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 6338T

2021

Why buy it

✅+2.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $3,163 less on MSRP ($3,139 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Delivers 104.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 11.4 vs 5.6 PassMark/$ ($3,139 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Draws 165W instead of 205W, a 40W reduction.
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 48) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

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

Xeon Platinum 8268

2019

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (35,081 vs 35,801).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 11.4 PassMark/$ ($6,302 MSRP vs $3,139 MSRP).
❌24.2% higher power demand at 205W vs 165W.

Xeon Gold 6338T

2021

Xeon Platinum 8268

2019

Why buy it

✅+2.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $3,163 less on MSRP ($3,139 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Delivers 104.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 11.4 vs 5.6 PassMark/$ ($3,139 MSRP vs $6,302 MSRP).
✅Draws 165W instead of 205W, a 40W reduction.
✅33.3% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 48) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (35,081 vs 35,801).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 11.4 PassMark/$ ($6,302 MSRP vs $3,139 MSRP).
❌24.2% higher power demand at 205W vs 165W.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6338T better than Xeon Platinum 8268?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Platinum 8268 is ahead with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6338T pulls ahead with 2.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6338T is the better fit. You are getting 2.1% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 6338T is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 6338T is $3,163 cheaper on MSRP at $3,139 MSRP versus $6,302 MSRP, and it gives you 2.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Platinum 8268 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 104.9% better value on MSRP (11.4 vs 5.6 PassMark/$), 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 Gold 6338T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 24 cores / 48 threads instead of 24/48. 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.

Xeon Gold 6338T Benchmark Check

Xeon Platinum 8268 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	185 FPS	194 FPS
medium	149 FPS	157 FPS
high	120 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	154 FPS	159 FPS
medium	120 FPS	124 FPS
high	93 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	72 FPS
medium	60 FPS	60 FPS
high	46 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	38 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6338T Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	232 FPS	424 FPS
medium	208 FPS	370 FPS
high	172 FPS	303 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	249 FPS
1440p
low	199 FPS	366 FPS
medium	180 FPS	322 FPS
high	154 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	212 FPS
4K
low	124 FPS	228 FPS
medium	114 FPS	203 FPS
high	101 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	148 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6338T Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	895 FPS	877 FPS
medium	817 FPS	877 FPS
high	766 FPS	872 FPS
ultra	680 FPS	787 FPS
1440p
low	746 FPS	731 FPS
medium	643 FPS	632 FPS
high	603 FPS	600 FPS
ultra	535 FPS	537 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	468 FPS
medium	378 FPS	368 FPS
high	334 FPS	328 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	269 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6338T Open Xeon Platinum 8268

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
1080p
low	895 FPS	877 FPS
medium	813 FPS	848 FPS
high	698 FPS	733 FPS
ultra	600 FPS	637 FPS
1440p
low	701 FPS	736 FPS
medium	616 FPS	646 FPS
high	527 FPS	555 FPS
ultra	451 FPS	476 FPS
4K
low	506 FPS	531 FPS
medium	452 FPS	473 FPS
high	396 FPS	416 FPS
ultra	344 FPS	361 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 6338T Open Xeon Platinum 8268

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 6338T and Xeon Platinum 8268

Xeon Gold 6338T

The Xeon Gold 6338T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 36 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 35,801 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon Platinum 8268

The Xeon Platinum 8268 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 December 2018 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake-SP (2018) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 205 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 35,081 points. Launch price was $6,302.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon Gold 6338T and Xeon Platinum 8268 share an identical 24-core/48-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6338T versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Platinum 8268 — a 13.7% clock advantage for the Xeon Platinum 8268 (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.9 GHz). The Xeon Gold 6338T uses the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon Platinum 8268 uses Cascade Lake-SP (2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 6338T scores 35,801 against the Xeon Platinum 8268's 35,081 — a 2% lead for the Xeon Gold 6338T. L3 cache: 36 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 6338T vs 35.75 MB (total) on the Xeon Platinum 8268.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
Cores / Threads	24 / 48	24 / 48
Boost Clock	3.4 GHz	3.9 GHz+15%
Base Clock	2.1 GHz	2.9 GHz+38%
L3 Cache	36 MB (total)	35.75 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Ice Lake-SP (2021)	Cascade Lake-SP (2018)
PassMark	35,801+2%	35,081
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	24,500
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,394
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	12,046

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 6338T uses the LGA4189 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Platinum 8268 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 3200 on the Xeon Gold 6338T versus DDR4-2933 on the Xeon Platinum 8268 — the Xeon Gold 6338T supports 199.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Gold 6338T supports up to 6144 of RAM compared to 1024 GB — 142.9% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 8 (Xeon Gold 6338T) vs 6 (Xeon Platinum 8268). PCIe lanes: 64 (Xeon Gold 6338T) vs 48 (Xeon Platinum 8268) — the Xeon Gold 6338T offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: C621A (Xeon Gold 6338T) and C621,Lewisburg (Xeon Platinum 8268).

Feature	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
Socket	LGA4189	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	3200+79900%	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	6144	1024 GB+17476167%
RAM Channels	8+33%	6
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	64+33%	48

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 6338T) vs VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon Platinum 8268). Primary use case: Xeon Platinum 8268 targets High-end Server. Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 6338T rivals EPYC 7443P; Xeon Platinum 8268 rivals EPYC 7452.

Feature	Xeon Gold 6338T	Xeon Platinum 8268
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	None	—
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	VT-x, VT-d, EPT
Target Use	—	High-end Server

💰

Value Analysis

The Xeon Gold 6338T launched at $3139 MSRP, while the Xeon Platinum 8268 debuted at $6302. On MSRP ($3139 vs $6302), the Xeon Gold 6338T is $3163 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Xeon Gold 6338T delivers 11.4 pts/$ vs 5.6 pts/$ for the Xeon Platinum 8268 — making the Xeon Gold 6338T the 68.8% better value option.