i9-9960X vs Xeon Platinum 8168
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Platinum 8168 outperforms Core i9-9960X by a small 9% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 262 | 303 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.68 | 4.74 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon Platinum | Intel Core i9 |
| Power efficiency | 9.62 | 10.93 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) |
| Release date | 25 April 2017 (7 years ago) | 8 October 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $5,890 | $1,684 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
i9-9960X has 29% better value for money than Xeon Platinum 8168.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X 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 | 24 (Tetracosa-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 48 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 27 | 31 |
| L1 cache | 1.5 MB | 1 MB |
| L2 cache | 24 MB | 16 MB |
| L3 cache | 33 MB | 22 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 484 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 85 °C | 85 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X 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 | 8 (Multiprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA3647 | FCLGA2066 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 165 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | - | + |
Security technologies
Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 |
| Maximum memory size | 768 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 6 | 4 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 128.001 GB/s | 85.33 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 48 | 44 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 21.23 | 19.41 |
| Recency | 25 April 2017 | 8 October 2018 |
| Physical cores | 24 | 16 |
| Threads | 48 | 32 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 165 Watt |
Xeon Platinum 8168 has a 9.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.
i9-9960X, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, and 24.2% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X.
Be aware that Xeon Platinum 8168 is a server/workstation processor while Core i9-9960X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Platinum 8168 and Core i9-9960X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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