Xeon E5-2695 v3 vs Xeon Platinum 8256

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 E5-2695 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+112.1% larger total L3 cache (35 MB vs 17 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,528 vs 16,787).

Xeon Platinum 8256

2019

Why buy it

✅+1.6% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 105W instead of 120W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2695 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 35 MB).

Xeon E5-2695 v3

2014

Xeon Platinum 8256

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+112.1% larger total L3 cache (35 MB vs 17 MB).

Why buy it

✅+1.6% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 105W instead of 120W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,528 vs 16,787).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon E5-2695 v3 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 35 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Platinum 8256 better than Xeon E5-2695 v3?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon E5-2695 v3 is ahead with a 7.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Platinum 8256 pulls ahead with 1.6% better PassMark. Xeon E5-2695 v3 also has the bigger cache pool with 112.1% larger total L3 cache (35 MB vs 17 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Platinum 8256 is the better fit. You are getting 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

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

Xeon Platinum 8256 still looks like the safer overall buy. Xeon Platinum 8256 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.6% better PassMark.

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

Xeon Platinum 8256 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2014) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 14/28. 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 E5-2695 v3 Benchmark Check

Xeon Platinum 8256 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2695 v3	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	176 FPS	213 FPS
medium	154 FPS	167 FPS
high	121 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	180 FPS
medium	125 FPS	139 FPS
high	96 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	69 FPS	72 FPS
medium	62 FPS	59 FPS
high	47 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	36 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2695 v3 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon E5-2695 v3	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	368 FPS	242 FPS
medium	334 FPS	202 FPS
high	282 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	227 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	316 FPS	211 FPS
medium	287 FPS	179 FPS
high	245 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	127 FPS
4K
low	197 FPS	151 FPS
medium	180 FPS	132 FPS
high	155 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	122 FPS	83 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2695 v3 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon E5-2695 v3	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	413 FPS	420 FPS
high	413 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	413 FPS	420 FPS
1440p
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	413 FPS	420 FPS
high	413 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	413 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	358 FPS	355 FPS
high	323 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	269 FPS	246 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2695 v3 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon E5-2695 v3	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	413 FPS	420 FPS
high	413 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	413 FPS	420 FPS
1440p
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	413 FPS	420 FPS
high	413 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	413 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	413 FPS	420 FPS
medium	413 FPS	420 FPS
high	413 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	362 FPS	409 FPS

Open Xeon E5-2695 v3 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-2695 v3 and Xeon Platinum 8256

Xeon E5-2695 v3

The Xeon E5-2695 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 35 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 16,528 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon Platinum 8256

The Xeon Platinum 8256 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 December 2018 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake-SP (2018) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 16,787 points. Launch price was $7,007.

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Processing Power

The Xeon E5-2695 v3 packs 14 cores / 28 threads, while the Xeon Platinum 8256 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon E5-2695 v3 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Xeon E5-2695 v3 versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Platinum 8256 — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Xeon Platinum 8256 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Xeon E5-2695 v3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon Platinum 8256 uses Cascade Lake-SP (2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-2695 v3 scores 16,528 against the Xeon Platinum 8256's 16,787 — a 1.6% lead for the Xeon Platinum 8256. L3 cache: 35 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2695 v3 vs 16.5 MB (total) on the Xeon Platinum 8256.

Feature	Xeon E5-2695 v3	Xeon Platinum 8256
Cores / Threads	14 / 28+250%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz+18%
Base Clock	2.3 GHz	3.8 GHz+65%
L3 Cache	35 MB (total)+112%	16.5 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)	Cascade Lake-SP (2018)
PassMark	16,528	16,787+2%

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-2695 v3 uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Platinum 8256 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.