Xeon Gold 5122 vs Core i5-1038NG7

CPU

GPU

Xeon Gold 5122

4 Cores8 Thrd105 WWMax: 3.7 GHz2017

Core i5-1038NG7

4 Cores8 Thrd28 WWMax: 3.8 GHz2020

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Xeon Gold 5122

4 / 8

8,867

+0.5%

8,823

0.0%

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 Gold 5122 is positioned at rank 489 and the Core i5-1038NG7 is on rank 740, so the Xeon Gold 5122 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 Gold 5122

Xeon Platinum 8454H

MSRP: $6540|Avg: N/A

7031%

Xeon Gold 6240R

MSRP: $2444|Avg: N/A

1327%

#10

Xeon 6337P

MSRP: $60|Avg: $5

1179%

#15

EPYC 9174F

MSRP: $194|Avg: $30

911%

#307

Xeon W-3323

MSRP: $949|Avg: $500

99%

#308

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX

MSRP: $1149|Avg: $100

99%

#309

Xeon W-2255

MSRP: $778|Avg: $350

98%

#310

Xeon Silver 4316

MSRP: $1126|Avg: $1200

98%

#311

Xeon w7-3545

MSRP: $2039|Avg: $2039

97%

#489

Xeon Gold 5122

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#492

Xeon W-2223

MSRP: $294|Avg: $330

99%

#496

Xeon E3-1280 v3

MSRP: $250|Avg: $44

98%

#497

Xeon W-2123

MSRP: $294|Avg: $342

98%

#500

Xeon E3-1230 v2

MSRP: $215|Avg: $268

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-1038NG7

#727

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1064%

#728

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1049%

#729

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

963%

#730

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

958%

#731

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

950%

#733

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

917%

#734

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

879%

#735

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

878%

#736

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

854%

#740

Core i5-1038NG7

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#743

Pentium 6805

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

100%

#747

Ryzen 3 7320C

MSRP: $299|Avg: $200

99%

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 ($0) and a Consumer Desktop CPU. The Xeon Gold 5122 is engineered for massive parallel workloads (rendering, scientific simulations), offering significantly higher core counts.

Insight	Xeon Gold 5122	Core i5-1038NG7
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	✨ Modern (Skylake (server) (2017−2018) / 14 nm)	✨ Modern (Ice Lake-U (2019−2020) / 10 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

The Core i5-1038NG7 ($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 ($0 less, NaN% cheaper), making it the better choice for daily use and gaming.

Insight	Xeon Gold 5122	Core i5-1038NG7
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

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.

Xeon Gold 5122 Benchmark Check

Core i5-1038NG7 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 5122 and Core i5-1038NG7

Xeon Gold 5122

The Xeon Gold 5122 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 25 April 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 8,867 points. Launch price was $1,221.

Core i5-1038NG7

The Core i5-1038NG7 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 May 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Ice Lake-U (2019−2020) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1344. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200, LPDDR4-3733. Passmark benchmark score: 8,823 points. Launch price was $320.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Xeon Gold 5122 and Core i5-1038NG7 share an identical 4-core/8-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5122 versus 3.8 GHz on the Core i5-1038NG7 — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-1038NG7 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Xeon Gold 5122 uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-1038NG7 uses Ice Lake-U (2019−2020) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 5122 scores 8,867 against the Core i5-1038NG7's 8,823 — a 0.5% lead for the Xeon Gold 5122. L3 cache: 16.5 MB on the Xeon Gold 5122 vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-1038NG7.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5122	Core i5-1038NG7
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz	3.8 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	16.5 MB+175%	6 MB (total)
L2 Cache	4 MB+1500%	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Ice Lake-U (2019−2020)
PassMark	8,867	8,823
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,250

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 5122 uses the LGA3647 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-1038NG7 uses FCBGA1344 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5122	Core i5-1038NG7
Socket	LGA3647	FCBGA1344
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	LPDDR4-3733
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Xeon Gold 5122) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-1038NG7). The Core i5-1038NG7 includes integrated graphics (Iris Plus Graphics G7), while the Xeon Gold 5122 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-1038NG7 targets Premium Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-1038NG7 rivals Ryzen 7 4800U.