Core i5-11400H vs Xeon Gold 5115

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 i5-11400H

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 85W, a 50W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 11th Gen 16EU, while Xeon Gold 5115 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5115, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Xeon Gold 5115

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-11400H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,017 vs 15,262).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 85W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-11400H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-11400H

2021

Xeon Gold 5115

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 85W, a 50W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 11th Gen 16EU, while Xeon Gold 5115 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon Gold 5115, which brings 10 cores / 20 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-11400H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (15,017 vs 15,262).
❌142.9% higher power demand at 85W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-11400H can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-11400H better than Xeon Gold 5115?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5115 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-11400H 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 i5-11400H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 5.9% 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, Core i5-11400H is the better fit. You are getting 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Core i5-11400H still looks like the safer overall buy. Core i5-11400H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 5.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Core i5-11400H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2017), more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 10/20, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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.

Core i5-11400H Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5115 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
1080p
low	187 FPS	169 FPS
medium	154 FPS	134 FPS
high	127 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	151 FPS	138 FPS
medium	120 FPS	107 FPS
high	98 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	85 FPS	65 FPS
medium	73 FPS	54 FPS
high	58 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	34 FPS

Open Core i5-11400H Open Xeon Gold 5115

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
1080p
low	382 FPS	217 FPS
medium	310 FPS	190 FPS
high	275 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	237 FPS	138 FPS
1440p
low	341 FPS	194 FPS
medium	279 FPS	172 FPS
high	254 FPS	157 FPS
ultra	218 FPS	126 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	159 FPS
medium	236 FPS	144 FPS
high	216 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	95 FPS

Open Core i5-11400H Open Xeon Gold 5115

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
1080p
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	382 FPS	375 FPS
high	382 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	375 FPS
1440p
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	382 FPS	375 FPS
high	382 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	375 FPS
4K
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	378 FPS	365 FPS
high	325 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	256 FPS	262 FPS

Open Core i5-11400H Open Xeon Gold 5115

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
1080p
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	382 FPS	375 FPS
high	382 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	375 FPS
1440p
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	382 FPS	375 FPS
high	382 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	375 FPS
4K
low	382 FPS	375 FPS
medium	382 FPS	375 FPS
high	382 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	337 FPS

Open Core i5-11400H Open Xeon Gold 5115

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-11400H and Xeon Gold 5115

Core i5-11400H

The Core i5-11400H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 May 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Tiger Lake-H (2021) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm SuperFin process technology. Socket: FCBGA1787. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 15,262 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon Gold 5115

The Xeon Gold 5115 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 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 13.75 MB. L2 cache: 10 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 15,017 points. Launch price was $1,221.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-11400H packs 6 cores / 12 threads, while the Xeon Gold 5115 offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Xeon Gold 5115 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i5-11400H versus 3.2 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5115 — a 33.8% clock advantage for the Core i5-11400H (base: 2.7 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-11400H uses the Tiger Lake-H (2021) architecture (10 nm SuperFin), while the Xeon Gold 5115 uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-11400H scores 15,262 against the Xeon Gold 5115's 15,017 — a 1.6% lead for the Core i5-11400H. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-11400H vs 13.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 5115.

Feature	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	10 / 20+67%
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+41%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	2.7 GHz+13%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	13.75 MB+15%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)	10 MB+700%
Process	10 nm SuperFin-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Tiger Lake-H (2021)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	15,262+2%	15,017
Cinebench R23 Multi	8,150	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,900	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	6,500	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-11400H uses the FCBGA1787 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5115 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-11400H	Xeon Gold 5115
Socket	FCBGA1787	LGA3647
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-11400H) / not specified (Xeon Gold 5115). The Core i5-11400H includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 11th Gen 16EU), while the Xeon Gold 5115 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-11400H targets Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-11400H rivals Ryzen 5 5600H.