{"id":23825,"date":"2023-08-26T20:21:05","date_gmt":"2023-08-26T18:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=23825"},"modified":"2023-08-28T07:19:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T05:19:57","slug":"intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/","title":{"rendered":"Intel Xeon (W) vs Intel Core i9 CPUs: Which Is Best For Workstations?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It\u2019s time for Intel Xeon vs i9: Which CPU Is Best For Workstations?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll be tackling everything you need to know about choosing between these two lines of Intel CPUs for your next workstation PC in this article, so stick around\u2014 or skip around with the table of contents below, should you please.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844939b89cd\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844939b89cd\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66844939b89cd\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#What_is_Intel_Core_i9\" title=\"What is Intel Core i9?\">What is Intel Core i9?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#What_is_Intel_Xeon\" title=\"What is Intel Xeon?\">What is Intel Xeon?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_Which_CPU_Is_Best_For_Workstations\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9: Which CPU Is Best For Workstations?\">Intel Xeon vs i9: Which CPU Is Best For Workstations?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Single-Core_Performance\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Single-Core Performance\">Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Single-Core Performance<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Multi-Core_Performance\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Multi-Core Performance\">Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Multi-Core Performance<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Pricing_For_Performance\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Pricing For Performance\">Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Pricing For Performance<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Expansion_Capacity_PCIe_Lanes_RAM_Slots_etc\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Expansion Capacity (PCIe Lanes, RAM Slots, etc)\">Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Expansion Capacity (PCIe Lanes, RAM Slots, etc)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Conclusion\" title=\"Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Conclusion\">Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Are_Intel_Core_i7s_Good_Enough_For_Workstations\" title=\"Are Intel Core i7s Good Enough For Workstations?\">Are Intel Core i7s Good Enough For Workstations?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Can_Intel_Xeons_Be_Used_For_Gaming\" title=\"Can Intel Xeons Be Used For Gaming?\">Can Intel Xeons Be Used For Gaming?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Do_Xeons_Have_Integrated_Graphics\" title=\"Do Xeons Have Integrated Graphics?\">Do Xeons Have Integrated Graphics?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/intel-xeon-vs-i9-for-workstations\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Intel_Core_i9\"><\/span>What is Intel Core i9?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_23834\" style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23834\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23834\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU.jpg\" alt=\"Intel Core i9 CPU\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-594x335.jpg 594w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-420x236.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23834\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23834 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201920%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intel Core i9 CPU\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201920%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-594x335.jpg 594w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU-420x236.jpg 420w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-CPU.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-23834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intel.com\/content\/www\/us\/en\/newsroom\/resources\/13th-gen-core.html#gs.3fa5z5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Intel<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Intel Core i9 CPUs are the highest-end CPUs belonging to Intel\u2019s mainstream Intel Core series of <em>desktop<\/em> CPUs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>They boast the highest core counts out of any of Intel\u2019s consumer-aimed Core CPUs and actually see more frequent upgrades on the desktop platform than on the HEDT\/Extreme Edition platforms.<\/p>\n<p>At least for most consumers, Intel Core i9s epitomize the peak performance reachable by Intel CPUs each generation. And there\u2019s...<em>some<\/em> truth to that, but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves: it\u2019s time to talk about Xeon.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Intel_Xeon\"><\/span>What is Intel Xeon?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_23835\" style=\"width: 1648px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23835\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23835\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU.jpg\" alt=\"Intel Xeon CPU\" width=\"1648\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU.jpg 1648w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-594x335.jpg 594w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-420x236.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23835\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23835 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201648%20927%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intel Xeon CPU\" width=\"1648\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201648%20927%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1648w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU.jpg 1648w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-594x335.jpg 594w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU-420x236.jpg 420w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Xeon-CPU.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-23835\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intel.com\/content\/www\/us\/en\/newsroom\/resources\/intel-xeon-desktop-workstations.html#gs.3fa0f7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Intel<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Intel Xeon CPUs are Intel\u2019s <em>server <\/em>CPUs and see iteration just as often as the mainstream Intel Core series<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Like Intel Core i9 CPUs, Intel Xeons also have a high core count...but unlike Core i9, there is actually a very wide variance in Xeon core count each generation since several Xeons are released to account for server PCs at different scales.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, how many cores do Xeons scale up to, and how competitive are they with Intel Core i9s for workstations?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll dive into more detail on this below, but for now, I will say that Xeons come with <em>much<\/em> higher core counts than Core i9s, due to the nature of server hardware in general. But <strong>that doesn\u2019t tell the whole story<\/strong>, so let\u2019s get into the nitty-gritty.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_Which_CPU_Is_Best_For_Workstations\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9: Which CPU Is Best For Workstations?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Single-Core_Performance\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Single-Core Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18917\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work.jpg\" alt=\"How do CPU Cores work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18917 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"How do CPU Cores work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/How-do-CPU-Cores-work.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>First, let\u2019s talk about single-core performance.<\/strong> This is the classic bread and butter of any CPU, though workstations tend to be built with a focus on multi-core performance (for good reason: more on this next).<\/p>\n<p><em>That said<\/em>, single-core performance still matters on a workstation, especially for general productivity workloads (anything where you\u2019re directly interacting with the application), and even a few particularly intensive rendering workloads, like physics simulation. Many content-creation applications also rely on high single core performance for interacting with the user interface and reducing lag as much as possible.<\/p>\n<p>So, between Xeon and Core i9 CPUs, which offers better single-core performance?<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, this one is easy to answer. <strong>Intel Core i9s boast <em>significantly<\/em> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/single-core-performance-cpu-list\/\"><strong>better single-core performance<\/strong><\/a><strong> than Intel Xeons<\/strong>, but <em>not<\/em> because they\u2019re using crazy different architectures or anything.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23862\" style=\"width: 791px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23862\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23862\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400.png\" alt=\"Cinebench R23 Single Core Score Xeon W\" width=\"791\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400.png 791w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400-291x300.png 291w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400-768x792.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23862\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23862 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20791%20816%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Cinebench R23 Single Core Score Xeon W\" width=\"791\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20791%20816%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 791w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400.png 791w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400-291x300.png 291w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400-768x792.png 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchSingle-_Xeon3400.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-23862\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image-Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pugetsystems.com\/labs\/articles\/intel-xeon-w-3400-content-creation-review\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pugetbench<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Each generation of Core i9s and Xeons use cores of the same or very similar architecture.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>difference<\/em> is the <strong>amount<\/strong> of those CPU cores and the <strong>hard limitations on thermals and power-draw that come with increasing core count<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of writing, the <strong>highest core count on a current-gen Intel Xeon CPU is a whopping <em>64 cores<\/em>, with <em>128<\/em> corresponding threads<\/strong>. Not only is that borderline <em>insane<\/em> to stuff onto a single CPU die, it makes even the 24-core i9s of the present look paltry in comparison.<\/p>\n<p>At least...it seems like it might, but only if you reduce CPUs to raw core count.<\/p>\n<p>Remember how I said there are <strong>hard limitations on thermals<\/strong> to worry about with higher core counts? Those limitations also limit <em>performance<\/em>, specifically <strong>per-core performance is heavily impacted by ballooning core counts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em>That said<\/em>, not all Intel Xeon CPUs are built to maximize the core count made possible by server architecture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The lower your Xeon\u2019s core count\u2014 and even six-core Xeons exist\u2014 the higher those individual cores are able to clock<\/strong>, and thus the more headroom for single-core performance they allow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Even with those lower core-count Xeons, though, Core i9s are optimized to run at higher clock speeds and, thus, push faster single-core performance<\/strong>. Xeons also have a sub-series of Xeon-W CPUs made <em>explicitly<\/em> for workstations as of the past generation, though, and those are even user-overclockable.<\/p>\n<p>So under the right circumstances, with a lower-count Xeon chip, you <em>may<\/em> be able to reach parity with a Core CPU in single-threaded performance...but that\u2019s not really where Xeons are meant to shine.<\/p>\n<p>Overall...<\/p>\n<p><strong>Category Winner: Intel Core i9<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Multi-Core_Performance\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Multi-Core Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Now, this is the stage in the proceedings where we need to address the elephant in the room.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Intel Core i9 CPUs are kind of pushing the limits of \u201cmainstream desktop CPU\u201d, even though they\u2019re on a mainstream platform.<\/strong> This is <em>intentional<\/em> since their direct competition in AMD\u2019s Ryzen 9 CPUs is responsible for dramatically increasing desktop core counts.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, over on HEDT platforms, AMD\u2019s Threadripper CPUs are straight-up pushing 64 cores just because they can, though fortunately for Intel, Threadripper doesn\u2019t get refreshed nearly as often as Ryzen or Core CPUs do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fortunately, the Xeon series of CPUs does not need to operate under any such pretenses as \u201cmainstream desktop performance\u201d or even \u201cconsumer affordability\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>They aren\u2019t <em>for<\/em> consumers, they\u2019re for professionals and enterprise customers who <em>need<\/em> to build servers and workstations with the raw, multi-threaded <em>muscle<\/em> required to push highly-parallelized workloads.<\/p>\n<p>Since Intel Xeon is operating in a different market segment with different goals, <strong>Xeon CPUs get to prioritize multi-thread performance above all<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>As a generalized example, <strong>I\u2019ve included a graph below of how dramatically <em>Geekbench<\/em> scores change in scale to core count:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22980\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance.jpg\" alt=\"Single core vs multi core performance\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22980 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Single core vs multi core performance\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance-768x768.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/06\/Single-core-vs-multi-core-performance.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>What you sacrifice in single-core performance by opting for a CPU with a ton of cores is <strong>balanced by an increase in multi-core performance that scales almost seamlessly to the number of cores<\/strong> present on the CPU.<\/p>\n<p>So...as long as you\u2019re buying an Intel Xeon from the same generation as the Intel Core i9 you\u2019re considering, and <strong>you\u2019re willing to pay the extra dollar for all those extra cores<\/strong>...you <em>will<\/em> see multi-core performance the likes of which a desktop CPU could never dream of.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23863\" style=\"width: 791px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23863\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23863\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400.png\" alt=\"Cinebench R23 Multi Core Score Xeon W\" width=\"791\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400.png 791w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400-291x300.png 291w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400-768x792.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23863\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23863 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20791%20816%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Cinebench R23 Multi Core Score Xeon W\" width=\"791\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20791%20816%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 791w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400.png 791w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400-291x300.png 291w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400-768x792.png 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CinebenchMulti_Xeon3400.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-23863\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pugetsystems<\/p><\/div>\n<p>While Xeon CPUs are primarily meant for servers, a server is ultimately just a PC. Nothing is stopping you from running games or whatever else you want on a Xeon CPU.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So tasks like video rendering, 3D CPU rendering, machine learning, batch processing...even <em>file<\/em> <em>compression<\/em> are all going to be considerably better on Xeon<\/strong>, as long as the Xeon in question has more cores than the i9.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Category Winner: Intel Xeon<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Pricing_For_Performance\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Pricing For Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>So, before we get too deep into this one, I\u2019m going to go ahead and state the obvious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The highest-end of Intel Xeon CPUs will <em>obviously<\/em> be far more expensive than Intel Core i9 CPUs<\/strong> since those cores don\u2019t suddenly become <em>less <\/em>expensive as you slap more and more of them onto the die.<\/p>\n<p>But <strong>what does the pricing for a performance look like when you correct for core count<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Currently, the highest-end 24-core Intel Core i9-13900K retails for about ~$570, with an MSRP of $589-$599.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>there are <em>three<\/em> current-gen 24-core Xeon CPUs currently on the market: the Xeon Gold 6442Y, The Xeon w72495X, and the Intel Xeon w73455<\/strong>. <em>These<\/em> retail for <strong>$2870, $2189, and $2489<\/strong>, respectively.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23836\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core.jpg\" alt=\"Intel Core i9 vs Intel Xeons (24 Core) Price per Core\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23836 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intel Core i9 vs Intel Xeons (24 Core) Price per Core\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/Intel-Core-i9-vs-Intel-Xeons-24-Core-Price-per-Core.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Yikes<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>There <em>are<\/em> reasons (other than higher core-counts, e.g. platform. More RAM, more PCIe-Lanes, etc.) to invest in Intel Xeon and their server boards for the unique benefits offered by Intel servers, including dual-socket boards. But if we\u2019re comparing <em>just<\/em> the CPUs in terms of price-for-performance...<\/p>\n<p><strong>Category Winner: Intel Core i9<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Expansion_Capacity_PCIe_Lanes_RAM_Slots_etc\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Expansion Capacity (PCIe Lanes, RAM Slots, etc)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Another area where Intel Xeon and Core i9 should be compared is in system expansion capacity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-98-no-2\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-98 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Processor<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Processor family<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">PCIe lanes<\/th><th class=\"column-4\">Chipset<\/th><th class=\"column-5\">Chipset Lanes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Intel Core<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Intel Rocket Lake<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Z590<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">24 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<br>\n<br>\n(motherboard support required)<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Z490<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">24 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Intel Comet Lake<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">16 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Z490<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">24 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">AMD Ryzen<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Zen 3 and Zen 2<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X570<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">16 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">B550<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">10 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Zen 2<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X470<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">8 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><\/td><td class=\"column-3\">20 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">B450<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">6 PCIe 2.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">AMD Threadripper<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Zen 2<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">56 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">TRX 40<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">16 PCIe 4.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Zen +<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">56 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X399<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">16 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Zen<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">56 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X399<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">16 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Intel X<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Cascade Lake<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">48 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X299<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">24 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-13 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Skylake<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">44 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">X299<\/td><td class=\"column-5\">24 PCIe 3.0 lanes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-98-no-2 from cache -->\n<p><strong>Modern-day Core i9s can only support about 20 PCIe lanes at a time, whereas an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anandtech.com\/show\/18741\/intel-launches-xeon-w-3400-and-w-2400-processors-for-workstations-up-to-56-cores-and-112-pcie-5-0-lanes#:~:text=Like%20its%20expert%2Dtier%20counterpart,2%20TB%20of%20memory%20overall.\" target=\"_blank\">Intel Xeon can push as many as <em>112<\/em> PCIe lanes in parallel<\/a>,<\/strong> basically eliminating the possibility of any PCI Express bottlenecking outright. Having mostly-unfettered access to PCIe lanes may not make a major difference in every workload, but i<strong>f you're running distributed virtualization or rendering across several GPUs, a Xeon actually can be one of your best-case scenarios<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/Features-of-Dual-Socket-Motherboard.jpg\" alt=\"Features of Dual Socket Motherboard\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Features of Dual Socket Motherboard\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/08\/Features-of-Dual-Socket-Motherboard.jpg\" class=\" lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>Additionally, <strong>Intel Xeon can even be used in <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/dual-cpu-motherboard-guide\/\">dual-socket motherboards<\/a><\/strong>, and supports <em>much<\/em> more memory, including <strong>16-slot RAM<\/strong> configurations. Besides higher raw capacity, Xeon motherboards also have better support for <strong>ECC<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/do-you-need-ecc-memory\/\"><strong>E<\/strong>rror <strong>C<\/strong>hecking <strong>C<\/strong>ode<\/a>) <strong>RAM<\/strong>, ideal for machines being used to store high-sensitivity information.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/How-does-ECC-memory-work.jpg\" alt=\"How does ECC memory work\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"How does ECC memory work\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/How-does-ECC-memory-work.jpg\" class=\" lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>However, the aforementioned pricing points still need to be kept in mind. <strong>HEDT platforms also increase system expansion capacity<\/strong>, but <em>without<\/em> reaching as extreme a price disparity between mainstream and server CPUs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Category Winner: Intel Xeon, By a Mile<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intel_Xeon_vs_i9_For_Workstations_Conclusion\"><\/span>Intel Xeon vs i9 For Workstations: Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Overall, I find it quite difficult to recommend Intel Xeon CPUs over Intel Core i9 CPUs outside of <em>very<\/em> specific use cases, namely those reliant on unfettered CPU cores, RAM slots, and 3+ GPUs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23837\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments.jpg\" alt=\"CPU Market Segments\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23837 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"CPU Market Segments\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/08\/CPU-Market-Segments.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s true that they have access to yet higher tiers of multi-core performance than Core i9 CPUs, even <em>matching<\/em> Core i9\u2019s thread count is ridiculously more expensive on Intel Xeon compared to Intel Core.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The performance-per-dollar argument simply isn\u2019t there<\/strong>, and I would argue that for workstation use, you\u2019ll almost always be better-served by a Core i9 CPU instead since Xeons cost <em>so much more<\/em> and still have key compromises in the areas of thermals and single-core performance. <strong>HEDT (especially <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/threadripper-vs-pro-vs-epyc\/\">Ryzen Threadripper<\/a>, if you're willing to consider non-Intel CPUs) could be a more cost-effective answer to heavily-threaded workloads, too<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Even the Xeon CPUs made <em>for<\/em> workstations seem like a questionable choice compared to Threadripper or Core i9, <em>at least<\/em> if you want to keep performance-per-dollar as a major consideration in your PC build. <strong>However, if your business operates at such a scale that &#8220;time is money&#8221;, a swole Xeon CPU paired with all the GPUs that can fit inside your chassis or rack mount might still be a worthwhile buy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overall Winner: Intel Core i9, but Intel Xeon or HEDT Should Be Considered For Higher-Scale Workloads<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Intel_Core_i7s_Good_Enough_For_Workstations\"><\/span>Are Intel Core i7s Good Enough For Workstations?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>I would say so, yes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Obviously, Intel Core i7s aren\u2019t going to have the same raw multi-core throttle enjoyed by Intel Core i9 CPUs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But they\u2019re still <em>pretty close<\/em> and even boast the same number of \u201cPerformance Cores\u201d this generation (article written in mid-2023). Additionally, they have roughly the same single-core performance as their more expensive Core i9 counterparts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There will be <em>some<\/em> loss in performance compared to a Core i9, but if a Core i7 is all you can afford for your workstation PC build, there\u2019s nothing wrong with using an i7 at all<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re solid prosumer CPUs through-and-through, especially for workloads like video rendering, live streaming, and even CPU rendering. Just...expect all that stuff to take longer on an i7 compared to an i9, because it doesn\u2019t have <em>as many<\/em> cores to throw at the workload you\u2019re running.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Intel_Xeons_Be_Used_For_Gaming\"><\/span>Can Intel Xeons Be Used For Gaming?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>You probably <em>shouldn\u2019t<\/em> try to game on a Xeon, especially one of the higher-end Xeons with literal dozens of cores.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That just isn\u2019t going to scale well, at all. This isn\u2019t a problem exclusive to Xeons, either\u2014 AMD Epyc server CPUs and Threadripper HEDT CPUs are also going to have significantly compromised gaming performance due to the sheer number of cores stuffed onto the chip.<\/p>\n<p>If you plan on doing the occasional gaming on your workstation, or your workstation is geared <em>partially<\/em> for gaming (ie, live streaming), a Core i9 is going to be your best bet without sacrificing too much multi-core performance.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Xeons_Have_Integrated_Graphics\"><\/span>Do Xeons Have Integrated Graphics?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Most of them do not.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Some do,<\/strong> but...they aren\u2019t very good. Even if your Intel Xeon has an iGPU, you should only be using it as a last resort. That just isn\u2019t what they\u2019re for.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>And that\u2019s all!<\/p>\n<p><strong>I hope this article helped settle the battle of Intel Xeon vs i9, at least for workstations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Large-scale servers and data centers are a <em>different beast<\/em> compared to workstations, so it makes sense that the more consumer-balanced CPUs in the Core i9 series would end up coming out on top in this matchup, especially in terms of performance-per-dollar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But what do <em>you<\/em> think?<\/strong> Do any of you happen to use a Xeon CPU in your workstation, or have other questions about Xeons and Core i9s?<\/p>\n<p>Feel free to fire off in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> below! Me or another member of the G100 Team will be happy to talk to you.<\/p>\n<p>For longer-form questions about PC hardware, editing, animation, etc...consider our community <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\"><strong>Forums<\/strong><\/a>! Our Forums are full of Experts and Enthusiasts like you, so don\u2019t hesitate to head there, should you please.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Until then or until next time, happy building!<\/strong> And good luck with whatever you\u2019ll be doing on your workstation, whether that\u2019s brutal multi-threaded work or slacking off whenever you get the chance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time for Intel Xeon vs i9: Which CPU Is Best For Workstations? I\u2019ll be tackling everything you need to know about choosing between these two lines of Intel CPUs for your next workstation PC in this article, so stick around\u2014 or skip around with the table of contents below, should you please. Either way,...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2339,"featured_media":23826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[115,117],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2339"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23825"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23870,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23825\/revisions\/23870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}