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 6780E

2024

Why buy it

✅+4.6% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,630 less on MSRP ($11,350 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 7.6 vs 6.4 PassMark/$ ($11,350 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Draws 330W instead of 350W, a 20W reduction.
✅10% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 80) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Max 9480

2023

Why buy it

✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (82,913 vs 86,734).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.4 vs 7.6 PassMark/$ ($12,980 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).

Xeon 6780E

2024

Xeon Max 9480

2023

Why buy it

✅+4.6% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,630 less on MSRP ($11,350 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 7.6 vs 6.4 PassMark/$ ($11,350 MSRP vs $12,980 MSRP).
✅Draws 330W instead of 350W, a 20W reduction.
✅10% more PCIe lanes (88 vs 80) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (82,913 vs 86,734).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 6.4 vs 7.6 PassMark/$ ($12,980 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon 6780E better than Xeon Max 9480?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Max 9480 is ahead with a 2.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6780E pulls ahead with 4.6% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon 6780E is the better fit. You are getting 4.6% better PassMark, backed by 144 cores and 144 threads.

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

Xeon 6780E is the smarter buy today. Xeon 6780E is $1,630 cheaper on MSRP at $11,350 MSRP versus $12,980 MSRP, and it gives you 4.6% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Max 9480 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 2.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 19.6% better value on MSRP (7.6 vs 6.4 PassMark/$), 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 6780E is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2023) and more multi-core headroom with 144 cores / 144 threads instead of 56/112. 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.

Xeon 6780E Benchmark Check

Xeon Max 9480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	189 FPS	186 FPS
medium	152 FPS	168 FPS
high	121 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	109 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	153 FPS
medium	119 FPS	129 FPS
high	91 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	71 FPS
medium	59 FPS	63 FPS
high	46 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	40 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon Max 9480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	244 FPS	246 FPS
medium	216 FPS	221 FPS
high	178 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	146 FPS
1440p
low	200 FPS	205 FPS
medium	181 FPS	187 FPS
high	154 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	124 FPS
4K
low	124 FPS	128 FPS
medium	115 FPS	119 FPS
high	100 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	83 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon Max 9480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	934 FPS	815 FPS
medium	831 FPS	738 FPS
high	779 FPS	704 FPS
ultra	693 FPS	624 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	725 FPS
medium	655 FPS	652 FPS
high	614 FPS	609 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	548 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	487 FPS
medium	378 FPS	398 FPS
high	334 FPS	354 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	294 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon Max 9480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
1080p
low	897 FPS	1066 FPS
medium	807 FPS	953 FPS
high	691 FPS	813 FPS
ultra	588 FPS	670 FPS
1440p
low	697 FPS	885 FPS
medium	606 FPS	761 FPS
high	517 FPS	646 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	532 FPS
4K
low	500 FPS	644 FPS
medium	446 FPS	565 FPS
high	390 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	334 FPS	413 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon Max 9480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon 6780E and Xeon Max 9480

Xeon 6780E

The Xeon 6780E is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 June 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Sierra Forest (2024) architecture. It features 144 cores and 144 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 108 MB (total). L2 cache: 4 MB (per module). Built on Intel 3 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4710. Thermal design power (TDP): 330 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-6400. Passmark benchmark score: 86,734 points. Launch price was $11,350.

Xeon Max 9480

The Xeon Max 9480 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023) architecture. It features 56 cores and 112 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 112.5 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4677. Thermal design power (TDP): 350 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 82,913 points. Launch price was $12,980.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon 6780E packs 144 cores / 144 threads, while the Xeon Max 9480 offers 56 cores / 112 threads — the Xeon 6780E has 88 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Xeon 6780E versus 3.5 GHz on the Xeon Max 9480 — a 15.4% clock advantage for the Xeon Max 9480 (base: 2.2 GHz vs 1.9 GHz). The Xeon 6780E uses the Sierra Forest (2024) architecture (Intel 3 nm), while the Xeon Max 9480 uses Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon 6780E scores 86,734 against the Xeon Max 9480's 82,913 — a 4.5% lead for the Xeon 6780E. L3 cache: 108 MB (total) on the Xeon 6780E vs 112.5 MB on the Xeon Max 9480.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
Cores / Threads	144 / 144+157%	56 / 112
Boost Clock	3 GHz	3.5 GHz+17%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz+16%	1.9 GHz
L3 Cache	108 MB (total)	112.5 MB+4%
L2 Cache	4 MB (per module)+100%	2 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 3 nm-70%	10 nm
Architecture	Sierra Forest (2024)	Sapphire Rapids HBM (2023)
PassMark	86,734+5%	82,913
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,900
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	55,000

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon 6780E uses the LGA4710 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Max 9480 uses LGA4677 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. The Xeon Max 9480 supports up to 4096 GB of RAM compared to 4 TB — 199.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 8-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 88 (Xeon 6780E) vs 80 (Xeon Max 9480) — the Xeon 6780E offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
Socket	LGA4710	LGA4677
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-6400	DDR5-4800
Max RAM Capacity	4 TB	4096 GB
RAM Channels	8	8
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	88+10%	80

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, VT-x EPT (Xeon 6780E) vs VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Max 9480). Primary use case: Xeon 6780E targets Cloud Native Compute, Xeon Max 9480 targets HPC Server. Direct competitor: Xeon 6780E rivals EPYC 9754; Xeon Max 9480 rivals EPYC 9684X.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon Max 9480
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, VT-x EPT	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Cloud Native Compute	HPC Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon 6780E launched at $11350 MSRP, while the Xeon Max 9480 debuted at $12980. On MSRP ($11350 vs $12980), the Xeon 6780E is $1630 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon 6780E delivers 7.6 pts/$ vs 6.4 pts/$ for the Xeon Max 9480 — making the Xeon 6780E the 17.9% better value option.