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

✅Draws 330W instead of 350W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon w9-3495X across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (86,734 vs 90,441).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.6 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($11,350 MSRP vs $5,889 MSRP).

Xeon w9-3495X

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +37.3% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $5,461 less on MSRP ($5,889 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 101.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 15.4 vs 7.6 PassMark/$ ($5,889 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).
✅27.3% more PCIe lanes (112 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

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

Xeon 6780E

2024

Xeon w9-3495X

2023

Why buy it

✅Draws 330W instead of 350W, a 20W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +37.3% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Costs $5,461 less on MSRP ($5,889 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 101.0% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 15.4 vs 7.6 PassMark/$ ($5,889 MSRP vs $11,350 MSRP).
✅27.3% more PCIe lanes (112 vs 88) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon w9-3495X across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (86,734 vs 90,441).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 7.6 vs 15.4 PassMark/$ ($11,350 MSRP vs $5,889 MSRP).

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon w9-3495X better than Xeon 6780E?

Yes. Xeon w9-3495X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 37.3% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data and 4.3% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Xeon w9-3495X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 37.3% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon w9-3495X is the better fit. You are getting 4.3% better PassMark, backed by 56 cores and 112 threads.

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

Xeon w9-3495X is the smarter buy today. Xeon w9-3495X is $5,461 cheaper on MSRP at $5,889 MSRP versus $11,350 MSRP, and it gives you a 37.3% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 101.0% better value on MSRP (15.4 vs 7.6 PassMark/$), 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 6780E is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2023). 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 w9-3495X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
1080p
low	189 FPS	316 FPS
medium	152 FPS	306 FPS
high	121 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	207 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	274 FPS
medium	119 FPS	237 FPS
high	91 FPS	178 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	186 FPS
medium	59 FPS	159 FPS
high	46 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	108 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon w9-3495X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
1080p
low	244 FPS	384 FPS
medium	216 FPS	332 FPS
high	178 FPS	270 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	236 FPS
1440p
low	200 FPS	308 FPS
medium	181 FPS	273 FPS
high	154 FPS	232 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	190 FPS
4K
low	124 FPS	181 FPS
medium	115 FPS	162 FPS
high	100 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	133 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon w9-3495X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
1080p
low	934 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	831 FPS	1086 FPS
high	779 FPS	1020 FPS
ultra	693 FPS	875 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	1009 FPS
medium	655 FPS	913 FPS
high	614 FPS	839 FPS
ultra	546 FPS	656 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	605 FPS
medium	378 FPS	521 FPS
high	334 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	400 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon w9-3495X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
1080p
low	897 FPS	1141 FPS
medium	807 FPS	1015 FPS
high	691 FPS	896 FPS
ultra	588 FPS	797 FPS
1440p
low	697 FPS	924 FPS
medium	606 FPS	809 FPS
high	517 FPS	712 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	625 FPS
4K
low	500 FPS	675 FPS
medium	446 FPS	602 FPS
high	390 FPS	540 FPS
ultra	334 FPS	437 FPS

Open Xeon 6780E Open Xeon w9-3495X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon 6780E and Xeon w9-3495X

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 w9-3495X

The Xeon w9-3495X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 February 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) architecture. It features 56 cores and 112 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 105 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4677. Thermal design power (TDP): 350 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800. Passmark benchmark score: 90,441 points. Launch price was $5,889.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon 6780E packs 144 cores / 144 threads, while the Xeon w9-3495X offers 56 cores / 112 threads — the Xeon 6780E has 88 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Xeon 6780E versus 4.8 GHz on the Xeon w9-3495X — a 46.2% clock advantage for the Xeon w9-3495X (base: 2.2 GHz vs 1.9 GHz). The Xeon 6780E uses the Sierra Forest (2024) architecture (Intel 3 nm), while the Xeon w9-3495X uses Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) (Intel 7 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon 6780E scores 86,734 against the Xeon w9-3495X's 90,441 — a 4.2% lead for the Xeon w9-3495X. L3 cache: 108 MB (total) on the Xeon 6780E vs 105 MB on the Xeon w9-3495X.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
Cores / Threads	144 / 144+157%	56 / 112
Boost Clock	3 GHz	4.8 GHz+60%
Base Clock	2.2 GHz+16%	1.9 GHz
L3 Cache	108 MB (total)+3%	105 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB (per module)+100%	2 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 3 nm-57%	Intel 7 nm
Architecture	Sierra Forest (2024)	Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024)
PassMark	86,734	90,441+4%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	72,560
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,136
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	18,600

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon 6780E uses the LGA4710 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon w9-3495X uses LGA4677 (PCIe 5.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-6400 memory speed. The Xeon w9-3495X 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 112 (Xeon w9-3495X) — the Xeon w9-3495X offers 24 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
Socket	LGA4710	LGA4677
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 5.0+25%
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	112+27%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, VT-x EPT (Xeon 6780E) vs true (Xeon w9-3495X). Primary use case: Xeon 6780E targets Cloud Native Compute, Xeon w9-3495X targets Ultimate Workstation. Direct competitor: Xeon 6780E rivals EPYC 9754; Xeon w9-3495X rivals Threadripper PRO 7995WX.

Feature	Xeon 6780E	Xeon w9-3495X
Integrated GPU	No	No
AVX-512	—	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, VT-x EPT	true
Target Use	Cloud Native Compute	Ultimate Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon 6780E launched at $11350 MSRP, while the Xeon w9-3495X debuted at $5889. On MSRP ($11350 vs $5889), the Xeon w9-3495X is $5461 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon 6780E delivers 7.6 pts/$ vs 15.4 pts/$ for the Xeon w9-3495X — making the Xeon w9-3495X the 67.1% better value option.