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.

Core i7-5930K

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.3% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+36.4% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 11 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4110, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $583 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4110 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌64.7% higher power demand at 140W vs 85W.

Xeon Silver 4110

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 40.
✅Draws 85W instead of 140W, a 55W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 40) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-5930K across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,314 vs 10,369).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (11 MB vs 15 MB).

Core i7-5930K

2014

Xeon Silver 4110

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.3% higher average FPS across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+36.4% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 11 MB).

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads, plus 48 PCIe lanes vs 40.
✅Draws 85W instead of 140W, a 55W reduction.
✅20% more PCIe lanes (48 vs 40) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4110, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads and 48 PCIe lanes.
❌Launch MSRP is still $583 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4110 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌64.7% higher power demand at 140W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-5930K across 2 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,314 vs 10,369).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (11 MB vs 15 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-5930K better than Xeon Silver 4110?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Silver 4110 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-5930K is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-5930K is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 20.3% more average FPS across 2 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-5930K is the better fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 36.4% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 11 MB).

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

Core i7-5930K is the smarter buy today. Core i7-5930K is at an unclear MSRP at $583 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 20.3% average FPS lead across 2 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (17.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Silver 4110 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2014) and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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.

Core i7-5930K Benchmark Check

Xeon Silver 4110 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
1080p
low	168 FPS	169 FPS
medium	144 FPS	134 FPS
high	116 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	141 FPS	138 FPS
medium	118 FPS	107 FPS
high	93 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	65 FPS
medium	57 FPS	54 FPS
high	45 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i7-5930K Open Xeon Silver 4110

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
1080p
low	237 FPS	124 FPS
medium	206 FPS	110 FPS
high	186 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	150 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	209 FPS	110 FPS
medium	181 FPS	100 FPS
high	164 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	75 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	91 FPS
medium	144 FPS	84 FPS
high	128 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	58 FPS

Open Core i7-5930K Open Xeon Silver 4110

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
1080p
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	258 FPS
1440p
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	258 FPS
4K
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	258 FPS

Open Core i7-5930K Open Xeon Silver 4110

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
1080p
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	258 FPS
1440p
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	258 FPS
4K
low	259 FPS	258 FPS
medium	259 FPS	258 FPS
high	259 FPS	258 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	258 FPS

Open Core i7-5930K Open Xeon Silver 4110

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-5930K and Xeon Silver 4110

Core i7-5930K

The Core i7-5930K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell-E (2014) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 10,369 points. Launch price was $613.

Xeon Silver 4110

The Xeon Silver 4110 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 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 11 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 10,314 points. Launch price was $501.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-5930K packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Silver 4110 offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Xeon Silver 4110 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Core i7-5930K versus 3 GHz on the Xeon Silver 4110 — a 20.9% clock advantage for the Core i7-5930K (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i7-5930K uses the Haswell-E (2014) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon Silver 4110 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-5930K scores 10,369 against the Xeon Silver 4110's 10,314 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i7-5930K. L3 cache: 15 MB (total) on the Core i7-5930K vs 11 MB on the Xeon Silver 4110.

Feature	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	8 / 16+33%
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz+23%	3 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+67%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	15 MB (total)+36%	11 MB
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	8 MB+3100%
Process	22 nm	14 nm-36%
Architecture	Haswell-E (2014)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	10,369	10,314
Geekbench 6 Single	1,000	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	6,000	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-5930K uses the LGA2011 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Silver 4110 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2133 on the Core i7-5930K versus 2400 on the Xeon Silver 4110 — the Xeon Silver 4110 supports 199.3% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Xeon Silver 4110 supports up to 1024 of RAM compared to 64 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 4 (Core i7-5930K) vs 6 (Xeon Silver 4110). PCIe lanes: 40 (Core i7-5930K) vs 48 (Xeon Silver 4110) — the Xeon Silver 4110 offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X99 (Core i7-5930K) and C621 (Xeon Silver 4110).

Feature	Core i7-5930K	Xeon Silver 4110
Socket	LGA2011	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2133	2400+59900%
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB+6553500%	1024
RAM Channels	4	6+50%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	40	48+20%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-5930K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Xeon Silver 4110 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Both support VT-x, VT-d virtualization. Primary use case: Core i7-5930K targets High End Desktop. Direct competitor: Core i7-5930K rivals Ryzen 5 1600.