Xeon E5-2673 v4 vs Xeon Gold 5218T

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Xeon E5-2673 v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+127.3% larger total L3 cache (50 MB vs 22 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,277 vs 21,433).
❌28.6% higher power demand at 135W vs 105W.

Xeon Gold 5218T

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 105W instead of 135W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2673 v4 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 50 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,572 MSRP, while Xeon E5-2673 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon E5-2673 v4

2016

Xeon Gold 5218T

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +12.6% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+127.3% larger total L3 cache (50 MB vs 22 MB).

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 105W instead of 135W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,277 vs 21,433).
❌28.6% higher power demand at 135W vs 105W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2673 v4 across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 50 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,572 MSRP, while Xeon E5-2673 v4 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 5218T better than Xeon E5-2673 v4?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon E5-2673 v4 is ahead with a 12.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5218T pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark. Xeon E5-2673 v4 also has the bigger cache pool with 127.3% larger total L3 cache (50 MB vs 22 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5218T is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon Gold 5218T is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 5218T is at an unclear MSRP at $1,572 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-2673 v4 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 12.6% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (13.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon Gold 5218T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 20/40. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Xeon E5-2673 v4 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5218T Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2673 v4	Xeon Gold 5218T
1080p
low	180 FPS	185 FPS
medium	157 FPS	148 FPS
high	124 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	149 FPS	147 FPS
medium	125 FPS	116 FPS
high	95 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	68 FPS
medium	61 FPS	57 FPS
high	47 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	36 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2673 v4 Open Xeon Gold 5218T

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2673 v4	Xeon Gold 5218T
1080p
low	365 FPS	212 FPS
medium	332 FPS	186 FPS
high	280 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	314 FPS	183 FPS
medium	285 FPS	165 FPS
high	243 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	196 FPS	118 FPS
medium	179 FPS	107 FPS
high	153 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	81 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2673 v4 Open Xeon Gold 5218T

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon E5-2673 v4	Xeon Gold 5218T
1080p
low	532 FPS	536 FPS
medium	505 FPS	536 FPS
high	458 FPS	495 FPS
ultra	410 FPS	429 FPS
1440p
low	522 FPS	536 FPS
medium	436 FPS	449 FPS
high	389 FPS	408 FPS
ultra	349 FPS	354 FPS
4K
low	400 FPS	399 FPS
medium	322 FPS	314 FPS
high	287 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	239 FPS	226 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2673 v4 Open Xeon Gold 5218T

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon E5-2673 v4	Xeon Gold 5218T
1080p
low	532 FPS	536 FPS
medium	532 FPS	536 FPS
high	532 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	532 FPS	536 FPS
1440p
low	532 FPS	536 FPS
medium	532 FPS	536 FPS
high	532 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	456 FPS	468 FPS
4K
low	518 FPS	500 FPS
medium	465 FPS	449 FPS
high	411 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	352 FPS	345 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2673 v4 Open Xeon Gold 5218T

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-2673 v4 and Xeon Gold 5218T

Xeon E5-2673 v4

The Xeon E5-2673 v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 50 MB. L2 cache: 5 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCLGA2011-3. Thermal design power (TDP): 135 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,277 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon Gold 5218T

The Xeon Gold 5218T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 22 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2667. Passmark benchmark score: 21,433 points. Launch price was $1,561.

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Processing Power

The Xeon E5-2673 v4 packs 20 cores / 40 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5218T offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon E5-2673 v4 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Xeon E5-2673 v4 versus 3.8 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5218T — a 49.2% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 5218T (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5-2673 v4 uses the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5218T uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2673 v4 scores 21,277 against the Xeon Gold 5218T's 21,433 — a 0.7% lead for the Xeon Gold 5218T. L3 cache: 50 MB on the Xeon E5-2673 v4 vs 22 MB on the Xeon Gold 5218T.

Feature	Xeon E5-2673 v4	Xeon Gold 5218T
Cores / Threads	20 / 40+25%	16 / 32
Boost Clock	2.3 GHz	3.8 GHz+65%
Base Clock	2.3 GHz+10%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	50 MB+127%	22 MB
L2 Cache	5 MB	16 MB+220%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Broadwell (2015−2019)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	21,277	21,433

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-2673 v4 uses the FCLGA2011-3 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 5218T uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.