Intel Xeon Gold 6246R vs Intel Core i9-9960X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Xeon Gold 6246R vs Intel Core i9-9960X and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as Gears 5, Blender, Blender, MATLAB, SuperPi, Prime95, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PCMark 10, RealBench, 3DMark, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, 7zip, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, WPrime.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9960X or Intel Xeon Gold 6246R.

Summary benchmark results

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

Xeon Gold 6246R

59%

Core i9-9960X

59%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon Gold 6246R

62%

Core i9-9960X

60%

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 play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	109.5	106.4
Valorant	124.5	120.9
Cyberpunk 2077	69.7	67.7
Apex Legends	117.0	113.6
Call of Duty Warzone	93.4	90.7
Overwatch	100.8	97.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	85.9	83.4
DOOM Eternal	62.2	60.5
Warzone	97.1	94.3
Assassin's Creed	104.6	101.6
Valheim	103.3	100.3

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 Gold 6246R

16%

Core i9-9960X

24%

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 i9-9960X is more energy efficient than the Xeon Gold 6246R since it has less power consumption: 205W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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. Since 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 Gold 6246R	Intel Core i9-9960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	179	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5252	2872
Cinbench 20 Single-core	397	457
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12359	6671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1059	1086
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	29861	22943

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	2365	2684
Multi-Core	30393	30816

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	1041	1230
Multi-Core	21110	18032

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 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R	Intel Core i9-9960X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	January 01, 2019
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA3647	FCLGA2066
Core name	Cascade Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	16	16
Threads	32	32
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	205 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	22 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
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 Xeon Gold 6246R is 8% better than Core i9-9960X in terms of CPU frequency. 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 Gold 6246R is better: 19
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9960X is better: 13
Although it should be realized that all the number 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 testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Xeon Gold 6246R and Intel Core i9-9960X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Xeon Gold 6246R specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9960X specs and review.