Core i7-11700 vs Xeon Gold 5315Y

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 i7-11700

2021

Why buy it

✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 750, while Xeon Gold 5315Y needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock), unlike Xeon Gold 5315Y.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $323 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 5315Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 5315Y

2021

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,477 vs 20,625).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-11700 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i7-11700.

Core i7-11700

2021

Xeon Gold 5315Y

2021

Why buy it

✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 65W instead of 140W, a 75W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 750, while Xeon Gold 5315Y needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Stock), unlike Xeon Gold 5315Y.

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $323 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 5315Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (20,477 vs 20,625).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌115.4% higher power demand at 140W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-11700 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i7-11700.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-11700 better than Xeon Gold 5315Y?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon Gold 5315Y makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-11700 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 i7-11700 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 0.3% more average FPS across 3 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-11700 is the better fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i7-11700 is the smarter buy today. Core i7-11700 is at an unclear MSRP at $323 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 0.3% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (63.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 i7-11700 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16, 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 i7-11700 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 5315Y Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
1080p
low	251 FPS	174 FPS
medium	236 FPS	138 FPS
high	198 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	171 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	145 FPS
medium	186 FPS	113 FPS
high	151 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	133 FPS	72 FPS
4K
low	152 FPS	67 FPS
medium	130 FPS	56 FPS
high	100 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	35 FPS

Open Core i7-11700 Open Xeon Gold 5315Y

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
1080p
low	401 FPS	245 FPS
medium	339 FPS	212 FPS
high	304 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	274 FPS	152 FPS
1440p
low	340 FPS	217 FPS
medium	295 FPS	193 FPS
high	265 FPS	176 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	140 FPS
4K
low	236 FPS	176 FPS
medium	208 FPS	161 FPS
high	198 FPS	138 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	108 FPS

Open Core i7-11700 Open Xeon Gold 5315Y

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
1080p
low	516 FPS	512 FPS
medium	516 FPS	512 FPS
high	453 FPS	512 FPS
ultra	390 FPS	512 FPS
1440p
low	516 FPS	512 FPS
medium	485 FPS	512 FPS
high	414 FPS	512 FPS
ultra	359 FPS	512 FPS
4K
low	421 FPS	481 FPS
medium	363 FPS	378 FPS
high	320 FPS	334 FPS
ultra	270 FPS	272 FPS

Open Core i7-11700 Open Xeon Gold 5315Y

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
1080p
low	516 FPS	512 FPS
medium	516 FPS	512 FPS
high	516 FPS	512 FPS
ultra	516 FPS	512 FPS
1440p
low	516 FPS	512 FPS
medium	516 FPS	512 FPS
high	516 FPS	512 FPS
ultra	516 FPS	453 FPS
4K
low	516 FPS	478 FPS
medium	516 FPS	428 FPS
high	465 FPS	384 FPS
ultra	403 FPS	334 FPS

Open Core i7-11700 Open Xeon Gold 5315Y

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-11700 and Xeon Gold 5315Y

Core i7-11700

The Core i7-11700 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,625 points. Launch price was $299.

Xeon Gold 5315Y

The Xeon Gold 5315Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 20,477 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i7-11700 and Xeon Gold 5315Y share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-11700 versus 3.6 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5315Y — a 30.6% clock advantage for the Core i7-11700 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i7-11700 uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Xeon Gold 5315Y uses Ice Lake-SP (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-11700 scores 20,625 against the Xeon Gold 5315Y's 20,477 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i7-11700. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i7-11700 vs 12 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 5315Y.

Feature	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+36%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.2 GHz+28%
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+33%	12 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Rocket Lake (2021)	Ice Lake-SP (2021)
PassMark	20,625	20,477

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-11700 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 5315Y uses LGA4189 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-11700	Xeon Gold 5315Y
Socket	LGA1200	LGA4189
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-11700) / not specified (Xeon Gold 5315Y). The Core i7-11700 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 750), while the Xeon Gold 5315Y requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-11700 targets Gaming. Direct competitor: Core i7-11700 rivals Ryzen 7 5800X.