Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M vs Intel Core i9-7940X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M vs Intel Core i9-7940X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Furmark, Blender, Handbrake, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, VeraCrypt, Prime95, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Gears 5, 7zip, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7940X 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 i9-7940X

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon Platinum 8260M is 3% better than Core i9-7940X. 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%

Core i9-7940X

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that 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 low game result, 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: Monster Hunter World, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	121.9	103.4
Valorant	138.5	117.5
Cyberpunk 2077	77.6	65.8
Apex Legends	130.2	110.5
Call of Duty Warzone	103.9	88.2
Overwatch	112.2	95.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	95.6	81.1
DOOM Eternal	69.3	58.8
Warzone	108.1	91.7
Assassin's Creed	116.4	98.7
Valheim	115.0	97.6

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 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 i9-7940X

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 i9-7940X is more energy efficient than the Xeon Platinum 8260M as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 165W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 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 Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-7940X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	211	188
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5808	2849
Cinbench 20 Single-core	366	607
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14048	5465
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1239	1578
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	35899	15728

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-7940X
Single-Core	2291	2533
Multi-Core	34071	26889

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

	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-7940X
Single-Core	1071	1263
Multi-Core	33238	15127

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new 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 Platinum 8260M	Intel Core i9-7940X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	April 01, 2017
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	LGA3647	FCLGA2066
Core name	Cascade Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	2	7
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	2.3 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	24	14
Threads	48	28
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	7800 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 i9-7940X is 25% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Platinum 8260M has 10 more core than Core i9-7940X. 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: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7940X is better: 12
However, it should be understood that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and Intel Core i9-7940X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.