i9-9900KF vs Xeon E5-2420

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1580	657
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.14	9.00
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Intel Core i9
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge-EN (2012)	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)
Release date	14 May 2012 (12 years ago)	7 January 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$390	$488

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-9900KF has 689% better value for money than Xeon E5-2420.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	12	16
Base clock speed	1.9 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.4 GHz	5 GHz
Bus type	no data	DMI 3.0
Bus rate	7.2 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	512 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	2 MB
L3 cache	15360 KB (shared)	16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	294 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	no data	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
Number of transistors	1,270 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF 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	2	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1356	FCLGA1151
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	-	+
Idle States	+	+
Thermal Monitoring	+	+
Flex Memory Access	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2666
Maximum memory size	384 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	3	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	32 GB/s	42.671 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	24	16

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.

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	3.25	11.81
Recency	14 May 2012	7 January 2019
Physical cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2420 and Core i9-9900KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---