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 i5-12500TE

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 35W instead of 85W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD 770, while Xeon Silver 4116 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Silver 4116 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4116, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $225 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4116 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Silver 4116

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,918 vs 15,008).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 85W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500TE moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-12500TE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-12500TE

2022

Xeon Silver 4116

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 35W instead of 85W, a 50W reduction.
✅Newer platform on LGA1700 with DDR5 support instead of LGA3647 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD 770, while Xeon Silver 4116 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 12 cores / 24 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Silver 4116 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Silver 4116, which brings 12 cores / 24 threads.
❌Launch MSRP is still $225 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4116 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,918 vs 15,008).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 85W vs 35W.
❌Older platform position on LGA3647 with DDR4, while Core i5-12500TE moves to LGA1700 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-12500TE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-12500TE better than Xeon Silver 4116?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Silver 4116 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-12500TE is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-12500TE is the better fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core i5-12500TE is the smarter buy today. Core i5-12500TE is at an unclear MSRP at $225 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.6% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Silver 4116 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 5.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (66.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Core i5-12500TE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2017), a healthier platform with LGA1700 and DDR5 instead of LGA3647, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 12/24. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 i5-12500TE Benchmark Check

Xeon Silver 4116 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	177 FPS	167 FPS
medium	154 FPS	133 FPS
high	127 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	148 FPS	139 FPS
medium	124 FPS	109 FPS
high	100 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	78 FPS	65 FPS
medium	70 FPS	55 FPS
high	56 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i5-12500TE Open Xeon Silver 4116

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	229 FPS	141 FPS
medium	201 FPS	124 FPS
high	172 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	203 FPS	124 FPS
medium	181 FPS	112 FPS
high	159 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	143 FPS	90 FPS
medium	129 FPS	84 FPS
high	119 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	58 FPS

Open Core i5-12500TE Open Xeon Silver 4116

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	375 FPS	373 FPS
high	375 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	375 FPS	373 FPS
high	375 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	373 FPS
4K
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	353 FPS	367 FPS
high	304 FPS	325 FPS
ultra	247 FPS	266 FPS

Open Core i5-12500TE Open Xeon Silver 4116

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	375 FPS	373 FPS
high	375 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	375 FPS	373 FPS
high	375 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	375 FPS	373 FPS
4K
low	375 FPS	373 FPS
medium	375 FPS	373 FPS
high	375 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	340 FPS	334 FPS

Open Core i5-12500TE Open Xeon Silver 4116

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-12500TE and Xeon Silver 4116

Core i5-12500TE

The Core i5-12500TE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 15,008 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon Silver 4116

The Xeon Silver 4116 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 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3 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): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 14,918 points. Launch price was $1,002.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-12500TE packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Silver 4116 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon Silver 4116 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the Core i5-12500TE versus 3 GHz on the Xeon Silver 4116 — a 35.6% clock advantage for the Core i5-12500TE (base: 1.9 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Core i5-12500TE uses the Alder Lake-S (2022) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon Silver 4116 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-12500TE scores 15,008 against the Xeon Silver 4116's 14,918 — a 0.6% lead for the Core i5-12500TE. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core i5-12500TE vs 16.5 MB (total) on the Xeon Silver 4116.

Feature	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	12 / 24+100%
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+43%	3 GHz
Base Clock	1.9 GHz	2.1 GHz+11%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+9%	16.5 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-S (2022)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	15,008	14,918
Cinebench R23 Multi	659	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,962	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,898	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-12500TE uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Xeon Silver 4116 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-12500TE	Xeon Silver 4116
Socket	LGA1700	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-12500TE) / not specified (Xeon Silver 4116). The Core i5-12500TE includes integrated graphics (UHD 770), while the Xeon Silver 4116 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-12500TE targets Budget. Direct competitor: Core i5-12500TE rivals Core i5-12400T.