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 i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

✅Draws 95W instead of 120W, a 25W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Gold 6122 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6122 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 23,781).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 28 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6122, which brings 20 cores / 40 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6122 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 6122

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +41.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+133.3% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 20 cores / 40 threads.

Trade-offs

❌26.3% higher power demand at 120W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon Gold 6122

2018

Why buy it

✅Draws 95W instead of 120W, a 25W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon Gold 6122 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +41.1% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+133.3% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 20 cores / 40 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6122 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 23,781).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 28 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6122, which brings 20 cores / 40 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6122 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌26.3% higher power demand at 120W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6122 better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6122 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K 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, Xeon Gold 6122 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 41.1% 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 Gold 6122 is the better fit. You are getting 65.2% better PassMark, backed by 20 cores and 40 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 133.3% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Xeon Gold 6122 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Xeon Gold 6122 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 41.1% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

Xeon Gold 6122 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 133.3% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 20 cores / 40 threads instead of 8/8. 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.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6122 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
1080p
low	308 FPS	186 FPS
medium	278 FPS	151 FPS
high	231 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	146 FPS
medium	221 FPS	115 FPS
high	178 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	68 FPS
medium	140 FPS	57 FPS
high	108 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6122

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
1080p
low	360 FPS	211 FPS
medium	321 FPS	188 FPS
high	291 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	183 FPS
medium	282 FPS	166 FPS
high	258 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	119 FPS
medium	221 FPS	109 FPS
high	208 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	82 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6122

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
1080p
low	360 FPS	595 FPS
medium	360 FPS	559 FPS
high	360 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	439 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	558 FPS
medium	360 FPS	453 FPS
high	360 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	355 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	405 FPS
medium	360 FPS	315 FPS
high	360 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	225 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6122

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
1080p
low	360 FPS	595 FPS
medium	360 FPS	595 FPS
high	360 FPS	595 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	577 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	595 FPS
medium	360 FPS	595 FPS
high	360 FPS	513 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	441 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	471 FPS
medium	360 FPS	421 FPS
high	360 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	325 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon Gold 6122

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon Gold 6122

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Xeon Gold 6122

The Xeon Gold 6122 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 28 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 23,781 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6122 offers 20 cores / 40 threads — the Xeon Gold 6122 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6122 — a 27.9% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i7-9700K is built on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon Gold 6122's 23,781 — a 49.2% lead for the Xeon Gold 6122. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 28 MB on the Xeon Gold 6122.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	20 / 40+150%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+32%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+100%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	28 MB+133%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	—
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	—
PassMark	14,397	23,781+65%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 6122 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon Gold 6122
Socket	LGA1151	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Xeon Gold 6122). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon Gold 6122 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.