Core i9-13900HK vs Xeon Gold 6252

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 i9-13900HK

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 150W, a 105W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics 96EU, while Xeon Gold 6252 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (24 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6252, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $697 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6252 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 6252

2019

Why buy it

✅+49% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 24 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-13900HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (27,148 vs 27,217).
❌233.3% higher power demand at 150W vs 45W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i9-13900HK moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-13900HK can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i9-13900HK

2023

Xeon Gold 6252

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 150W, a 105W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (28 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics 96EU, while Xeon Gold 6252 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+49% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 24 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (24 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 6252, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $697 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6252 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-13900HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (27,148 vs 27,217).
❌233.3% higher power demand at 150W vs 45W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i9-13900HK moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-13900HK can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-13900HK better than Xeon Gold 6252?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 6252 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i9-13900HK 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 i9-13900HK is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 10.8% 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 i9-13900HK is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 20 threads.

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

Core i9-13900HK is the smarter buy today. Core i9-13900HK is at an unclear MSRP at $697 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 10.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (39.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i9-13900HK is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2019), a healthier platform with FCBGA1744 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647, more multi-core headroom with 14 cores / 20 threads instead of 24/48, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 i9-13900HK Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6252 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	262 FPS	195 FPS
medium	253 FPS	158 FPS
high	210 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	223 FPS	157 FPS
medium	192 FPS	123 FPS
high	154 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	154 FPS	72 FPS
medium	132 FPS	60 FPS
high	101 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	38 FPS

Open Core i9-13900HK Open Xeon Gold 6252

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	635 FPS	233 FPS
medium	543 FPS	207 FPS
high	458 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	417 FPS	145 FPS
1440p
low	553 FPS	200 FPS
medium	492 FPS	180 FPS
high	416 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	325 FPS	125 FPS
medium	296 FPS	114 FPS
high	279 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	246 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i9-13900HK Open Xeon Gold 6252

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	648 FPS	679 FPS
medium	530 FPS	679 FPS
high	467 FPS	679 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	657 FPS
1440p
low	591 FPS	679 FPS
medium	491 FPS	614 FPS
high	427 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	515 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	459 FPS
medium	374 FPS	363 FPS
high	339 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	263 FPS

Open Core i9-13900HK Open Xeon Gold 6252

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	680 FPS	679 FPS
medium	680 FPS	679 FPS
high	680 FPS	679 FPS
ultra	672 FPS	609 FPS
1440p
low	680 FPS	679 FPS
medium	680 FPS	625 FPS
high	626 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	552 FPS	458 FPS
4K
low	555 FPS	514 FPS
medium	504 FPS	459 FPS
high	451 FPS	402 FPS
ultra	394 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i9-13900HK Open Xeon Gold 6252

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-13900HK and Xeon Gold 6252

Core i9-13900HK

The Core i9-13900HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024) architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 24 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4x-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 27,217 points. Launch price was $697.

Xeon Gold 6252

The Xeon Gold 6252 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB. L2 cache: 24 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 27,148 points. Launch price was $3,655.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-13900HK packs 14 cores / 20 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6252 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon Gold 6252 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Core i9-13900HK versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6252 — a 37.4% clock advantage for the Core i9-13900HK (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i9-13900HK uses the Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6252 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-13900HK scores 27,217 against the Xeon Gold 6252's 27,148 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i9-13900HK. L3 cache: 24 MB (total) on the Core i9-13900HK vs 35.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6252.

Feature	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
Cores / Threads	14 / 20	24 / 48+71%
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+46%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.6 GHz+24%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	24 MB (total)	35.75 MB+49%
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)	24 MB+1100%
Process	Intel 7 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	27,217	27,148
Geekbench 6 Single	2,629	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-13900HK uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon Gold 6252 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-13900HK	Xeon Gold 6252
Socket	FCBGA1744	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5200	—
Max RAM Capacity	96 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	28	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-13900HK) / not specified (Xeon Gold 6252). The Core i9-13900HK includes integrated graphics (Iris Xe Graphics 96EU), while the Xeon Gold 6252 requires a dedicated GPU.