Intel Xeon Processors Buyers Guide
What is an Intel Xeon CPU or processor?
The Central Processing Unit, or the CPU, is one of the most critical components to consider when buying or building a server or upgrading an existing one. Intel offers a vast range of Xeon server CPUs and in this buyer's guide we'll provide an overview of the key families. We’ll also cover suggestions of which to choose depending on your business needs and server workloads – from everyday business continuity tasks to digital content creation, commercial VR applications all the way through to high performance computing (HPC). It is worth mentioning that the Xeon CPU range also includes a family - Xeon W - dedicated to workstation use, but we cover these in our
Desktop Processor Buyers Guide
.
It is essential when choosing your Xeon server CPU (or CPUs if multiple are required) that you choose a compatible motherboard so we'll indicate this for each processor family as we go through them. As Intel has a regular upgrade cycle for their product range it is vital to know if you are looking at the latest generation, and if you’re considering an upgrade what CPU supersedes your current one, so we’ll cover this too.
The Intel Xeon range is primarily aimed at servers, with the CPUs typically offering more cores than mainstream PC counterparts - however clock speeds don’t necessarily directly compare to the Core i7 and i9 models. Xeon CPUs tend to have a lot more built-in, business-critical technology - for example, they support error-correcting code (ECC) memory, which prevents data corruption and system crashes. For businesses where continuous workloads are mission-critical, even a few hours downtime can cost far more than ECC memory is worth. Also Xeon processors support far more RAM than the Core range CPUs do, as well as many more PCIe lanes for connecting expansion cards. With all these extra features, scalability and fail-safes, naturally, the price reflects this.
Intel Xeon Server Processors
To help customers pick a Xeon processor, these chips are split into unique families whose characteristics best represent.
Intel Xeon 6 Processors
The Intel Xeon 6 processor family introduces an innovative modular architecture that allows datacentre architects to configure and deploy servers that are purpose-built for your unique needs and workloads across private, public and hybrid clouds. Intel Xeon 6 processors have either Performance-cores (P-cores) for maximum performance or Efficient-cores (E-cores) for maximum efficiency in power- and space-constrained environments.
Intel Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel Xeon Scalable processors introduced built-in AI acceleration to help speed-up data's transformative impact. The extensive range is divided into four types, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Most models can be deployed in at least two processors per system, with some models even supporting up to eight CPUs per server. These four families of CPU cover all server uses from entry-level tasks in small organisations all the way up to HPC clusters.
To discuss the most suitable Xeon CPU options for your servers.
contact our team of system architects on 01204 474747 or
[email protected].
Intel Xeon 6 6900 Processors
Intel Xeon 6 6900-series processors with P-cores deliver maximum performance, the highest memory bandwidth and maximum throughput, making them ideal for cloud, HPC and AI workloads. These processors feature P-cores with HyperThreading and more memory channels than the Xeon 6 6700-series. You can learn more about these by visiting our INTEL XEON 6 PAGE
Intel Xeon 6900P
High-end dual-socket servers for the most demanding workflows
Cores: up to 128
Level 3 Cache: 96-504MB
Max DIMM memory speed: 6,400MHz
Max MRDIMM memory speed: 8,800MHz
Memory: 3TB 12-channel DDR5
TDP: 400-500W
Architecture: Granite Rapids
LATEST ACHITECTURE Granite Rapids
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS LGA7529
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel 5th gen Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel Xeon 6 6700 Processors
Intel Xeon 6 6700-series processors with E-cores deliver efficient performance for telco and datacentre workloads. These processors feature large numbers of E-cores making them ideal for scenarios where power, space and cooling are limited. You can learn more about these by visiting our INTEL XEON 6 PAGE
Intel Xeon 6700E
Optimised for efficiency in high density and scale-out use cases
Cores: up to 144
Level 3 Cache: 96-108MB
Memory: 1TB 8-channel DDR5
TDP: 205-330W
Architecture: Sierra Forest
LATEST ACHITECTURE Sierra Forest
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS LGA4710-2
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel 5th gen Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel 5th Gen Xeon Scalable Platform
The Intel 5th gen Xeon Scalable series is the latest range of server processors, and builds on the foundation created by the 4th gen CPUs. Memory capacity remains the same but bandwidth has been increased and there is still support for eight-channels of DDR5 memory and 80 lanes of PCIe 5.0. The maximum number of cores has been increased from 60 to 64. As with the 4th gen Xeon range, 5th gen CPUs feature dedicated accelerators cores for specific workloads including Intel AMX - Advanced Matrix Extensions; Intel IAA - In-memory Analytics Accelerator; Intel DSA - Data Streaming Accelerator; Intel DLB - Dynamic Load Balancer; and Intel QAT - QuickAssist Technology. Alongside these are new Intel TDX - Trust Domain Extensions offering isolation and confidentiality at the virtual machine (VM) level and the reintroduction of Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC), an enterprise RAID function for NVMe SSDssolution that unleashes the performance of NVMe SSDs. You can learn more about these by visiting our 5TH GEN XEON PAGE .
Intel Xeon Platinum 8500
High-end dual-socket servers for the most demanding workflows
Cores: up to 64
Level 3 Cache: 60-320MB
Max memory speed: 5,600MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 300-350W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Gold 6500
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 32
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-60MB
Max memory speed: 5,200MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 195-270W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Gold 5500
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 28
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-52.5MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 165-205W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Platinum 8500U, Gold 5500U, Bronze 3500U
Designed for single-socket servers for everyday workloads
Cores: up to 48
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-260MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
TDP: 125-300W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Silver 4500
Entry-level dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 24
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-45MB
Max memory speed: 4,400MHz
TDP: 125-185W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Platinum 8500N, Gold 6500N
High-end single and dual-socket servers for networking optimised workflows
Cores: up to 52
Level 3 Cache: 60-300MB
Max memory speed: 5,200MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 205-300W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Platinum 8500P/V
High-end single and dual-socket servers for cloud optimised workflows
Cores: up to 64
Level 3 Cache: 300-320MB
Max memory speed: 5,600MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 270-330W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Intel Xeon Platinum 8500Q, Gold 6500Q
High-end dual-socket liquid cooled servers
Cores: up to 64
Level 3 Cache: 60-320MB
Max memory speed: 5,600MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 350-385W
Architecture: Emerald Rapids
LATEST ACHITECTURE Emerald Rapids
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS C740-series
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel 4th gen Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel 4th gen Xeon Scalable Processors
The Intel 4th gen Xeon Scalable series is the foundation of a whole new platform that introduces lots of new features. Memory bandwidth and capacity has been expanded to support eight-channels of DDR5 memory. In addition the I/O has been upgraded to 80 lanes of PCIe 5.0, providing double the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0. Finally, switching to a new 7nm manufacturing process enables the core count to be increased from 40 to 60. The 4th gen Xeon range is further enhanced by the addition of dedicated accelerators cores for specific workloads including Intel AMX - Advanced Matrix Extensions; Intel IAA - In-memory Analytics Accelerator; Intel DSA - Data Streaming Accelerator; Intel DLB - Dynamic Load Balancer; and Intel QAT - QuickAssist Technology. You can learn more about these by visiting our 4th gen Xeon page .
Intel Xeon Platinum 8400
High-end dual-socket servers for the most demanding workflows
Cores: up to 56
Level 3 Cache: 60-105MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 300-350W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Xeon Gold 6400
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 32
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-60MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 195-270W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Xeon Gold 5400
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 28
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-52.5MB
Max memory speed: 4,400MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 185-205W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Silver 4400
Entry-level dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 20
Level 3 Cache: 30-37.5MB
Max memory speed: 4,000MHz
TDP: 150-165W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Gold 6400U, Gold 5400U, Bronze 3400U
Designed for single-socket servers for everyday workloads
Cores: up to 32
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-60MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
TDP: 125-250W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Xeon Platinum 8400H, Gold 6400H
High-end eight-socket and four-socket servers for the most demanding workflows
Cores: up to 60
Level 3 Cache: 22.5-112.5MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 165-350W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
Intel Xeon Platinum 8400 Max, Gold 6400 Max
High-end dual-socket servers for HPC workloads
Cores: up to 56
Level 3 Cache: 60-112.5MB
Max memory speed: 4,800MHz
64GB HBM2e memory
TDP: 330-350W
Architecture: Sapphire Rapids
LATEST ACHITECTURE Sapphire Rapids
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS C740-series
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel 3rd gen Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel 3rd gen Xeon Scalable Processors
For legacy systems we still offer Intel 3rd gen Xeon processors. These use a different platform from the latest 4th gen Xeons, supporting 8-channels of DDR4 memory and 64 lanes of PCIe 4.0. Built using a 10nm manufacturing process enables the core count goes up to 40. Intel 3rd gen Xeon processors scale all the way from single-socket systems to servers up with eight CPUs. You can learn more about these by visiting our 3rd gen Xeon page .
Intel Xeon Platinum 8300
High-end dual-socket servers for the most demanding workflows
Cores: up to 40
Level 3 Cache: 25-57MB
Max memory speed: 3,200MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 150-270W
Architecture: Ice Lake
Intel Xeon Gold 6300
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 32
Level 3 Cache: 36-48MB
Max memory speed: 3,200MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 165-205W
Architecture: Ice Lake
Intel Xeon Gold 5300
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 24
Level 3 Cache: 12-30MB
Max memory speed: 2,933MHz
Intel Optane Memory support
TDP: 150-185W
Architecture: Ice Lake
Intel Xeon Silver 4300
Mid-range dual-socket servers for everyday workflows
Cores: up to 20
Level 3 Cache: 12-30MB
Max memory speed: 2,666MHz
TDP: 105-150W
Architecture: Ice Lake
LATEST ACHITECTURE Ice Lake
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS C620-Series
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel 2nd gen Xeon Scalable Processors
Intel Xeon E-2300 Processors
Designed for entry-level servers, Intel Xeon E processors provide solid performance with the built-in platform security features and reliability that professional users demand. A step up from desktop PC Core processors Xeon E processors support ECC memory technology to improve data integrity and system uptime. The Xeon E-2300 family is built on a 14nm process and features up to 8 cores and 16 threads, support for up to 128GB of DDR4 ECC memory and 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes for add-in cards and NVMe SSDs.
Intel Xeon E-2300
Entry-level single-socket for small office servers.
Cores: up to 8
Level 3 Cache: 8-16MB
Max memory speed: 3,200MHz
TDP: 65-95W
Architecture: Rocket Lake
Intel Xeon E-2300G
Entry-level single-socket for small office servers, with inbuilt Intel UHD Graphics P750.
Cores: up to 8
Level 3 Cache: 8-16MB
Max memory speed: 3,200MHz
TDP: 65-95W
LATEST ACHITECTURE Rocket Lake
COMPATIBLE MOTHERBOARDS C242
PREVIOUS GENERATION Intel Xeon E-2200
Summary
Still not sure which Intel Xeon server processor is right for you? This table shows the relative performance and features of the main ranges of Xeon processor.
| Xeon 6 | Xeon 5th gen Scalable | Xeon 5th gen Scalable | Xeon 4th gen Scalable | Xeon 3rd gen Scalable | Xeon E | ||||||||||||||
| Xeon 6900 | Xeon 6700 |
Platinum
8500 |
Platinum
8500 |
Gold
6500 |
Gold
5500 |
Silver
4500 |
Platinum
8400 |
Gold
6400 |
Gold
5400 |
Silver
4400 |
Platinum
8300 |
Gold
6300 |
Gold
5300 |
Silver
4300 |
E-2300 | ||||
| GEN | 6th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 5th | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 1th | |||
| SMP SUPPORT | 2 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ✖ | |||
| SOCKET | 7529 | 4710-2 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4677 | 4189 | 4189 | 4189 | 4189 | 1200 | |||
| CORES / THREADS | 128 / 256 | 144 / 144 | 64 / 128 | 64 / 128 | 32 / 64 | 28 / 56 | 24 / 48 | 60 / 120 | 60 / 120 | 28 / 56 | 20 / 40 | 40 / 80 | 32 / 64 | 24 / 48 | 20 / 40 | 8 / 16 | |||
| MAX BASE FREQUENCY | 2.7GHz | 2.4GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.1GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.2GHz | 4.0GHz | 3.2GHz | 4.0GHz | 2.8GHz | 3.7GHZ | |||
| MAX BOOST FREQUENC | 3.9GHz | 3.2GHz | 2.8GHz | 2.8GHz | 2.5GHz | 2.2GHz | 2.0GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.5GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.0GHz | 4.5GHz | 5.1GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.1GHz | |||
| MAX L3 CACHE | 504MB | 108MB | 320MB | 320MB | 60MB | 52.5MB | 45MB | 105MB | 60MB | 52.5MB | 37.5MB | 57MB | 48MB | 30MB | 30MB | 16MB | |||
| MAX MEMORY | 3TB | 1TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 8TB | 16TB | |||
| MEMORY CHANNELS | 12-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Dual-channel | |||
| MEMORY TYPE | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR5 ECC Reg | DDR4 ECC Reg | DDR4 ECC Reg | DDR4 ECC Reg | DDR4 ECC Reg | DDR4 ECC | |||
| MAX MEMORY SPEED | 8,800MHz | 6,400MHz | 5,600MHz | 5,600MHz | 5,200MHz | 4,800MHz | 4,400MHz | 4,800MHz | 4,800MHz | 4,400MHz | 4,000MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 2,933MHz | 2,933MHz | 3,200MHz | |||
| PCIe VERSION | 5 | 5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | |||
| MAX PCIe LANES | 96 | 88 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 20 | |||
| MAX TDP | 500W | 330W | 350W | 350W | 270W | 205W | 185W | 350W | 270W | 205W | 165W | 270W | 205W | 185W | 150W | 95W | |||
We hope this guide has proved helpful in providing some insight as to which Intel Xeon processor may best suit your server requirement, but if you’re still in need of guidance don’t hesitate to contact our team of system architects on 01204 474747 or [email protected].