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.

Core i7-13700K

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+55.8% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,129 less on MSRP ($409 MSRP vs $1,538 MSRP).
✅Delivers 573.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 111.9 vs 16.6 PassMark/$ ($409 MSRP vs $1,538 MSRP).
✅Draws 125W instead of 180W, a 55W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Xeon W-3235

2019

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-13700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (25,552 vs 45,784).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 111.9 PassMark/$ ($1,538 MSRP vs $409 MSRP).
❌44% higher power demand at 180W vs 125W.

Core i7-13700K

2022

Xeon W-3235

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+55.8% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $1,129 less on MSRP ($409 MSRP vs $1,538 MSRP).
✅Delivers 573.8% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 111.9 vs 16.6 PassMark/$ ($409 MSRP vs $1,538 MSRP).
✅Draws 125W instead of 180W, a 55W reduction.

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 Core i7-13700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (25,552 vs 45,784).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 30 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 111.9 PassMark/$ ($1,538 MSRP vs $409 MSRP).
❌44% higher power demand at 180W vs 125W.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-13700K better than Xeon W-3235?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon W-3235 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-13700K is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-13700K is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 10.0% 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, Core i7-13700K is the better fit. You are getting 79.2% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 55.8% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 19 MB).

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

Core i7-13700K is the smarter buy today. Core i7-13700K is $1,129 cheaper on MSRP at $409 MSRP versus $1,538 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 573.8% better value on MSRP (111.9 vs 16.6 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i7-13700K is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647, 55.8% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 19 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 24 threads instead of 12/24. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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.

Core i7-13700K Benchmark Check

Xeon W-3235 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
1080p
low	284 FPS	181 FPS
medium	268 FPS	146 FPS
high	223 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	148 FPS
medium	200 FPS	116 FPS
high	159 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	81 FPS
medium	134 FPS	69 FPS
high	103 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	43 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Xeon W-3235

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
1080p
low	689 FPS	532 FPS
medium	580 FPS	447 FPS
high	484 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	335 FPS
1440p
low	595 FPS	461 FPS
medium	525 FPS	399 FPS
high	441 FPS	336 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	290 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	287 FPS
medium	314 FPS	248 FPS
high	295 FPS	229 FPS
ultra	261 FPS	200 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Xeon W-3235

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
1080p
low	648 FPS	639 FPS
medium	530 FPS	639 FPS
high	467 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	591 FPS	639 FPS
medium	491 FPS	639 FPS
high	427 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	371 FPS	602 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	523 FPS
medium	374 FPS	428 FPS
high	339 FPS	386 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	313 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Xeon W-3235

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
1080p
low	970 FPS	639 FPS
medium	883 FPS	639 FPS
high	766 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	689 FPS	639 FPS
1440p
low	829 FPS	639 FPS
medium	740 FPS	639 FPS
high	642 FPS	639 FPS
ultra	566 FPS	639 FPS
4K
low	567 FPS	639 FPS
medium	515 FPS	614 FPS
high	463 FPS	541 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Xeon W-3235

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-13700K and Xeon W-3235

Core i7-13700K

The Core i7-13700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 45,784 points. Launch price was $409.

Xeon W-3235

The Xeon W-3235 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 June 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB. L2 cache: 12 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 180 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 25,552 points. Launch price was $1,398.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-13700K packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon W-3235 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Core i7-13700K has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Core i7-13700K versus 4.5 GHz on the Xeon W-3235 — a 18.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-13700K (base: 3.4 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i7-13700K uses the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-3235 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-13700K scores 45,784 against the Xeon W-3235's 25,552 — a 56.7% lead for the Core i7-13700K. L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i7-13700K vs 19.25 MB on the Xeon W-3235.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
Cores / Threads	16 / 24+33%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+20%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.4 GHz+3%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)+56%	19.25 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	12 MB+500%
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	45,784+79%	25,552
Cinebench R23 Multi	31,000	—
Geekbench 6 Single	2,846	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	18,980	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-13700K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon W-3235 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
Socket	LGA1700	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	—
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: true (Core i7-13700K) / not specified (Xeon W-3235). The Core i7-13700K includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 770), while the Xeon W-3235 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Core i7-13700K rivals Ryzen 9 7900X.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Xeon W-3235
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 770	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	true	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-13700K launched at $409 MSRP, while the Xeon W-3235 debuted at $1538. On MSRP ($409 vs $1538), the Core i7-13700K is $1129 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-13700K delivers 111.9 pts/$ vs 16.6 pts/$ for the Xeon W-3235 — making the Core i7-13700K the 148.3% better value option.