Xeon Gold 5315Y vs Xeon Gold 6138T

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 Gold 5315Y

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 28 MB).
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Gold 6138T

2017

Why buy it

✅+129.2% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 125W instead of 140W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,356 vs 20,477).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,742 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 5315Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 5315Y

2021

Xeon Gold 6138T

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅+129.2% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 125W instead of 140W, a 15W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 28 MB).
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,356 vs 20,477).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,742 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 5315Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6138T better than Xeon Gold 5315Y?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Gold 6138T is ahead with a 2.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5315Y pulls ahead with 0.6% better PassMark. Xeon Gold 6138T also has the bigger cache pool with 129.2% larger total L3 cache (28 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5315Y is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 6138T is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 6138T is at an unclear MSRP at $2,742 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 2.9% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 5315Y is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.6% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (7.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5315Y is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2017) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 Gold 5315Y Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6138T Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
1080p
low	174 FPS	189 FPS
medium	138 FPS	153 FPS
high	114 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	149 FPS
medium	113 FPS	117 FPS
high	91 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	69 FPS
medium	56 FPS	58 FPS
high	44 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	36 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5315Y Open Xeon Gold 6138T

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
1080p
low	245 FPS	213 FPS
medium	212 FPS	188 FPS
high	191 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	217 FPS	184 FPS
medium	193 FPS	166 FPS
high	176 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	140 FPS	120 FPS
4K
low	176 FPS	120 FPS
medium	161 FPS	109 FPS
high	138 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	108 FPS	82 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5315Y Open Xeon Gold 6138T

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
1080p
low	512 FPS	509 FPS
medium	512 FPS	509 FPS
high	512 FPS	495 FPS
ultra	512 FPS	429 FPS
1440p
low	512 FPS	509 FPS
medium	512 FPS	449 FPS
high	512 FPS	408 FPS
ultra	512 FPS	354 FPS
4K
low	481 FPS	399 FPS
medium	378 FPS	314 FPS
high	334 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	226 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5315Y Open Xeon Gold 6138T

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
1080p
low	512 FPS	509 FPS
medium	512 FPS	509 FPS
high	512 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	512 FPS	509 FPS
1440p
low	512 FPS	509 FPS
medium	512 FPS	509 FPS
high	512 FPS	509 FPS
ultra	453 FPS	463 FPS
4K
low	478 FPS	496 FPS
medium	428 FPS	445 FPS
high	384 FPS	396 FPS
ultra	334 FPS	340 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5315Y Open Xeon Gold 6138T

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 5315Y and Xeon Gold 6138T

Xeon Gold 5315Y

The Xeon Gold 5315Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,477 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon Gold 6138T

The Xeon Gold 6138T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 20 cores and 40 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 27.5 MB. L2 cache: 20 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 20,356 points. Launch price was $2,742.

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Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 5315Y packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6138T offers 20 cores / 40 threads — the Xeon Gold 6138T has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5315Y versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6138T — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 6138T (base: 3.2 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Xeon Gold 5315Y uses the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6138T uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 5315Y scores 20,477 against the Xeon Gold 6138T's 20,356 — a 0.6% lead for the Xeon Gold 5315Y. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 5315Y vs 27.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 6138T.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	20 / 40+150%
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3.2 GHz+60%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	27.5 MB+129%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	20 MB+1900%
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Ice Lake-SP (2021)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	20,477	20,356
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,030
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	11,988

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 5315Y uses the LGA4189 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6138T uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5315Y	Xeon Gold 6138T
Socket	LGA4189	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	—	768 GB
RAM Channels	—	6
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	48