AMD Opteron 6180 SE vs Intel Xeon E5520

Comparative analysis of AMD Opteron 6180 SE and Intel Xeon E5520 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s), PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

AMD Opteron 6180 SE

Intel Xeon E5520

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Opteron 6180 SE

8 more cores, run more applications at once: 12 vs 4
4 more threads: 12 vs 8
6x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
6x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 50% more L3 cache; more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
4.4x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 6.448 vs 1.453
Around 22% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 0.522 vs 0.429
2.9x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s): 20.331 vs 6.95

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	12 vs 4
Number of threads	12 vs 8
L1 cache	1536 KB vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	6 MB vs 256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	12 MB vs 8192 KB (shared)
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	6.448 vs 1.453
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.522 vs 0.429
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	20.331 vs 6.95

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E5520

Around 13% higher maximum core temperature: 72°C vs 64°C
Around 75% lower typical power consumption: 80 Watt vs 140 Watt
2.3x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s): 62.27 vs 27.609
Around 35% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s): 2.436 vs 1.806

Specifications (specs)
Maximum core temperature	72°C vs 64°C
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	80 Watt vs 140 Watt
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	62.27 vs 27.609
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	2.436 vs 1.806

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Opteron 6180 SE
CPU 2: Intel Xeon E5520

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

6.448

1.453

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

27.609

62.27

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.522

0.429

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

1.806

2.436

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

20.331

6.95

Name	AMD Opteron 6180 SE	Intel Xeon E5520
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	6.448	1.453
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	27.609	62.27
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.522	0.429
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	1.806	2.436
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	20.331	6.95
PassMark - Single thread mark		1106
PassMark - CPU mark		4613
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		397
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		1969

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Opteron 6180 SE	Intel Xeon E5520
Essentials
Family	AMD Opteron
OPN Tray	OS6180YETCEGO
Place in performance rating	2759	2717
Series	AMD Opteron 6100 Series Processor	Legacy Intel® Xeon® Processors
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Architecture codename		Nehalem EP
Launch date		March 2009
Launch price (MSRP)		$19
Price now		$42.39
Processor Number		E5520
Status		Launched
Value for money (0-100)		30.90
Performance
Base frequency	2.5 GHz	2.26 GHz
L1 cache	1536 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	6 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	12 MB	8192 KB (shared)
Maximum core temperature	64°C	72°C
Number of cores	12	4
Number of threads	12	8
Unlocked
64 bit support
Bus Speed		5.86 GT/s QPI
Die size		263 mm2
Manufacturing process technology		45 nm
Maximum frequency		2.53 GHz
Number of QPI Links		2
Transistor count		731 million
VID voltage range		0.75V -1.35V
Memory
Supported memory frequency	1800 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3 800/1066
ECC memory support
Max memory channels		3
Maximum memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
Maximum memory size		144 GB
Compatibility
Sockets supported	G34	FCLGA1366
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt	80 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration		2
Package Size		42.5mm x 45mm
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
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)