6242R delivers 12.1 pts/$ vs 5.6 pts/$ for the Xeon Platinum 8268 — making the Xeon Gold 6242R the 73.9% better value option.