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
Benchmark Test | AMD EPYC 9005 | Intel Xeon 6 |
---|---|---|
Double-Precision AVX-512 (FMA) | EPYC 9755: 26.3 TFlops; EPYC 9965: 32.8 TFlops | Dual Xeon 6980P: 23.6 TFlops |
3D Rendering (Blender) | Outperforms Xeon 6980P in parallel workloads | Trails behind EPYC 9005 in similar workloads |
Memory Bandwidth | Higher due to 12-channel DDR5-6400 support | Slightly lower with up to 12-channel DDR5-6400 |
Power Efficiency | Better performance per watt, especially in Zen 5c | Less efficient at higher core counts |
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
Processor Model | Cores | Threads | Price (USD) |
---|---|---|---|
AMD EPYC 9015 | 8 | 16 | $527 |
AMD EPYC 9755 | 128 | 256 | $12,984 |
AMD EPYC 9965 | 192 | 384 | $14,813 |
Intel Xeon 6980P | 128 | 256 | $17,800 |
Intel Xeon 6780E | 96 | 192 | $11,350 |
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
Specification | AMD EPYC 9005 | Intel Xeon 6 |
---|---|---|
Max Cores / Threads | 192 / 384 | 288 E-cores or 128 P-cores |
PCIe Support | 160 lanes PCIe 5.0 | Up to 136 lanes PCIe 5.0 |
Memory Capacity | Up to 9TB DDR5-6400 | Up to 6TB DDR5-6400 |
Socket Reuse | Yes (SP5) | No (new LGA 4710 / 7529) |
Security | SEV, SME, SNP | SGX, TME, MKTME |
CXL Support | CXL 1.1 | CXL 2.0 |
Software Optimization | Growing support, some legacy gaps | More mature, widely adopted |
Performance Leadership | Superior in single/dual-socket workloads | Competitive, but lags in top-tier benchmarks |
Power Efficiency | Excellent in Zen 5c models | E-cores in Sierra Forest good for density |
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.