Xeon E-2104G
VS
Pentium Gold 8500

Xeon E-2104G vs Pentium Gold 8500

Intel

Xeon E-2104G

4 Cores4 Thrd65 WWMax: 3.2 GHz2018
VS
Intel

Pentium Gold 8500

5 Cores6 Thrd29 WWMax: 4.4 GHz2022

Performance Spectrum - CPU

About PassMark

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Xeon E-2104G is positioned at rank 476 and the Pentium Gold 8500 is on rank 527, so the Xeon E-2104G offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Xeon E-2104G

#1
Xeon Platinum 8454H
MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A
6848%
#6
Xeon Gold 6240R
MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A
1293%
#10
Xeon 6337P
MSRP: $60|Avg: $5
1149%
#15
EPYC 9174F
MSRP: $194|Avg: $30
887%
#301
EPYC 8324P
MSRP: $1895|Avg: $3598
99%
#302
Xeon Gold 6414U
MSRP: $2296|Avg: $283
99%
#303
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX
MSRP: $2495|Avg: $2495
99%
#304
EPYC 7352
MSRP: $1350|Avg: $725
99%
#305
Xeon w7-2475X
MSRP: $1789|Avg: $2544
98%
#307
Xeon W-3323
MSRP: $949|Avg: $500
97%
#476
Xeon E-2104G
MSRP: $193|Avg: $109
100%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium Gold 8500

#167
Core Ultra 7 258V
MSRP: $450|Avg: $400
99%
#169
Core i7-1280P
MSRP: $482|Avg: $482
98%
#515
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
691%
#516
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
680%
#517
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
625%
#518
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
622%
#519
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
616%
#521
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
595%
#522
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
570%
#523
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
570%
#524
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
554%
#527
Pentium Gold 8500
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Use Case Distinction: This is a comparison between a Professional Workstation processor ($109) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon E-2104G is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.
InsightXeon E-2104GPentium Gold 8500
Gaming
Lower gaming performance
Superior gaming performance
Workstation
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Better multi-core power
Price
⚠️ Higher cost ($109)
More affordable ($0)
Longevity
✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) / 14 nm)
✨ Modern (Legacy / Intel 7 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Pentium Gold 8500 ($0), however, is optimized for mixed workloads and gaming. For most users, it offers superior single-thread performance and responsiveness at a fraction of the cost ($109 less, 100% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.
InsightXeon E-2104GPentium Gold 8500
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
⚠️ Higher cost ($109)
More affordable ($0)

Performance Check

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon E-2104G and Pentium Gold 8500

Intel

Xeon E-2104G

The Xeon E-2104G is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 12 July 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 5,858 points. Launch price was $193.

Intel

Pentium Gold 8500

The Pentium Gold 8500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It features 5 cores and 6 threads. Max frequency: 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache. Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1781. Thermal design power (TDP): 29 Watt. Memory support: LPDDR5-5200, LPDDR4x-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 5,949 points. Launch price was $69.

Processing Power

The Xeon E-2104G packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium Gold 8500 offers 5 cores / 6 threads — the Pentium Gold 8500 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Xeon E-2104G versus 4.4 GHz on the Pentium Gold 8500 — a 31.6% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold 8500. The Xeon E-2104G is built on the Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon E-2104G scores 5,858 against the Pentium Gold 8500's 5,949 — a 1.5% lead for the Pentium Gold 8500. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E-2104G vs 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache on the Pentium Gold 8500.

FeatureXeon E-2104GPentium Gold 8500
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
5 / 6+25%
Boost Clock
3.2 GHz
4.4 GHz+38%
Base Clock
3.2 GHz
L3 Cache
8 MB (total)
8 MB Intel® Smart Cache
L2 Cache
256 kB (per core)
Process
14 nm
Intel 7 nm-50%
Architecture
Coffee Lake-S WS (2018−2019)
PassMark
5,858
5,949+2%
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon E-2104G uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Gold 8500 uses FCBGA1781 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

FeatureXeon E-2104GPentium Gold 8500
Socket
LGA1151
FCBGA1781
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 4.0+33%