Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 Review

High-end Server processor released in 2016 with 22 cores and 44 threads. With base clock at 2.2GHz, max speed at 2.2GHz, and a 150W power rating. Xeon E5-2696 v4 is based on the Broadwell 14nm family and part of the Xeon E5 series.
Price 52%
Speed 38%
Productivity 53%
Gaming 73%
Category Server
Target high-end
Socket Compatibility LGA2011
Integrated Graphics
Cooler Included
Overclock Potential 0 %
Year 2016 Model
Price 2655.43 USD
Number of Cores 22 Cores
Number of Threads 44 Threads
Core Frequency 2.2 GHz
Boost Frequency 2.2 GHz
Max Stable Overclock 2.2 GHz
Power Consumption 150 W
Manufacturing Process 14 nm
L3 Cache 55 MB
Maximum Supported Memory 1536 GB
Price-Value Score 52 %
Speed Score 38 %
Productivity Score 53 %
Gaming Score 73 %
Max 1080p Bottleneck 55.1 %
Max 1440p Bottleneck 27.5 %
Max 4K Bottleneck 13.8 %
Overall Score 38/100

The Xeon E5-2696 v4 is one of Intel's high-end Server processors. It was released in 2016 with 22 cores and 44 threads. With base clock at 2.2GHz, max speed at 2.2GHz, and a 150W power rating. The Xeon E5-2696 v4 is based on the Broadwell 14nm family and is part of the Xeon E5 series.

The Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 marks yet another blast from Team Intel, ramping up the intensity of the Intel vs AMD processor war. Still, though, there’s more than just core counts when it comes to a mainstream processor, as single-core performance needs to be on point, especially if you’re hoping to play the best PC games.

Now, we're asking ourselves whether or not the Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 finally dethrones the Ryzen Threadripper 1950X as the de facto ruler of the mainstream processors. Ultimately, it depends: the Xeon E5-2696 v4 doesn't reach the same single-core performance as AMD, but we're starting to see more games adopt multi-threaded CPUs, so that doesn't matter as much.

The Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 is an absolute behemoth of a processor, as it absolutely should be with its 22 cores, 44 threads and high price tag. If you’re looking for the absolute best processor money can buy on a mainstream processor, then look no further. Whether you’re playing PC games or even doing hardcore video and 3D work, the Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 can handle them with ease.

What this all means is that the Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4 is an absolute beast when it comes to multi-threaded workloads, especially at this price point. If you're counting on doing some video editing or compiling one hell of an Excel spreadsheet, you're going to see firsthand a performance boost with the Xeon E5-2696 v4.

Fresh from a successful roll-out of mainstream Xeon E5 CPUs, Intel's attack on AMD now extends down into the high-end with its Xeon E5-2696 v4 processors, which the company is making available as of 20 June 2016.

Which GPU to Pick for Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4

Below is a comparison of all graphics cards average FPS performance (using an average of 80+ games at ultra quality settings), combined with the Intel Xeon E5-2696 v4.

Graphics Card Price Cost Per Frame Avg 1080p Avg 1440p Avg 4K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB $ 1,599 $ 9 177.7 FPS
219.5 FPS
165.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Ti 20GB $ 799 $ 4.8 165.8 FPS
204.9 FPS
154.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB $ 999 $ 6.2 160.3 FPS
194.5 FPS
133.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB $ 1,199 $ 7.8 154 FPS
190.1 FPS
143.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB $ 799 $ 5.4 147.9 FPS
182.6 FPS
137.5 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB $ 899 $ 6.2 145.8 FPS
176.8 FPS
121.2 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB $ 1,499 $ 10.8 138.4 FPS
164.9 FPS
116.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB $ 1,099 $ 8.3 132.5 FPS
160.7 FPS
110.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB $ 1,999 $ 15.3 130.3 FPS
160.9 FPS
121.3 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB $ 999 $ 7.7 129.7 FPS
155.5 FPS
108.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB $ 649 $ 5.3 122.1 FPS
146.4 FPS
102.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB $ 799 $ 6.6 120.6 FPS
146.6 FPS
107.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB $ 699 $ 5.8 120.6 FPS
143.7 FPS
101.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB $ 599 $ 5.1 116.4 FPS
140.2 FPS
104.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 10GB $ 599 $ 5.8 103.5 FPS
124.3 FPS
89.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB $ 579 $ 6 96.7 FPS
115.9 FPS
80.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB $ 499 $ 5.4 92.2 FPS
110 FPS
78 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN RTX 24GB $ 2,499 $ 29.5 84.7 FPS
104.2 FPS
74.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB $ 1,299 $ 15.7 82.5 FPS
101.5 FPS
72.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB $ 479 $ 5.9 81.4 FPS
98.3 FPS
67.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB 8GB $ 399 $ 5 80.1 FPS
97.7 FPS
71.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB $ 399 $ 5.3 75.6 FPS
92.5 FPS
66.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB $ 699 $ 9.3 74.8 FPS
91.2 FPS
64.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB $ 399 $ 5.5 72.2 FPS
87.6 FPS
61.4 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN V 12GB $ 2,999 $ 41.8 71.7 FPS
88.3 FPS
64.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB $ 299 $ 4.2 71.7 FPS
88 FPS
64.3 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7600 8GB $ 269 $ 3.8 71.6 FPS
87 FPS
60.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB $ 699 $ 9.9 70.7 FPS
85.3 FPS
60.1 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB $ 379 $ 5.6 67.7 FPS
81.8 FPS
57 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB $ 759 $ 11.4 66.3 FPS
81.4 FPS
57.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB $ 499 $ 7.6 65.9 FPS
78.5 FPS
55.6 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN Xp 12GB $ 1,199 $ 18.4 65 FPS
78.5 FPS
57 FPS
AMD Radeon VII 16GB $ 699 $ 10.8 65 FPS
78 FPS
54.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB $ 399 $ 6.3 63.3 FPS
75.9 FPS
52.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB $ 499 $ 8 62.5 FPS
73.4 FPS
52.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB $ 200 $ 3.2 62.5 FPS
75.9 FPS
55.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB $ 329 $ 5.3 62 FPS
74.1 FPS
53.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB $ 400 $ 6.8 59.1 FPS
68.3 FPS
48.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB $ 349 $ 6 58 FPS
69.6 FPS
48.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB $ 499 $ 8.9 56.3 FPS
66.5 FPS
46.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB $ 350 $ 6.3 55.6 FPS
62.8 FPS
43.5 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB $ 279 $ 5.1 54.7 FPS
65.1 FPS
45.2 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 4GB $ 1,499 $ 28.4 52.8 FPS
61.5 FPS
45.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB $ 499 $ 9.5 52.6 FPS
63.2 FPS
43.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB $ 409 $ 7.8 52.2 FPS
61.6 FPS
42.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 6GB $ 249 $ 4.9 51 FPS
59.9 FPS
42.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB $ 999 $ 19.7 50.7 FPS
59.2 FPS
41.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB $ 279 $ 5.6 49.6 FPS
58.6 FPS
40.8 FPS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB $ 399 $ 8.1 49.3 FPS
59 FPS
41.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB $ 399 $ 8.3 48 FPS
56.2 FPS
38.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB $ 229 $ 4.9 46.8 FPS
55.3 FPS
38.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB $ 649 $ 14.7 44.2 FPS
51.9 FPS
36.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB $ 220 $ 5 44.1 FPS
52 FPS
36.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 590 8GB $ 279 $ 6.7 41.8 FPS
47.9 FPS
32.7 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 FURY X 4GB $ 649 $ 16.2 40.1 FPS
49.3 FPS
35.2 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB $ 160 $ 4.2 38.4 FPS
45.2 FPS
31.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB 8GB $ 199 $ 5.2 38 FPS
43.6 FPS
29.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB $ 549 $ 14.5 37.9 FPS
44 FPS
30.8 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB $ 229 $ 6.2 37.1 FPS
42.5 FPS
28.7 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB $ 649 $ 17.8 36.5 FPS
44.1 FPS
31.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK 6GB $ 999 $ 28.2 35.4 FPS
40.8 FPS
29.8 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 FURY 4GB $ 549 $ 15.9 34.5 FPS
41.5 FPS
29.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB $ 254 $ 7.4 34.4 FPS
39.7 FPS
27.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB 4GB $ 169 $ 5 34.1 FPS
39.1 FPS
26.5 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 390X 8GB $ 429 $ 12.9 33.2 FPS
39.8 FPS
28.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB $ 170 $ 5.2 32.6 FPS
37.8 FPS
26.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB $ 329 $ 10.2 32.1 FPS
36.7 FPS
26.6 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB $ 400 $ 12.8 31.2 FPS
37.1 FPS
26.4 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 390 8GB $ 329 $ 10.6 31 FPS
36.3 FPS
24.1 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB $ 169 $ 5.5 30.6 FPS
35.8 FPS
24.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB $ 149 $ 5.1 29.2 FPS
34.2 FPS
23.8 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB $ 179 $ 6.6 27.3 FPS
32.1 FPS
22.3 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB $ 229 $ 10 22.9 FPS
26.7 FPS
19 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB $ 249 $ 12.1 20.6 FPS
24.1 FPS
16.1 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 380 2GB $ 199 $ 9.7 20.5 FPS
23.8 FPS
16.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB $ 169 $ 8.4 20.2 FPS
23.6 FPS
16.4 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB $ 279 $ 14 20 FPS
23.5 FPS
15.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB $ 199 $ 10.1 19.7 FPS
22.9 FPS
15.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3GB $ 169 $ 9.8 17.2 FPS
19.9 FPS
13.6 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB $ 99 $ 6.2 15.9 FPS
18.2 FPS
12.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB $ 159 $ 10.2 15.6 FPS
17.8 FPS
12.6 FPS
AMD Radeon R7 370 2GB $ 149 $ 9.7 15.3 FPS
16.8 FPS
12 FPS
AMD Radeon R7 265 2GB $ 149 $ 9.8 15.2 FPS
16.2 FPS
11.6 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 460 4GB $ 140 $ 10 14 FPS
16.1 FPS
11.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB $ 149 $ 11 13.5 FPS
13.9 FPS
10 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 550 2GB $ 79 $ 7.1 11.1 FPS
12.8 FPS
8.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB $ 79 $ 7.5 10.6 FPS
12.2 FPS
8 FPS
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