Core i7-8700K vs Xeon Gold 5120
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 5120 outperforms i7-8700K by a substantial 30% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 652 | 826 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 16.40 | 9.90 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon Gold | Intel Core i7 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) | Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) |
| Release date | 11 July 2017 (7 years ago) | 24 September 2017 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,555 | $359 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon Gold 5120 has 66% better value for money than i7-8700K.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K 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 | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 28 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Bus support | no data | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 896 KB | 384 KB |
| L2 cache | 14 MB | 1.5 MB |
| L3 cache | 19.25 MB | 12288 KB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 149 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 81 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | Yes |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K 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 | 4 (Multiprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | Socket P | FCLGA1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | + | + |
| SIPP | no data | + |
Security technologies
Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2400 | DDR3, DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 768 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 6 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 115.212 GB/s | 42.671 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 48 | 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.
Xeon Gold 5120 outperforms Core i7-8700K by 30% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Xeon Gold 5120 outperforms Core i7-8700K by 30% in Passmark.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 11.43 | 8.82 |
| Recency | 11 July 2017 | 24 September 2017 |
| Physical cores | 14 | 6 |
| Threads | 28 | 12 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 95 Watt |
Xeon Gold 5120 has a 29.6% higher aggregate performance score, and 133.3% more physical cores and 133.3% more threads.
i7-8700K, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 months, and 10.5% lower power consumption.
The Xeon Gold 5120 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-8700K in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon Gold 5120 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-8700K is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i7-8700K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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