Xeon Gold 6256 vs Core i9-12900HK

Xeon Gold 6256

12 Cores24 Thrd205 WWMax: 4.5 GHz2020

Core i9-12900HK

14 Cores20 Thrd45 WWMax: 5 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon Gold 6256

12 / 24

25,334

0.0%

25,512

+0.7%

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 6256

#472

EPYC 9845

MSRP: $13564|Avg: $8670

111%

#473

EPYC 7F32

MSRP: $2100|Avg: $179

109%

#474

EPYC 9654P

MSRP: $10625|Avg: $5345

108%

#475

EPYC 9965

MSRP: $14813|Avg: $10000

107%

#476

EPYC 9745

MSRP: $12141|Avg: $10588

106%

#477

EPYC 7J13

MSRP: $7890|Avg: $150

106%

#478

EPYC 7702

MSRP: $6450|Avg: $2035

106%

#479

EPYC 7763

MSRP: $7890|Avg: $1513

106%

#480

EPYC 9734

MSRP: $9600|Avg: $6598

105%

#481

Xeon Platinum 8160M

MSRP: $5000|Avg: $350

105%

#482

Xeon 6724P

MSRP: $3622|Avg: $3622

104%

#483

EPYC 9634

MSRP: $10304|Avg: $3949

103%

#484

EPYC 7773X

MSRP: $8800|Avg: $8800

102%

#485

Xeon Gold 6258R

MSRP: $3950|Avg: $1400

101%

#486

EPYC 9175F

MSRP: $4256|Avg: $3703

101%

#487

Xeon Gold 6256

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#488

EPYC 9534

MSRP: $8803|Avg: $2999

100%

#489

EPYC 9654

MSRP: $11805|Avg: $5345

100%

#490

EPYC 7H12

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $1340

99%

#491

EPYC 7742

MSRP: $6950|Avg: $800

99%

#492

Xeon Platinum 8352M

MSRP: $4471|Avg: $4471

98%

#493

Xeon Platinum 8570

MSRP: $9595|Avg: $9595

96%

#494

EPYC 9184X

MSRP: $4928|Avg: $3750

95%

#495

Xeon Platinum 8470

MSRP: $9359|Avg: $9359

95%

#496

Xeon E7-8857 v2

MSRP: $3838|Avg: $2995

93%

#497

Xeon Gold 6148

MSRP: $3072|Avg: $290

93%

#498

Xeon E5-1681 V3

MSRP: $1589|Avg: $200

92%

#499

Xeon W-3275

MSRP: $4449|Avg: $1550

92%

#500

Xeon Gold 6138

MSRP: $2612|Avg: $300

91%

#501

Xeon E5-2690 v4

MSRP: $2090|Avg: $389

91%

#502

Xeon Platinum 8362

MSRP: $6236|Avg: $5740

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i9-12900HK

#73

Core i9-13950HX

MSRP: $590|Avg: $199

109%

#82

Core i7-11700B

MSRP: $323|Avg: $311

105%

#83

Core i7-13700HX

MSRP: $485|Avg: N/A

104%

#86

Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

MSRP: $500|Avg: $500

103%

#88

Core i9-12900HK

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#96

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

MSRP: $400|Avg: $400

96%

#97

Core Ultra 5 226V

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

96%

#101

Core i5-1350P

MSRP: $320|Avg: $250

92%

#102

Core i3-1220P

MSRP: $250|Avg: $150

91%

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 6256 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon Gold 6256	Core i9-12900HK
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Legacy / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Alder Lake-H (2022) / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i9-12900HK ($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	Xeon Gold 6256	Core i9-12900HK
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.

Xeon Gold 6256 Benchmark Check

Core i9-12900HK Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6256 and Core i9-12900HK

Xeon Gold 6256

The Xeon Gold 6256 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 33 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 25,334 points. Launch price was $800.

Core i9-12900HK

The Core i9-12900HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-H (2022) architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 25,512 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 6256 packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Core i9-12900HK offers 14 cores / 20 threads — the Core i9-12900HK has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6256 versus 5 GHz on the Core i9-12900HK — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Core i9-12900HK (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Core i9-12900HK is built on the Alder Lake-H (2022) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6256 scores 25,334 against the Core i9-12900HK's 25,512 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i9-12900HK. L3 cache: 33 MB on the Xeon Gold 6256 vs 24 MB (total) on the Core i9-12900HK.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6256	Core i9-12900HK
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	14 / 20+17%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz	5 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+44%	2.5 GHz
L3 Cache	33 MB+38%	24 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	1.25 MB (per core)
Process	14 nm	Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture	—	Alder Lake-H (2022)
PassMark	25,334	25,512
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	18,197
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,938
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	13,317

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 6256 uses the LGA3647 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i9-12900HK uses FCBGA1744 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6256	Core i9-12900HK
Socket	LGA3647	FCBGA1744
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 5.0+67%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	28

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon Gold 6256) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i9-12900HK). The Core i9-12900HK includes integrated graphics (Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EUs)), while the Xeon Gold 6256 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i9-12900HK targets Enthusiast Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i9-12900HK rivals Ryzen 9 6900HX.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6256	Core i9-12900HK
Integrated GPU	—	Yes
IGPU Model	—	Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EUs)
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	—	Enthusiast Gaming Laptop