Xeon Gold 5218R vs i7-8700K

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-8700K
2017
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
8.58
Xeon Gold 5218R
2020
20 cores / 40 threads, 125 Watt
15.58
+81.6%

Xeon Gold 5218R outperforms Core i7-8700K by an impressive 82% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking875440
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation4.4521.61
Market segmentDesktop processorServer
SeriesIntel Core i7Intel Xeon Gold
Power efficiency8.5511.80
Architecture codenameCoffee Lake-S (2017−2018)Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
Release date5 October 2017 (7 years ago)24 February 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$359$1,273

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 5218R has 386% better value for money than i7-8700K.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores6 (Hexa-Core)20 (Icosa-Core)
Threads1240
Base clock speed3.7 GHz2.1 GHz
Boost clock speed4.7 GHz4 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0DMI 3.0
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier3721
L1 cache64K (per core)1.25 MB
L2 cache256K (per core)20 MB
L3 cache12288 KB27.5 MB
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size149 mm2no data
Maximum core temperature100 °C87 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)no data
SocketFCLGA1151FCLGA3647
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shiftno data+
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX++
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
SIPP+-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data-
Deep Learning Boost-+

Security technologies

Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT++
EDB++
Secure Key+no data
MPX+-
Identity Protection+-
SGXYes with Intel® MEno data
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-d++
VT-x++
EPT++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3, DDR4DDR4-2667
Maximum memory size128 GB1 TB
Max memory channels26
Maximum memory bandwidth42.671 GB/s128.001 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel UHD Graphics 630no data
Max video memory64 GBno data
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video+no data
Clear Video HD+no data
Graphics max frequency1.2 GHzno data
InTru 3D+no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096 x 2304@24Hzno data
Max resolution over eDP4096 x 2304@60Hzno data
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096 x 2304@60Hzno data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12no data
OpenGL4.5no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes1648

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i7-8700K 8.58
Xeon Gold 5218R 15.58
+81.6%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-8700K 13622
Xeon Gold 5218R 24742
+81.6%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-8700K 1610
+18.5%
Xeon Gold 5218R 1359

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-8700K 6513
Xeon Gold 5218R 9133
+40.2%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 8.58 15.58
Recency 5 October 2017 24 February 2020
Physical cores 6 20
Threads 12 40
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 125 Watt

i7-8700K has 31.6% lower power consumption.

Xeon Gold 5218R, on the other hand, has a 81.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and 233.3% more physical cores and 233.3% more threads.

The Xeon Gold 5218R is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-8700K in performance tests.

Note that Core i7-8700K is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 5218R is a server/workstation one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-8700K and Xeon Gold 5218R, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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Intel Core i7-8700K
Core i7-8700K
Intel Xeon Gold 5218R
Xeon Gold 5218R

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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