Xeon Gold 5120 vs Core i9-9900K

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	595	618
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	12.93	16.25
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	Core i9 (Desktop)	Intel Xeon Gold
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Skylake (server) (2017−2019)
Release date	19 October 2018 (5 years ago)	11 July 2017 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$488	$1,555
Current price	$409 (0.8x MSRP)	$392 (0.3x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 5120 has 26% better value for money than i9-9900K.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 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 cores	8 (Octa-Core)	14 (Tetradeca-Core)
Threads	16	28
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	2.2 GHz
Boost clock speed	5 GHz	3.2 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	896 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	14 MB
L3 cache	16 MB (shared)	19.25 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	178 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	81 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 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 configuration	1	4 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	LGA-1151	FCLGA3647
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	no data	+
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	+
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
SIPP	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	no data
VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR4-2400
Maximum memory size	128 GB	768 GB
Max memory channels	2	6
Maximum memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	115.212 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel UHD Graphics 630	no data
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.2 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

3

no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096 x 2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096 x 2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096 x 2304@60Hz	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	48

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

Core i9-9900K outperforms Xeon Gold 5120 by 4% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	11.84	11.43
Recency	19 October 2018	11 July 2017
Physical cores	8	14
Threads	16	28
Cost	$488	$1555
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	105 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-9900K and Xeon Gold 5120, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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