Core i5-13490F vs Xeon Gold 6226R

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 i5-13490F

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Stock), unlike Xeon Gold 6226R.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6226R, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $235 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6226R mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 6226R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13490F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (26,278 vs 26,670).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-13490F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13490F.

Core i5-13490F

2023

Xeon Gold 6226R

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 65W instead of 150W, a 85W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Intel Stock), unlike Xeon Gold 6226R.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6226R, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $235 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6226R mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-13490F across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (26,278 vs 26,670).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 150W vs 65W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-13490F moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i5-13490F.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-13490F better than Xeon Gold 6226R?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6226R makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-13490F 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 i5-13490F is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.0% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-13490F is the better fit. You are getting 1.5% better PassMark, backed by 10 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i5-13490F is the smarter buy today. Core i5-13490F is at an unclear MSRP at $235 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 20.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (113.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i5-13490F is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2020), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647, and more multi-core headroom with 10 cores / 16 threads instead of 16/32. 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 i5-13490F Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6226R Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
1080p
low	246 FPS	184 FPS
medium	231 FPS	148 FPS
high	196 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	215 FPS	146 FPS
medium	183 FPS	114 FPS
high	151 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	149 FPS	68 FPS
medium	127 FPS	57 FPS
high	98 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i5-13490F Open Xeon Gold 6226R

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
1080p
low	590 FPS	400 FPS
medium	501 FPS	346 FPS
high	422 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	377 FPS	242 FPS
1440p
low	485 FPS	346 FPS
medium	427 FPS	307 FPS
high	370 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	316 FPS	213 FPS
4K
low	296 FPS	224 FPS
medium	263 FPS	199 FPS
high	248 FPS	177 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	146 FPS

Open Core i5-13490F Open Xeon Gold 6226R

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
1080p
low	667 FPS	657 FPS
medium	667 FPS	657 FPS
high	667 FPS	657 FPS
ultra	667 FPS	656 FPS
1440p
low	667 FPS	657 FPS
medium	667 FPS	612 FPS
high	667 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	656 FPS	512 FPS
4K
low	596 FPS	462 FPS
medium	502 FPS	361 FPS
high	447 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	376 FPS	261 FPS

Open Core i5-13490F Open Xeon Gold 6226R

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
1080p
low	667 FPS	657 FPS
medium	667 FPS	657 FPS
high	667 FPS	657 FPS
ultra	667 FPS	576 FPS
1440p
low	667 FPS	657 FPS
medium	667 FPS	599 FPS
high	667 FPS	517 FPS
ultra	592 FPS	444 FPS
4K
low	661 FPS	469 FPS
medium	585 FPS	422 FPS
high	514 FPS	377 FPS
ultra	436 FPS	328 FPS

Open Core i5-13490F Open Xeon Gold 6226R

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-13490F and Xeon Gold 6226R

Core i5-13490F

The Core i5-13490F is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 February 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture. It features 10 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 26,670 points. Launch price was $235.

Xeon Gold 6226R

The Xeon Gold 6226R is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 February 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 22 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 26,278 points. Launch price was $1,300.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-13490F packs 10 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6226R offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon Gold 6226R has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i5-13490F versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6226R — a 20.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-13490F (base: 2.5 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Core i5-13490F uses the Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6226R uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-13490F scores 26,670 against the Xeon Gold 6226R's 26,278 — a 1.5% lead for the Core i5-13490F. L3 cache: 24 MB (total) on the Core i5-13490F vs 22 MB on the Xeon Gold 6226R.

Feature	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
Cores / Threads	10 / 16	16 / 32+60%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+23%	3.9 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	2.9 GHz+16%
L3 Cache	24 MB (total)+9%	22 MB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	16 MB+1180%
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	26,670+1%	26,278
Cinebench R23 Multi	16,500	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,844	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,200	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-13490F uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon Gold 6226R uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-13490F	Xeon Gold 6226R
Socket	LGA1700	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	—
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—