AMD EPYC 9005 Vs Intel Xeon 6: Next-Gen Server Processors

AMD EPYC 9005 Vs Intel Xeon 6

AMD EPYC 9005

Core Design & Architecture:

• Core Architecture of AMD EPYC 9005 “Turin”: Zen 5 (up to 128 cores) and Zen 5c (up to 192 cores).
• Maximum number of threads: 384.
• Zen 5 on TSMC 4nm and Zen 5c on TSMC 3nm are the process nodes.
• Compatible with earlier Genoa/Bergamo platforms, socket: SP5
• Supported Memory: up to 9TB, 12-channel DDR5-6400
• PCIe: PCIe 5.0 with 160 lanes.
• CXL 1.0 (Types 1, 2, 3) is supported.
• Range of TDP: 125W to 500W

Intel Xeon 6

Fundamental Architecture:

• Up to 288 E-cores in the Sierra Forest (Crestmont)
• Redwood Cove Granite Rapids: Up to 128 P-cores
• Node of Process: Intel 3
• LGA 4710 and LGA 7529 sockets
• Supported Memory: up to 6TB, 12-channel DDR5-6400
• PCIe: PCIe 5.0 (Granite Rapids-AP) has up to 136 lanes.
• Support for CXL: CXL 2.0
• TDP Range: Granite Rapids-AP up to 500W

Benchmarks and Performance

AMD EPYC 9005

• Outstanding performance is provided by the EPYC 9965 (192-core), particularly when multi-threaded workloads are involved.

• According to benchmarks, a dual 128-core EPYC 9755 configuration outperforms Intel’s dual Xeon 6980P by about 40% across a range of tests.

• The performance of twin Xeon 6980P combinations is frequently equal to or better than that of single EPYC 9755 or 9965 CPUs.

The Intel Xeon 6

• Sierra Forest: With up to 288 E-cores, it is optimized for high-density, multi-threaded tasks.

• Granite Rapids: With up to 128 P-cores, it is made for high-performance computation.

• Despite being competitive, Intel’s products typically perform worse than AMD’s EPYC 9005 series in terms of efficiency and performance.

Also Read About AMD EPYC vs Intel Xeon: Performance, Price Comparison

AMD EPYC 9005: Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Increased Core Count: Excellent for large parallel tasks, Zen 5c variants have up to 192 cores and 384 threads.

• Better Performance per Watt: High throughput and power efficiency are two features that AMD’s Zen 5 and Zen 5c are designed to maximize.

• Additional PCIe 5.0 Lanes: Perfect for I/O-intensive applications (NVMe, GPUs, networking), it provides up to 160 PCIe 5.0 lanes.

• Memory Capacity and Bandwidth: Supports the industry-leading 12-channel DDR5-6400 and up to 9TB of memory per socket.

• Scalable Compatibility of Sockets: Upgrades are made easier by the SP5 socket’s compatibility with the Genoa and Bergamo platforms.

• Superior Protection (Infinity Guard); Hardware-level memory and virtual machine encryption are provided by features like SEV, SME, and SNP.

• Economical at High-End: Performs better than the Intel Xeon 6980P while costing less or the same.

Drawbacks

• Platform Prices May Be Expensive: Need a top-tier motherboard with cooling and strong VRMs for variants with 128–192 cores.

• Limited Edition CXL: Some memory pooling choices are limited since Intel Xeon 6 supports CXL 2.0 while still using CXL 1.x.

• Higher Flagship Power Consumption: 192-core machines require sophisticated cooling and a PSU because they can achieve TDPs of up to 500W.

• Lag in Software Optimization: It’s possible that some business applications still prefer Intel’s architecture or need to be adjusted for AMD’s high core counts.

Intel Xeon 6 Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Adaptable Core Architecture:
  • Sierra Forest: For workloads with a high density, up to 288 E-cores are available.
  • Granite Rapids: For demanding computations, up to 128 P-cores are available.
• Support for CXL 2.0: Makes memory sharing and pooling possible, which is excellent for memory-bound and AI/ML applications.
• Robust Security Stack: Includes multi-key memory encryption, TME, and SGX, which are trusted in many data centers.
• Maturity of the Software Ecosystem: Wide compatibility and optimization in financial services, corporate, and HPC software.
• E-core Option with Low Power Consumption: In web-scale installations, Sierra Forest’s effective cores contribute to lower power usage.

Drawbacks

• Reduced Socket Performance: Even twin Xeon configurations frequently perform worse than single EPYC 9755/9965 in benchmarks.

• Reduced PCIe Lanes: Has 136 PCIe 5.0 lanes available, less than AMD’s 160 lanes.

• Reduced Maximum Memory Capacity: In contrast to AMD’s 9TB, it supports up to 6TB per socket.

• Expensive at the highest level: Compared to comparable AMD EPYC CPUs, flagship variants (such as the Xeon 6980P) can be more costly.

• Complicated Transition of Sockets: Introduces new sockets (LGA 4710 & 7529), which necessitate a complete platform upgrade.

AMD EPYC 9005 Vs Intel Xeon 6 Price

Security Features

AMD EPYC 9005

• The Infinity Guard Suite: By encrypting virtual machines, Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) improves security in multi-tenant settings.
• System memory is encrypted using Secure Memory Encryption (SME) to prevent unwanted access.

Intel Xeon 6

• Software Guard Extensions (SGX): Offers separate spaces for private information and code.
• To protect against physical threats, all memory is encrypted using total memory encryption (TME).

AMD EPYC 9005 Vs Intel Xeon 6 Specs

In conclusion

When compared to Intel’s Xeon 6 family, AMD’s EPYC 9005 series especially the high-core-count variants like the 9965 offers better performance and efficiency. AMD establishes itself as a major player in the server CPU industry with its cutting-edge security features, increased core densities, and affordable prices.

With their unique E-core and P-core architectures, Intel’s Xeon 6 processors are designed to handle certain workloads and provide strong security features. However, AMD’s most recent products now have a considerable advantage in terms of raw performance and pricing.