Core i5-1250P vs Xeon E5-2698 v3

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 i5-1250P

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 28W instead of 135W, a 107W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU), while Xeon E5-2698 v3 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 40 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2698 v3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.

Xeon E5-2698 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅+233.3% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (18,870 vs 19,167).
❌382.1% higher power demand at 135W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core i5-1250P moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1250P can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-1250P

2022

Xeon E5-2698 v3

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 28W instead of 135W, a 107W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU), while Xeon E5-2698 v3 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+233.3% larger total L3 cache (40 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 40 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon E5-2698 v3, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (18,870 vs 19,167).
❌382.1% higher power demand at 135W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA2011 with DDR4, while Core i5-1250P moves to FCBGA1744 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1250P can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i5-1250P better than Xeon E5-2698 v3?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon E5-2698 v3 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i5-1250P 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 i5-1250P is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 2.6% 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 i5-1250P is the better fit. You are getting 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i5-1250P still looks like the safer overall buy. Core i5-1250P is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 2.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Core i5-1250P is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2014), a healthier platform with FCBGA1744 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 16 threads instead of 16/32, and AVX-512 support for heavier modern compute workloads. 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 i5-1250P Benchmark Check

Xeon E5-2698 v3 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
1080p
low	169 FPS	181 FPS
medium	151 FPS	158 FPS
high	123 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	142 FPS	152 FPS
medium	122 FPS	128 FPS
high	98 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	81 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	69 FPS
medium	74 FPS	62 FPS
high	59 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i5-1250P Open Xeon E5-2698 v3

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
1080p
low	195 FPS	368 FPS
medium	166 FPS	334 FPS
high	153 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	227 FPS
1440p
low	172 FPS	316 FPS
medium	150 FPS	287 FPS
high	141 FPS	245 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	190 FPS
4K
low	139 FPS	197 FPS
medium	125 FPS	180 FPS
high	119 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	122 FPS

Open Core i5-1250P Open Xeon E5-2698 v3

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
1080p
low	479 FPS	472 FPS
medium	479 FPS	472 FPS
high	461 FPS	472 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	479 FPS	472 FPS
medium	465 FPS	472 FPS
high	415 FPS	472 FPS
ultra	367 FPS	472 FPS
4K
low	435 FPS	444 FPS
medium	356 FPS	361 FPS
high	315 FPS	328 FPS
ultra	257 FPS	273 FPS

Open Core i5-1250P Open Xeon E5-2698 v3

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
1080p
low	479 FPS	472 FPS
medium	479 FPS	472 FPS
high	479 FPS	472 FPS
ultra	479 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	479 FPS	472 FPS
medium	479 FPS	472 FPS
high	479 FPS	472 FPS
ultra	448 FPS	472 FPS
4K
low	470 FPS	472 FPS
medium	427 FPS	472 FPS
high	375 FPS	438 FPS
ultra	328 FPS	374 FPS

Open Core i5-1250P Open Xeon E5-2698 v3

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-1250P and Xeon E5-2698 v3

Core i5-1250P

The Core i5-1250P is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-P (2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 19,167 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon E5-2698 v3

The Xeon E5-2698 v3 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Haswell-EP (2014−2015) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 40 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 135 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 18,870 points. Launch price was $800.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-1250P packs 12 cores / 16 threads, while the Xeon E5-2698 v3 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Xeon E5-2698 v3 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-1250P versus 3.6 GHz on the Xeon E5-2698 v3 — a 20% clock advantage for the Core i5-1250P (base: 1.7 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Core i5-1250P uses the Alder Lake-P (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Xeon E5-2698 v3 uses Haswell-EP (2014−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-1250P scores 19,167 against the Xeon E5-2698 v3's 18,870 — a 1.6% lead for the Core i5-1250P. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-1250P vs 40 MB (total) on the Xeon E5-2698 v3.

Feature	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
Cores / Threads	12 / 16	16 / 32+33%
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz+22%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	1.7 GHz	2.3 GHz+35%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	40 MB (total)+233%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+400%	256K (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm-68%	22 nm
Architecture	Alder Lake-P (2022)	Haswell-EP (2014−2015)
PassMark	19,167+2%	18,870
Cinebench R23 Multi	9,250	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,785	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,420	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-1250P uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon E5-2698 v3 uses LGA2011 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-1250P	Xeon E5-2698 v3
Socket	FCBGA1744	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-4800	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-1250P) / not specified (Xeon E5-2698 v3). The Core i5-1250P includes integrated graphics (Iris Xe Graphics (80 EU)), while the Xeon E5-2698 v3 requires a dedicated GPU.