Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y vs Intel Xeon W-2155 Comparison

The Intel Xeon W-2155 and the Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y are both server-class workstation processors, but they represent two distinct generations of Intel’s Xeon lineup. The W-2155, launched in late August 2017, belongs to the Skylake-W family, while the Gold 5315Y, released in early April 2021, is part of the Ice Lake-SP generation. The benchmark data in the database shows a clear, though narrow, pattern of results across all recorded Cinebench tests, with the older W-2155 taking the lead in every single run. This makes the comparison less about outright performance dominance and more about understanding the specific architectural trade-offs and system-level capabilities each chip brings to a workstation build. The W-2155 is an end-of-life product, while the Gold 5315Y remains active, which is a relevant factor for long-term platform planning, but the raw scores tell a story of a very tight race.

Where Each One Wins

Looking strictly at the recorded head-to-head benchmark results, the Intel Xeon W-2155 wins every single test. In the Cinebench R15 multicore test, the W-2155 scores 1767 against 1716 for the Gold 5315Y, a 3% advantage. The single-core R15 result is 249 versus 242, which is a 2.9% edge for the W-2155. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R20, where the W-2155 posts 7365 multicore and 1039 single-core, compared to 7151 and 1009 for the Gold 5315Y, again a 3% difference in both cases. The Cinebench R23 results continue the trend: the W-2155 reaches 17538 multicore and 2475 single-core, while the Gold 5315Y manages 17027 and 2403, with a 3% delta in each. The W-2155 holds a total of six wins in the head-to-head comparison, and the Gold 5315Y holds zero. There is no test in the database where the newer processor pulls ahead.

The Gold 5315Y is not without its strengths, but those strengths do not show up in the Cinebench suite. Its advantages are architectural and platform-based rather than benchmark-based. The Gold 5315Y supports eight-channel memory with a peak memory bandwidth of 187.7 GB/s, more than double the 85.3 GB/s of the W-2155’s quad-channel setup. It also provides PCIe Gen 4 with 64 lanes from the CPU, compared to the W-2155’s PCIe Gen 3 with 48 lanes. For workloads that are heavily memory-bandwidth dependent, such as large in-memory databases or certain high-performance computing tasks, the Gold 5315Y’s platform could offer real benefits that Cinebench does not measure. The W-2155 wins the CPU compute tests, but the Gold 5315Y wins on raw platform throughput and I/O expansion capability.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different manufacturing nodes and microarchitectures. The Intel Xeon W-2155 is built on Intel’s 14 nm process, using the Skylake-W architecture with the Skylake codename. The Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y is fabricated on Intel’s 10 nm process, using the Ice Lake architecture with the Ice Lake-SP codename. The die size for the W-2155 is recorded as 484 mm², while no die size is listed for the Gold 5315Y. The process node difference is significant, as the 10 nm node is newer and denser, but the older 14 nm part still achieves higher clock speeds.

Core and thread counts differ as well. The W-2155 has 10 cores and 20 threads, while the Gold 5315Y has 8 cores and 16 threads. That is a 2-core, 4-thread advantage for the W-2155, which helps explain its lead in multicore benchmarks despite the architectural generation gap. The base clock of the W-2155 is 3.30 GHz, and it boosts to 4.50 GHz. The Gold 5315Y has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. The W-2155’s boost clock is 0.90 GHz higher, which directly contributes to its superior single-core results in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23.

Cache layouts are similar in structure but differ in total L3 capacity. Both chips have 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. The W-2155 has 13.75 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Gold 5315Y has 12 MB of shared L3 cache. That gives the W-2155 a 1.75 MB L3 advantage. Both processors support DDR4 memory and have ECC memory enabled. Memory channels differ, with the W-2155 using a quad-channel bus and the Gold 5315Y using an eight-channel bus, resulting in the large memory bandwidth gap noted earlier. PCIe support also differs: the W-2155 provides Gen 3 with 48 lanes, while the Gold 5315Y provides Gen 4 with 64 lanes. The Gold 5315Y’s eight-channel memory controller and newer PCIe standard make it the more capable platform for memory-heavy and I/O-heavy workloads, even though its raw CPU benchmark scores are lower.

Both processors are locked, with no unlocked multiplier. The W-2155 has a recorded launch MSRP of $1440. The Gold 5315Y has no launch MSRP listed in the database. The W-2155 uses Intel Socket 2066, while the Gold 5315Y uses Intel Socket 4189, so they are not interchangeable in any existing motherboard. Both have a TDP of 140 watts, so power draw at the package level is identical, though the underlying architectures achieve this with different process nodes and clock strategies. The W-2155 is marked as end-of-life, while the Gold 5315Y is active.

The Verdict

Based solely on the recorded benchmark results, the Intel Xeon W-2155 is the faster processor in CPU compute tasks. It wins all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, with a 3% advantage in multicore and a 2.9% to 3% advantage in single-core tests. The W-2155 also has a higher average benchmark score of 5072, compared to 4887 for the Gold 5315Y, and it sits at the 60th percentile of all CPUs in the database, versus the 59th percentile for the Gold 5315Y. The W-2155’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5750GE with an average score of 5070 and a 0% delta, the Intel Core i9-12900TE at 5050 with a 0.4% delta, and the Intel Core i9-9820X at 5049 with a 0.4% delta. The Gold 5315Y’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G at 4879 with a 0.2% delta, the Intel Xeon W-1290 at 4932 with a -0.9% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE at 4836 with a 1% delta. These figures place both chips in a similar performance neighborhood overall, but the W-2155 consistently edges ahead in the Cinebench suite.

The Gold 5315Y is the better choice for platform-level considerations. Its eight-channel memory bus delivers 187.7 GB/s of bandwidth, more than double the 85.3 GB/s of the W-2155, which matters for memory-bound server workloads. Its PCIe Gen 4 support with 64 lanes doubles the PCIe generation and adds 16 lanes over the W-2155’s 48 Gen 3 lanes, making it more suitable for systems with many high-speed add-in cards or NVMe drives. It is also an active product, while the W-2155 is end-of-life, which could affect availability and long-term support. The decision comes down to whether the priority is raw single-thread and multi-thread CPU performance, where the W-2155 wins, or memory bandwidth, PCIe expansion, and platform longevity, where the Gold 5315Y has clear advantages.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The Intel Xeon W-2155 has 10 cores and 20 threads, while the Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y has 8 cores and 16 threads.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Xeon W-2155 has a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, which is higher than the 3.60 GHz boost clock of the Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y.

Q: Which processor has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y has a memory bandwidth of 187.7 GB/s with an eight-channel memory bus, while the Intel Xeon W-2155 has 85.3 GB/s with a quad-channel bus.

Q: Does the Intel Xeon W-2155 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the Intel Xeon W-2155 wins all six recorded head-to-head Cinebench tests, including Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 in both multicore and single-core variants.

Q: Which processor supports PCIe Gen 4?

A: The Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y supports PCIe Gen 4 with 64 lanes, while the Intel Xeon W-2155 supports PCIe Gen 3 with 48 lanes.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The Intel Xeon W-2155 has an average benchmark score of 5072, and the Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y has an average benchmark score of 4887.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data in the database is exclusively from the Cinebench suite, and the results are remarkably consistent. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Intel Xeon W-2155 scores 1767, and the Intel Xeon Gold 5315Y scores 1716, giving the W-2155 a 3% win. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the W-2155 scores 249, and the Gold 5315Y scores 242, a 2.9% win for the W-2155. Moving to Cinebench R20, the W-2155 scores 7365 multicore, and the Gold 5315Y scores 7151, again a 3% difference. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the W-2155 posts 1039, and the Gold 5315Y posts 1009, with a 3% margin. Cinebench R23 multicore shows the W-2155 at 17538 and the Gold 5315Y at 17027, another 3% gap. Finally, Cinebench R23 single-core has the W-2155 at 2475 and the Gold 5315Y at 2403, also a 3% difference.

The largest percentage win for the W-2155 is 3%, which appears in five of the six tests, and the only slightly smaller margin is the 2.9% edge in Cinebench R15 single-core. The Gold 5315Y has no wins in any recorded test. The consistency of the 3% delta across both multicore and single-core workloads suggests that the W-2155’s advantage comes from a combination of its higher boost clock and its additional two cores, rather than from any workload-specific behavior. The Gold 5315Y’s 10 nm process and newer Ice Lake microarchitecture do not translate into a Cinebench performance advantage, at least not in the database’s recorded results. The Gold 5315Y also has a Geekbench multicore score of 8127 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1422, but the W-2155 has no recorded Geekbench scores in the database, so no direct comparison can be made for that suite.

In terms of overall standing, the W-2155’s average benchmark score of 5072 places it slightly above the Gold 5315Y’s 4887, a difference of 185 points. The W-2155’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5750GE, has an average score of 5070, which is a 0% delta from the W-2155, indicating they are effectively tied in the database’s aggregate scoring. The Gold 5315Y’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G, has an average score of 4879, a 0.2% delta, also a near tie. The W-2155 sits at the 60th percentile of all CPUs, and the Gold 5315Y sits at the 59th percentile. These aggregate metrics reinforce the head-to-head results: the W-2155 is the stronger CPU in compute benchmarks, but the margin is narrow enough that platform features should be the deciding factor for any specific build.