Xeon Gold 5117 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 Gold 5117

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Platinum 8256 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,286 MSRP, while Xeon Platinum 8256 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Platinum 8256

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,787 vs 16,897).
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Xeon Gold 5117

2017

Xeon Platinum 8256

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅AVX-512 support for select workstation, AI, and scientific workloads.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.9% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Platinum 8256 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,286 MSRP, while Xeon Platinum 8256 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,787 vs 16,897).
❌No AVX-512 support for niche heavy compute workloads where it can matter.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 5117 better than Xeon Platinum 8256?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Platinum 8256 is ahead with a 3.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5117 pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5117 is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 14 cores and 28 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 5117 is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 5117 is at an unclear MSRP at $1,286 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.7% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Platinum 8256 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 3.9% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (13.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Platinum 8256 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 5117 Benchmark Check

Xeon Platinum 8256 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	175 FPS	213 FPS
medium	140 FPS	167 FPS
high	112 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	139 FPS	180 FPS
medium	109 FPS	139 FPS
high	86 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	77 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	72 FPS
medium	55 FPS	59 FPS
high	43 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	36 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5117 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	189 FPS	242 FPS
medium	168 FPS	202 FPS
high	145 FPS	181 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	140 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	211 FPS
medium	149 FPS	179 FPS
high	129 FPS	159 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	127 FPS
4K
low	106 FPS	151 FPS
medium	97 FPS	132 FPS
high	85 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	83 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5117 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	422 FPS	420 FPS
medium	422 FPS	420 FPS
high	422 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	420 FPS
1440p
low	422 FPS	420 FPS
medium	422 FPS	420 FPS
high	386 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	335 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	401 FPS	420 FPS
medium	310 FPS	355 FPS
high	264 FPS	305 FPS
ultra	213 FPS	246 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5117 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
1080p
low	422 FPS	420 FPS
medium	422 FPS	420 FPS
high	422 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	422 FPS	420 FPS
1440p
low	422 FPS	420 FPS
medium	422 FPS	420 FPS
high	422 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	415 FPS	420 FPS
4K
low	422 FPS	420 FPS
medium	401 FPS	420 FPS
high	357 FPS	420 FPS
ultra	306 FPS	409 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5117 Open Xeon Platinum 8256

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 5117 and Xeon Platinum 8256

Xeon Gold 5117

The Xeon Gold 5117 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 14 cores and 28 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB. L2 cache: 14 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 16,897 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 Gold 5117 packs 14 cores / 28 threads, while the Xeon Platinum 8256 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Xeon Gold 5117 has 10 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5117 versus 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Platinum 8256 — a 32.8% clock advantage for the Xeon Platinum 8256 (base: 2 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Xeon Gold 5117 uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Platinum 8256 uses Cascade Lake-SP (2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 5117 scores 16,897 against the Xeon Platinum 8256's 16,787 — a 0.7% lead for the Xeon Gold 5117. L3 cache: 19.25 MB on the Xeon Gold 5117 vs 16.5 MB (total) on the Xeon Platinum 8256.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
Cores / Threads	14 / 28+250%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz	3.9 GHz+39%
Base Clock	2 GHz	3.8 GHz+90%
L3 Cache	19.25 MB+17%	16.5 MB (total)
L2 Cache	14 MB+1300%	1 MB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Cascade Lake-SP (2018)
PassMark	16,897	16,787

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA3647 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5117	Xeon Platinum 8256
Socket	LGA3647	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	2400	—
Max RAM Capacity	768	—
RAM Channels	6	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	48	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Gold 5117) / not specified (Xeon Platinum 8256). Direct competitor: Xeon Gold 5117 rivals Xeon Silver 4114.