AMD EPYC 7251 vs Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2

Comparative analysis of AMD EPYC 7251 and Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Peripherals, Virtualization, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

AMD EPYC 7251

Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7251

CPU is newer: launch date 5 year(s) 1 month(s) later
Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
6 more cores, run more applications at once: 8 vs 2
12 more threads: 16 vs 4
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 14 nm vs 22 nm
6x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
8x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
4x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 8% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1671 vs 1547
6.3x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 14935 vs 2371

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	June 2017 vs May 2012
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Number of cores	8 vs 2
Number of threads	16 vs 4
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm vs 22 nm
L1 cache	96 KB (per core) vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB (per core) vs 256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	32 MB vs 8192 KB (shared)
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2 vs 1
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1671 vs 1547
PassMark - CPU mark	14935 vs 2371

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2

Around 21% higher clock speed: 3.50 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
7.1x lower typical power consumption: 17 Watt vs 120 Watt

Maximum frequency	3.50 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	17 Watt vs 120 Watt

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD EPYC 7251
CPU 2: Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1671

1547

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

14935

2371

Name	AMD EPYC 7251	Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2
PassMark - Single thread mark	1671	1547
PassMark - CPU mark	14935	2371
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		2267
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		5828

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD EPYC 7251	Intel Xeon E3-1220L v2
Essentials
Architecture codename	Zen	Ivy Bridge
Family	AMD EPYC
Launch date	June 2017	May 2012
Place in performance rating	1178	1136
Series	AMD EPYC 7000 Series	Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Processor Number		E3-1220LV2
Status		Discontinued
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.1 GHz	2.30 GHz
Die size	192 mm
L1 cache	96 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	32 MB	8192 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	22 nm
Maximum frequency	2.9 GHz	3.50 GHz
Number of cores	8	2
Number of threads	16	4
Transistor count	4800 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		5 GT/s DMI
Memory
Max memory channels	8	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	307 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
Supported memory frequency	2400 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3 1333/1600
ECC memory support
Maximum memory size		32.23 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2	1
Socket Count	1P/2P
Sockets supported	TR4	FCLGA1155
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	120 Watt	17 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		37.5mm x 37.5mm
Peripherals
PCI Express revision	x128	3.0
PCIe configurations		1x16 & 1x4, 2x8 & 1x4 or 1x8 & 3x4
Virtualization
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Identity Protection technology
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Instruction set extensions		Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
Intel 64
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Fast Memory Access
Intel® Flex Memory Access
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® TSX-NI
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility
Thermal Monitoring