Intel Core i9-12900F vs Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M

Processor comparisons   10-01-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-12900F vs Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, PassMark, RealBench, Gears 5, PCMark 10, MATLAB, Prime95, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator.
   And how good the processors are in games:

Fortnite
Valheim
Valorant
DOOM: Eternal
Rainbow Six Siege
Watch Dogs Legion
Fallout 76
Grand Theft Auto V
Overwatch
Apex Legends
Cyberpunk 2077
Last Man Standing
Red Dead Redemption 2
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Death Stranding
Borderlands 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Halo Infinite

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M or Intel Core i9-12900F.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-12900F

65%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

60%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900F is 7% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-12900F

59%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

69%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, Control, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.5	121.9
Valorant	118.8	138.5
Cyberpunk 2077	66.5	77.6
Apex Legends	111.6	130.2
Call of Duty Warzone	89.1	103.9
Overwatch	96.2	112.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.9	95.6
DOOM Eternal	59.4	69.3
Warzone	92.6	108.1
Assassin's Creed	99.8	116.4
Valheim	98.6	115.0

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-12900F

97%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

21%

To make a finishing decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i9-12900F is more energy efficient than the Xeon Platinum 8260M since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-12900F	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Cinbench 15 Single-core	449	211
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	4734	5808
Cinbench 20 Single-core	750	366
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	10524	14048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2661	1239
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	30285	35899

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-12900F	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Single-Core	6936	2291
Multi-Core	51775	34071

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-12900F	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Single-Core	1904	1071
Multi-Core	16188	33238

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-12900F	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Announcement date	July 21, 2021	October 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Server
Socket	FCLGA1700	LGA3647
Core name	Alder Lake	Cascade Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	12	2
Turbo Frequency	5.1 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.8 MHz	2.3 MHz
Cores	16	24
Threads	24	48
Bus rate	16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	12600 millions	7510 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	165 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	1 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2 MB
L2 cache	12 MB
L3 cache	30 MB	35.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-12900F is 39% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Platinum 8260M has 8 more core than Core i9-12900F. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900F is better: 19
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M is better: 20
The summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-12900F and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i9-12900F - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i9-12900F specs and review.

• Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M specs and review.