Xeon Gold 5317 vs Xeon Gold 6252

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.

Xeon Gold 5317

2021

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,088 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6252 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Xeon Gold 6252

2019

Why buy it

✅+98.6% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 18 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (27,148 vs 27,448).

Xeon Gold 5317

2021

Xeon Gold 6252

2019

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅+98.6% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 18 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (18 MB vs 36 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,088 MSRP, while Xeon Gold 6252 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (27,148 vs 27,448).

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon Gold 5317 better than Xeon Gold 6252?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Xeon Gold 6252 is ahead with a 1.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5317 pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark. Xeon Gold 6252 also has the bigger cache pool with 98.6% larger total L3 cache (36 MB vs 18 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon Gold 5317 is the better fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads.

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

Xeon Gold 5317 is the smarter buy today. Xeon Gold 5317 is at an unclear MSRP at $1,088 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 1.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Xeon Gold 6252 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 1.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (25.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Xeon Gold 5317 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 24/48. 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.

Xeon Gold 5317 Benchmark Check

Xeon Gold 6252 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5317	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	174 FPS	195 FPS
medium	139 FPS	158 FPS
high	115 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	145 FPS	157 FPS
medium	113 FPS	123 FPS
high	92 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	72 FPS
medium	56 FPS	60 FPS
high	44 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	38 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5317 Open Xeon Gold 6252

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Xeon Gold 5317	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	374 FPS	233 FPS
medium	324 FPS	207 FPS
high	269 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	219 FPS	145 FPS
1440p
low	321 FPS	200 FPS
medium	288 FPS	180 FPS
high	243 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	123 FPS
4K
low	205 FPS	125 FPS
medium	186 FPS	114 FPS
high	158 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	127 FPS	86 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5317 Open Xeon Gold 6252

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Xeon Gold 5317	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	686 FPS	679 FPS
medium	686 FPS	679 FPS
high	686 FPS	679 FPS
ultra	686 FPS	657 FPS
1440p
low	686 FPS	679 FPS
medium	641 FPS	614 FPS
high	607 FPS	580 FPS
ultra	536 FPS	515 FPS
4K
low	481 FPS	459 FPS
medium	376 FPS	363 FPS
high	335 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	263 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5317 Open Xeon Gold 6252

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Xeon Gold 5317	Xeon Gold 6252
1080p
low	686 FPS	679 FPS
medium	686 FPS	679 FPS
high	671 FPS	679 FPS
ultra	580 FPS	609 FPS
1440p
low	686 FPS	679 FPS
medium	601 FPS	625 FPS
high	519 FPS	536 FPS
ultra	446 FPS	458 FPS
4K
low	472 FPS	514 FPS
medium	423 FPS	459 FPS
high	379 FPS	402 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	348 FPS

Open Xeon Gold 5317 Open Xeon Gold 6252

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Gold 5317 and Xeon Gold 6252

Xeon Gold 5317

The Xeon Gold 5317 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: LGA4189. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 27,448 points. Launch price was $800.

Xeon Gold 6252

The Xeon Gold 6252 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 35.75 MB. L2 cache: 24 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 150 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 27,148 points. Launch price was $3,655.

⚡

Processing Power

The Xeon Gold 5317 packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Xeon Gold 6252 offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Xeon Gold 6252 has 12 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5317 versus 3.7 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6252 — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Xeon Gold 6252 (base: 3 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Xeon Gold 5317 uses the Ice Lake-SP (2021) architecture (10 nm), while the Xeon Gold 6252 uses Cascade Lake (2019−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Gold 5317 scores 27,448 against the Xeon Gold 6252's 27,148 — a 1.1% lead for the Xeon Gold 5317. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Xeon Gold 5317 vs 35.75 MB on the Xeon Gold 6252.

Feature	Xeon Gold 5317	Xeon Gold 6252
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	24 / 48+100%
Boost Clock	3.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3 GHz+43%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)	35.75 MB+99%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	24 MB+2300%
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Ice Lake-SP (2021)	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)
PassMark	27,448+1%	27,148

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Xeon Gold 5317 uses the LGA4189 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Xeon Gold 6252 uses LGA3647 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.