Xeon E5-1681 V3 vs Xeon Silver 4116

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 E5-1681 V3

2014

Why buy it

✅+51.5% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 17 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Silver 4116 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,820 vs 14,918).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,589 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4116 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌58.8% higher power demand at 135W vs 85W.

Xeon Silver 4116

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 85W instead of 135W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 25 MB).

Xeon E5-1681 V3

2014

Xeon Silver 4116

2017

Why buy it

✅+51.5% larger total L3 cache (25 MB vs 17 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 85W instead of 135W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Xeon Silver 4116 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,820 vs 14,918).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,589 MSRP, while Xeon Silver 4116 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌58.8% higher power demand at 135W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 25 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Silver 4116 better than Xeon E5-1681 V3?

Yes. Xeon Silver 4116 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 9.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.7% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Xeon Silver 4116 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 9.0% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Silver 4116 is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads.

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

Xeon Silver 4116 is still the faster CPU overall, but Xeon E5-1681 V3 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Xeon Silver 4116 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $1,589 MSRP, and it gives you a 9.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Xeon E5-1681 V3 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (9.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Silver 4116 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2014) and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 10/20. 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 E5-1681 V3 Benchmark Check

Xeon Silver 4116 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	163 FPS	167 FPS
medium	141 FPS	133 FPS
high	115 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	136 FPS	139 FPS
medium	115 FPS	109 FPS
high	91 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	65 FPS
medium	57 FPS	55 FPS
high	44 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	34 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1681 V3 Open Xeon Silver 4116

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	330 FPS	141 FPS
medium	296 FPS	124 FPS
high	258 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	213 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	284 FPS	124 FPS
medium	260 FPS	112 FPS
high	227 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	185 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	90 FPS
medium	168 FPS	84 FPS
high	146 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	116 FPS	58 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1681 V3 Open Xeon Silver 4116

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	370 FPS	373 FPS
high	370 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	370 FPS	373 FPS
high	370 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	342 FPS	373 FPS
4K
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	319 FPS	367 FPS
high	290 FPS	325 FPS
ultra	240 FPS	266 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1681 V3 Open Xeon Silver 4116

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
1080p
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	370 FPS	373 FPS
high	370 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	370 FPS	373 FPS
high	370 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	373 FPS
4K
low	370 FPS	373 FPS
medium	370 FPS	373 FPS
high	370 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	331 FPS	334 FPS

Open Xeon E5-1681 V3 Open Xeon Silver 4116

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E5-1681 V3 and Xeon Silver 4116

Xeon E5-1681 V3

The Xeon E5-1681 V3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 25 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011-3. Thermal design power (TDP): 135 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 14,820 points. Launch price was $800.

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.

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Processing Power

The Xeon E5-1681 V3 packs 10 cores / 20 threads, while the Xeon Silver 4116 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Xeon Silver 4116 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Xeon E5-1681 V3 versus 3 GHz on the Xeon Silver 4116 — a 15.4% clock advantage for the Xeon E5-1681 V3 (base: 2.9 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon E5-1681 V3 uses the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Xeon Silver 4116 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon E5-1681 V3 scores 14,820 against the Xeon Silver 4116's 14,918 — a 0.7% lead for the Xeon Silver 4116. L3 cache: 25 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-1681 V3 vs 16.5 MB (total) on the Xeon Silver 4116.

Feature	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
Cores / Threads	10 / 20	12 / 24+20%
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz+17%	3 GHz
Base Clock	2.9 GHz+38%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	25 MB (total)+52%	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)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	14,820	14,918
Geekbench 6 Single	1,050	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	9,000	—

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Memory & Platform

The Xeon E5-1681 V3 uses the LGA2011-3 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon Silver 4116 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon E5-1681 V3	Xeon Silver 4116
Socket	LGA2011-3	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2133	—
Max RAM Capacity	768 GB	—
RAM Channels	4	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	40	—