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 Gold 6444Y

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 36 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of LGA4189 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (47,176 vs 48,140).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.0 vs 19.3 PassMark/$ ($3,622 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).

Xeon W-3345

2021

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,123 less on MSRP ($2,499 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 19.3 vs 13.0 PassMark/$ ($2,499 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Draws 250W instead of 270W, a 20W reduction.
✅60% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 80) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6444Y across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (36 MB vs 45 MB).
❌Older platform position on LGA4189 with DDR4, while Xeon Gold 6444Y moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.

Xeon Gold 6444Y

2023

Xeon W-3345

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 36 MB).
✅Newer platform on LGA4677 with DDR5 support instead of LGA4189 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅+2% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $1,123 less on MSRP ($2,499 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 19.3 vs 13.0 PassMark/$ ($2,499 MSRP vs $3,622 MSRP).
✅Draws 250W instead of 270W, a 20W reduction.
✅60% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 80) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (47,176 vs 48,140).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 13.0 vs 19.3 PassMark/$ ($3,622 MSRP vs $2,499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Gold 6444Y across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (36 MB vs 45 MB).
❌Older platform position on LGA4189 with DDR4, while Xeon Gold 6444Y moves to LGA4677 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon W-3345 better than Xeon Gold 6444Y?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Gold 6444Y is ahead with a 9.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-3345 pulls ahead with 2% better PassMark. Xeon Gold 6444Y also has the bigger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 36 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon W-3345 is the better fit. You are getting 2% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

Xeon W-3345 is the smarter buy today. Xeon W-3345 is $1,123 cheaper on MSRP at $2,499 MSRP versus $3,622 MSRP, and it gives you 2% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6444Y is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 9.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 47.9% better value on MSRP (19.3 vs 13.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon Gold 6444Y is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2021), a healthier platform with LGA4677 and DDR5 instead of LGA4189, and 25% larger total L3 cache (45 MB vs 36 MB). 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 Gold 6444Y Benchmark Check

Xeon W-3345 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
1080p
low	205 FPS	194 FPS
medium	163 FPS	155 FPS
high	135 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	165 FPS	159 FPS
medium	126 FPS	124 FPS
high	99 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	75 FPS	73 FPS
medium	61 FPS	60 FPS
high	48 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	39 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6444Y Open Xeon W-3345

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
1080p
low	511 FPS	497 FPS
medium	443 FPS	431 FPS
high	354 FPS	345 FPS
ultra	293 FPS	285 FPS
1440p
low	430 FPS	425 FPS
medium	381 FPS	376 FPS
high	313 FPS	309 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	245 FPS
4K
low	267 FPS	264 FPS
medium	240 FPS	237 FPS
high	212 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	174 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6444Y Open Xeon W-3345

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
1080p
low	1025 FPS	1025 FPS
medium	1005 FPS	973 FPS
high	949 FPS	914 FPS
ultra	862 FPS	826 FPS
1440p
low	880 FPS	841 FPS
medium	777 FPS	744 FPS
high	722 FPS	699 FPS
ultra	651 FPS	626 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	540 FPS
medium	460 FPS	444 FPS
high	399 FPS	390 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	320 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6444Y Open Xeon W-3345

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
1080p
low	1179 FPS	938 FPS
medium	1015 FPS	847 FPS
high	907 FPS	732 FPS
ultra	767 FPS	635 FPS
1440p
low	934 FPS	735 FPS
medium	806 FPS	645 FPS
high	681 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	574 FPS	481 FPS
4K
low	684 FPS	534 FPS
medium	597 FPS	477 FPS
high	516 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	431 FPS	362 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6444Y Open Xeon W-3345

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6444Y and Xeon W-3345

Xeon Gold 6444Y

The Xeon Gold 6444Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 January 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 45 MB. L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4677. Thermal design power (TDP): 270 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-4800, DDR5-4400. Passmark benchmark score: 47,176 points. Launch price was $1,517.

Xeon W-3345

The Xeon W-3345 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-W (2021) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 36 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 250 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 48,140 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 6444Y packs 16 cores / 32 threads, while the Xeon W-3345 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon W-3345 has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6444Y versus 4 GHz on the Xeon W-3345 — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Xeon Gold 6444Y uses the Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon W-3345 uses Ice Lake-W (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6444Y scores 47,176 against the Xeon W-3345's 48,140 — a 2% lead for the Xeon W-3345. L3 cache: 45 MB on the Xeon Gold 6444Y vs 36 MB (total) on the Xeon W-3345.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
Cores / Threads	16 / 32	24 / 48+50%
Boost Clock	4 GHz	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+20%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	45 MB+25%	36 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)+100%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-30%	10 nm
Architecture	Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024)	Ice Lake-W (2021)
PassMark	47,176	48,140+2%

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 6444Y uses the LGA4677 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon W-3345 uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 5600 on the Xeon Gold 6444Y versus 3200 on the Xeon W-3345 — the Xeon Gold 6444Y supports 54.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 4096 of RAM. Both feature 8-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 80 (Xeon Gold 6444Y) vs 128 (Xeon W-3345) — the Xeon W-3345 offers 48 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: C741 (Xeon Gold 6444Y) and SP3,C621A (Xeon W-3345).

Feature	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
Socket	LGA4677	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	5600+75%	3200
Max RAM Capacity	4096	4096
RAM Channels	8	8
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	80	128+60%

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6444Y rivals EPYC 9384X; Xeon W-3345 rivals Xeon Platinum 8362.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6444Y	Xeon W-3345
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	None
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon Gold 6444Y launched at $3622 MSRP, while the Xeon W-3345 debuted at $2499. On MSRP ($3622 vs $2499), the Xeon W-3345 is $1123 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon Gold 6444Y delivers 13.0 pts/$ vs 19.3 pts/$ for the Xeon W-3345 — making the Xeon W-3345 the 38.6% better value option.