Pentium Gold 4417U vs Pentium Silver J5040

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.

Pentium Gold 4417U vs Pentium Silver J5040 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Pentium Gold 4417U vs Pentium Silver J5040: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Pentium Gold 4417U

2019

Why buy it

✅Draws 1W instead of 10W, a 9W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,240 vs 3,252).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (2 MB vs 4 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $161 MSRP, while Pentium Silver J5040 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌No integrated graphics, while Pentium Silver J5040 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Pentium Silver J5040

2019

Why buy it

✅+100% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 2 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (6 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 605, while Pentium Gold 4417U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌900% higher power demand at 10W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Silver J5040 better than Pentium Gold 4417U?

Yes. Pentium Silver J5040 is the better all-around CPU here. It gives you a 0.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.4% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which is enough to make it the stronger overall pick.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Pentium Silver J5040 is the better pick. According to our tests, it delivers 0.1% 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, Pentium Silver J5040 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 2 MB).

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

Pentium Silver J5040 is the easy recommendation for a fresh desktop build. Pentium Silver J5040 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $161 MSRP, and it still gives you a 0.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Pentium Gold 4417U only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop chip, not because it is a real desktop gaming recommendation. It simply does not keep up in modern games, especially when the gap is already 0.1% in the shared gaming data.

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

Pentium Silver J5040 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting 100% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 2 MB) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 2/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Pentium Gold 4417U vs Pentium Silver J5040 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Pentium Gold 4417U

The Pentium Gold 4417U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 February 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,240 points. Launch price was $161.

Pentium Silver J5040

The Pentium Silver J5040 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 November 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Gemini Lake Refresh (2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 4 MB (total). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1090. Thermal design power (TDP): 10 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,252 points. Launch price was $161.

⚡

Processing Power

The Pentium Gold 4417U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium Silver J5040 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Pentium Silver J5040 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.3 GHz on the Pentium Gold 4417U versus 3.2 GHz on the Pentium Silver J5040 — a 32.7% clock advantage for the Pentium Silver J5040 (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Pentium Gold 4417U uses the Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Pentium Silver J5040 uses Gemini Lake Refresh (2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium Gold 4417U scores 3,240 against the Pentium Silver J5040's 3,252 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium Silver J5040. L3 cache: 2 MB on the Pentium Gold 4417U vs 4 MB on the Pentium Silver J5040.

Feature	Pentium Gold 4417U	Pentium Silver J5040
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.3 GHz	3.2 GHz+39%
Base Clock	2.3 GHz+15%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	2 MB	4 MB+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB	4 MB (total)+300%
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Kaby Lake Refresh (2017−2019)	Gemini Lake Refresh (2019)
PassMark	3,240	3,252
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	1,640
Geekbench 6 Single	—	435
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,180

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium Gold 4417U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Silver J5040 uses FCBGA1090 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium Gold 4417U	Pentium Silver J5040
Socket	BGA1356	FCBGA1090
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2400 / LPDDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	6

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium Gold 4417U) / VT-x / VT-d / EPT (Pentium Silver J5040). The Pentium Silver J5040 includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 605), while the Pentium Gold 4417U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Pentium Silver J5040 targets Mini-PC.