Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M vs AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M vs AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 tests and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like WPrime, Prime95, Blender, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Handbrake, PassMark, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, Gears 5, Furmark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, 7zip.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 or Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M.

Summary benchmark results

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

Xeon Platinum 8260M

60%

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

59%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon Platinum 8260M is 1% better than Ryzen 9 PRO 3900. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon Platinum 8260M

69%

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	121.9	99.7
Valorant	138.5	113.3
Cyberpunk 2077	77.6	63.5
Apex Legends	130.2	106.5
Call of Duty Warzone	103.9	85.0
Overwatch	112.2	91.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	95.6	78.2
DOOM Eternal	69.3	56.7
Warzone	108.1	88.4
Assassin's Creed	116.4	95.2
Valheim	115.0	94.1

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Xeon Platinum 8260M

21%

Ryzen 9 PRO 3900

64%

To make a finishing choice 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 Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 is more energy efficient than the Xeon Platinum 8260M as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	211	202
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5808	3007
Cinbench 20 Single-core	366	499
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14048	6987
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1239	1182
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35899	17436

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900
Single-Core	2291	2663
Multi-Core	34071	31704

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900
Single-Core	1071	1252
Multi-Core	33238	11494

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	September 30, 2019
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	LGA3647	AM4
Core name	Cascade Lake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	2	2
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	2.3 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	24	12
Threads	48	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	DDR4
Max. Memory	1 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		768KB
L2 cache		6MB
L3 cache	35.75 MB	64MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number		100-000000072

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 is 25% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Platinum 8260M has 12 more core than Ryzen 9 PRO 3900. 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 Xeon Platinum 8260M is better: 24
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 is better: 12
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 3900 specs and review.