AMD EPYC 7251 vs Intel Xeon E5530

Comparative analysis of AMD EPYC 7251 and Intel Xeon E5530 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 E5530

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7251

CPU is newer: launch date 8 year(s) 3 month(s) later
Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
4 more cores, run more applications at once: 8 vs 4
8 more threads: 16 vs 8
Around 9% higher clock speed: 2.9 GHz vs 2.66 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 14 nm vs 45 nm
3x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
4x 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 45% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1671 vs 1156
2.9x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 14935 vs 5199

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	June 2017 vs March 2009
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Number of cores	8 vs 4
Number of threads	16 vs 8
Maximum frequency	2.9 GHz vs 2.66 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm vs 45 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)
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1671 vs 1156
PassMark - CPU mark	14935 vs 5199

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E5530

Around 50% lower typical power consumption: 80 Watt vs 120 Watt

Thermal Design Power (TDP)	80 Watt vs 120 Watt

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD EPYC 7251
CPU 2: Intel Xeon E5530

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1671

1156

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

14935

5199

Name	AMD EPYC 7251	Intel Xeon E5530
PassMark - Single thread mark	1671	1156
PassMark - CPU mark	14935	5199
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		2077
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		8140

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD EPYC 7251	Intel Xeon E5530
Essentials
Architecture codename	Zen	Nehalem EP
Family	AMD EPYC
Launch date	June 2017	March 2009
Place in performance rating	1183	1191
Series	AMD EPYC 7000 Series	Legacy Intel® Xeon® Processors
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Launch price (MSRP)		$340
Price now		$29
Processor Number		E5530
Status		Launched
Value for money (0-100)		46.78
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.1 GHz	2.40 GHz
Die size	192 mm	263 mm2
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	45 nm
Maximum frequency	2.9 GHz	2.66 GHz
Number of cores	8	4
Number of threads	16	8
Transistor count	4800 million	731 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		5.86 GT/s QPI
Maximum core temperature		76°C
Number of QPI Links		2
VID voltage range		0.75V -1.35V
Memory
Max memory channels	8	3
Maximum memory bandwidth	307 GB/s	25.6 GB/s
Supported memory frequency	2400 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR3 800/1066
ECC memory support
Maximum memory size		144 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2	2
Socket Count	1P/2P
Sockets supported	TR4	FCLGA1366
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	120 Watt	80 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		42.5mm x 45mm
Peripherals
PCI Express revision	x128
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® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Idle States
Intel 64
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)		40-bit