Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M vs Intel Core i9-9940X

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 Intel Core i9-9940X tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, streaming, programming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like WPrime, Furmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, 7zip, PassMark, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, Handbrake, Prime95, SuperPi, RealBench, Blender, Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9940X 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%

Core i9-9940X

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon Platinum 8260M is 3% better than Core i9-9940X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon Platinum 8260M

69%

Core i9-9940X

59%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	121.9	104.5
Valorant	138.5	118.8
Cyberpunk 2077	77.6	66.5
Apex Legends	130.2	111.7
Call of Duty Warzone	103.9	89.1
Overwatch	112.2	96.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	95.6	82.0
DOOM Eternal	69.3	59.4
Warzone	108.1	92.7
Assassin's Creed	116.4	99.8
Valheim	115.0	98.6

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%

Core i9-9940X

25%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i9-9940X is more energy efficient than the Xeon Platinum 8260M since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-9940X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	211	197
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5808	2587
Cinbench 20 Single-core	366	457
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14048	5912
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1239	1175
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35899	20834

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-9940X
Single-Core	2291	2589
Multi-Core	34071	28183

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-9940X
Single-Core	1071	1257
Multi-Core	33238	16211

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. 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 new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-9940X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	October 01, 2018
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	LGA3647	FCLGA2066
Core name	Cascade Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	2.3 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	24	14
Threads	48	28
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	1 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	35.75 MB	19.25 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9940X is 30% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Platinum 8260M has 10 more core than Core i9-9940X. 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 Intel Core i9-9940X is better: 10
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and Intel Core i9-9940X before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M specs and review.

Intel Core i9-9940X - all data

• Fortnite gaming benchmark
• Assassin's Creed gaming benchmark
• DOOM Eternal gaming benchmark
• Overwatch gaming benchmark
• Call of Duty: Warzone gaming benchmark
• Apex Legends gaming benchmark
• Cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark
• Roblox gaming benchmark
• PUBG gaming benchmark
• Red Dead Redemption 2 gaming benchmark
• GTA 5 gaming benchmark
• Valorant gaming benchmark

• Intel Core i9-9940X specs and review.