Xeon E5-2697A v4 vs Xeon Gold 6130T

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 E5-2697A v4

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +14.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+81.8% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 22 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,621 vs 21,804).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,891 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6130T mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌16% higher power demand at 145W vs 125W.

Xeon Gold 6130T

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 125W instead of 145W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2697A v4 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 40 MB).

Xeon E5-2697A v4

2016

Xeon Gold 6130T

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +14.3% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+81.8% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 22 MB).

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 125W instead of 145W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (21,621 vs 21,804).
❌Launch MSRP is still $2,891 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6130T mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌16% higher power demand at 145W vs 125W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2697A v4 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (22 MB vs 40 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 6130T better than Xeon E5-2697A v4?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon E5-2697A v4 is ahead with a 14.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6130T pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark. Xeon E5-2697A v4 also has the bigger cache pool with 81.8% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 22 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 6130T is the better fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 6130T is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon E5-2697A v4 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon Gold 6130T is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $2,891 MSRP, and it gives you 0.8% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon E5-2697A v4 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 14.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Xeon E5-2697A v4 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (7.5 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Xeon Gold 6130T is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 16/32. 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 E5-2697A v4 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6130T Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2697A v4	Xeon Gold 6130T
1080p
low	182 FPS	183 FPS
medium	158 FPS	147 FPS
high	126 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	152 FPS	144 FPS
medium	128 FPS	114 FPS
high	99 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	67 FPS
medium	62 FPS	56 FPS
high	48 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	35 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2697A v4 Open Xeon Gold 6130T

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2697A v4	Xeon Gold 6130T
1080p
low	364 FPS	212 FPS
medium	330 FPS	188 FPS
high	279 FPS	161 FPS
ultra	224 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	313 FPS	183 FPS
medium	284 FPS	166 FPS
high	242 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	188 FPS	119 FPS
4K
low	195 FPS	118 FPS
medium	178 FPS	108 FPS
high	153 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	81 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2697A v4 Open Xeon Gold 6130T

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon E5-2697A v4	Xeon Gold 6130T
1080p
low	541 FPS	545 FPS
medium	541 FPS	545 FPS
high	541 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	541 FPS	439 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	545 FPS
medium	541 FPS	453 FPS
high	541 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	532 FPS	355 FPS
4K
low	466 FPS	405 FPS
medium	379 FPS	315 FPS
high	345 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	289 FPS	225 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2697A v4 Open Xeon Gold 6130T

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon E5-2697A v4	Xeon Gold 6130T
1080p
low	541 FPS	545 FPS
medium	541 FPS	545 FPS
high	541 FPS	545 FPS
ultra	541 FPS	545 FPS
1440p
low	541 FPS	545 FPS
medium	541 FPS	545 FPS
high	541 FPS	545 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	468 FPS
4K
low	541 FPS	500 FPS
medium	515 FPS	449 FPS
high	455 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	381 FPS	345 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2697A v4 Open Xeon Gold 6130T

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Xeon Gold 6130T

Xeon E5-2697A v4

The Xeon E5-2697A v4 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 20 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 40 MB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 145 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 21,621 points. Launch price was $2,891.

Xeon Gold 6130T

The Xeon Gold 6130T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 22 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 21,804 points. Launch price was $1,988.

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Processing Power

Both the Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Xeon Gold 6130T share an identical 16-core/32-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Xeon E5-2697A v4 versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6130T — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 6130T (base: 2.6 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5-2697A v4 uses the Broadwell (2015−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6130T uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2697A v4 scores 21,621 against the Xeon Gold 6130T's 21,804 — a 0.8% lead for the Xeon Gold 6130T. L3 cache: 40 MB on the Xeon E5-2697A v4 vs 22 MB on the Xeon Gold 6130T.

Feature	Xeon E5-2697A v4	Xeon Gold 6130T
Cores / Threads	16 / 32	16 / 32
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+3%
Base Clock	2.6 GHz+24%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	40 MB+82%	22 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB	16 MB+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Broadwell (2015−2019)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,621	21,804

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-2697A v4 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Gold 6130T uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.