Intel Core i7-4790 vs Intel Xeon Gold 6312U Comparison

The Intel Core i7-4790 and Intel Xeon Gold 6312U represent two vastly different eras and market segments of Intel’s product stack. The i7-4790 is a 2014-era desktop part built for mainstream consumers, while the Xeon Gold 6312U is a 2021 server processor aimed at enterprise workloads. Benchmark data shows the Xeon Gold 6312U dominates in every measured category, with the only question being the magnitude of that dominance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are unambiguous: the Intel Xeon Gold 6312U wins all six benchmark comparisons, with every delta showing a consistent performance gap of roughly 82.7% in favor of the server chip. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Xeon Gold scores 3586 against the i7-4790’s 621, a delta of -82.7% from the perspective of the desktop part. The single-core R15 test tells a similar story: 506 for the Xeon versus 87 for the i7, again a -82.7% delta. This consistency across both single- and multi-threaded tests is notable; it indicates that the Xeon’s advantage is not merely a matter of core count but also of per-core efficiency.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. The Xeon Gold 6312U posts 14943 in multicore, dwarfing the i7-4790’s 2591. The single-core R20 result is 2109 against 365, a gap of -82.7%. In Cinebench R23, the most demanding test in this comparison, the Xeon reaches 35579 multicore, while the i7-4790 manages only 6171. The single-core R23 numbers are 5022 and 871, respectively. In every instance, the deltaPct is exactly -82.7%, suggesting that the performance ratio between these two parts is remarkably stable across different rendering workloads.

It is worth remembering the i7-4790’s average benchmark score of 10556 places it in the 66th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 7D12 (avgScore 10547, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Xeon W-3175X (avgScore 10369, deltaPct 1.8). The Xeon Gold 6312U also sits in the 66th percentile, with an average score of 10291, placing it near the Intel Xeon E3-1565L v5 (avgScore 10320, deltaPct -0.3) and the Intel Xeon Gold 6338N (avgScore 10347, deltaPct -0.5). Despite the Xeon’s overwhelming victory in the head-to-head, its overall percentile ranking is identical to the i7-4790’s, highlighting how average scores across all benchmark types can mask extreme disparities in specific workloads.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two processors is vast. The i7-4790 is built on Intel’s 22 nm Haswell process, with a die size of 177 mm² and 1,400 million transistors. The Xeon Gold 6312U uses the 10 nm Ice Lake-SP process, and while its transistor count and die size are not listed in the data, the process node difference alone suggests a significant generational leap. The i7-4790 features 4 cores and 8 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6312U offers 24 cores and 48 threads—a sixfold increase in core count and a sixfold increase in thread count.

Cache hierarchies differ substantially as well. Both parts have 64 KB of L1 cache per core, but the L2 cache per core is 256 KB on the i7-4790 versus 1 MB on the Xeon Gold 6312U. The L3 cache is 8 MB shared on the Haswell part, compared to 36 MB shared on the Ice Lake-SP part. Memory support is another clear divider: the i7-4790 uses DDR3 with a dual-channel bus and 25.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the Xeon Gold 6312U uses DDR4 with an eight-channel bus and 204.8 GB/s bandwidth—an eightfold increase in theoretical memory throughput. The Xeon also supports ECC memory, which the i7-4790 does not.

The socket and platform are entirely different: the i7-4790 uses Intel Socket 1150, while the Xeon Gold 6312U uses Intel Socket 4189. PCIe capabilities also diverge, with the i7-4790 offering Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only) and the Xeon Gold 6312U offering Gen 4 with 64 lanes (CPU only). The i7-4790 includes integrated graphics (Intel HD 4600), while the Xeon Gold 6312U has no integrated graphics. Clock speeds are the one area where the older part leads: the i7-4790 has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, versus 2.40 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost for the Xeon. However, the Xeon’s higher core count and newer architecture more than compensate in the benchmark data.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in single-core performance?

A: The Intel Xeon Gold 6312U wins all single-core benchmarks. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 5022 versus the i7-4790’s 871, a delta of -82.7% for the desktop part.

Q: Is the i7-4790 competitive in any benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the Xeon Gold 6312U winning all six tests, with the i7-4790 losing by exactly -82.7% in every case.

Q: How do their memory systems compare?

A: The i7-4790 supports DDR3 with a dual-channel bus and 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Xeon Gold 6312U supports DDR4 with an eight-channel bus and 204.8 GB/s bandwidth, and it also supports ECC memory.

Q: What is the core and thread count difference?

A: The i7-4790 has 4 cores and 8 threads. The Xeon Gold 6312U has 24 cores and 48 threads.

Q: Are these processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both are in the 66th percentile of all CPUs. The i7-4790 has an average benchmark score of 10556, while the Xeon Gold 6312U has an average score of 10291.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The i7-4790 has a higher boost clock at 4.00 GHz, compared to the Xeon Gold 6312U’s 3.60 GHz. The i7-4790 also has a higher base clock at 3.60 GHz versus 2.40 GHz.

Specification Differences

The following specifications differ between the Intel Core i7-4790 and the Intel Xeon Gold 6312U:

• Cores: 4 (i7-4790) vs 24 (Xeon Gold 6312U)
• Threads: 8 vs 48
• Base Clock: 3.60 GHz vs 2.40 GHz
• Boost Clock: 4.00 GHz vs 3.60 GHz
• TDP: 84 W vs 185 W
• Socket: Intel Socket 1150 vs Intel Socket 4189
• Architecture: Haswell vs Ice Lake-SP
• Process Node: 22 nm vs 10 nm
• Transistors: 1,400 million vs not listed
• Die Size: 177 mm² vs not listed
• L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB vs 1 MB
• L3 Cache (shared): 8 MB vs 36 MB
• Memory Support: DDR3 vs DDR4
• Memory Bus: Dual-channel vs Eight-channel
• Memory Bandwidth: 25.6 GB/s vs 204.8 GB/s
• ECC Memory: false vs true
• PCIe: Gen 3, 16 Lanes vs Gen 4, 64 Lanes
• Integrated Graphics: Intel HD 4600 vs none
• Market Segment: Desktop vs Server/Workstation
• Production Status: End-of-life vs Active
• Release Date: 2014-04-30 vs 2021-04-05
• Launch MSRP: $312 vs not listed
• Part Number: SR1QF vs not listed

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: the Intel Xeon Gold 6312U is the superior processor in every benchmark measured. Its 24 cores and 48 threads deliver a 6x advantage over the i7-4790’s 4 cores and 8 threads, and the consistent -82.7% delta across all Cinebench tests indicates that the Xeon’s advantage scales uniformly from single-threaded to heavily multi-threaded workloads. The Xeon also brings eight-channel DDR4 memory with 204.8 GB/s bandwidth, ECC support, and PCIe Gen 4 with 64 lanes, making it a far more capable platform for server or workstation deployments.

However, the i7-4790 is not without its merits. It has a higher base and boost clock, which could theoretically benefit lightly threaded applications, yet the benchmark data shows the Xeon still wins single-core tests by the same -82.7% margin. The i7-4790 also has a much lower TDP at 84 W versus 185 W, and it includes integrated graphics, which the Xeon lacks. For a desktop user with legacy DDR3 memory and a Socket 1150 motherboard, the i7-4790 remains a functional, end-of-life part. But for anyone building or upgrading a server, the Xeon Gold 6312U is the clear choice based on raw performance, memory bandwidth, and platform features. The percentile rankings are identical at 66, but this is misleading; the Xeon’s average benchmark score of 10291 is comparable to the i7-4790’s 10556 only because the i7 has more benchmark results in the dataset, including PassMark tests that are not available for the Xeon. In the head-to-head Cinebench suite, there is no contest.