Xeon E3-1515M v5 vs Pentium Gold 8500
Xeon E3-1515M v5
Pentium Gold 8500
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 E3-1515M v5 is positioned at rank 488 and the Pentium Gold 8500 is on rank 527, so the Xeon E3-1515M v5 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon E3-1515M v5
Performance Per Dollar Pentium Gold 8500
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon E3-1515M v5 | Pentium Gold 8500 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Skylake-H (2015−2016) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Legacy / Intel 7 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon E3-1515M v5 | Pentium Gold 8500 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
Performance Check
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 E3-1515M v5 and Pentium Gold 8500
Xeon E3-1515M v5
The Xeon E3-1515M v5 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 24 January 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Skylake-H (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 5,925 points. Launch price was $489.
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 E3-1515M v5 packs 4 cores / 8 threads, while the Pentium Gold 8500 offers 5 cores / 6 threads — the Pentium Gold 8500 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Xeon E3-1515M v5 versus 4.4 GHz on the Pentium Gold 8500 — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold 8500. The Xeon E3-1515M v5 is built on the Skylake-H (2015−2016) architecture. In PassMark, the Xeon E3-1515M v5 scores 5,925 against the Pentium Gold 8500's 5,949 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium Gold 8500. L3 cache: 8 MB (total) on the Xeon E3-1515M v5 vs 8 MB Intel® Smart Cache on the Pentium Gold 8500.
| Feature | Xeon E3-1515M v5 | Pentium Gold 8500 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 8 | 5 / 6+25% |
| Boost Clock | 3.7 GHz | 4.4 GHz+19% |
| Base Clock | 2.8 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 | Skylake-H (2015−2016) | — |
| PassMark | 5,925 | 5,949 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1,017 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon E3-1515M v5 uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Gold 8500 uses FCBGA1781 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon E3-1515M v5 | Pentium Gold 8500 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1440 | FCBGA1781 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0+33% |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2133 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 64 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Xeon E3-1515M v5) / not specified (Pentium Gold 8500). The Xeon E3-1515M v5 includes integrated graphics (Iris Pro Graphics P580), while the Pentium Gold 8500 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Xeon E3-1515M v5 targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Xeon E3-1515M v5 rivals Core i7-6700HQ.
| Feature | Xeon E3-1515M v5 | Pentium Gold 8500 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | — |
| IGPU Model | Iris Pro Graphics P580 | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d, EPT | — |
| Target Use | Productivity | — |
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