AMD Opteron 6278 vs Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2

Comparative analysis of AMD Opteron 6278 and Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization, Peripherals, Security & Reliability. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

AMD Opteron 6278

Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Opteron 6278

12 more cores, run more applications at once: 16 vs 4
12 more threads: 16 vs 4
3x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
16x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
2x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
2.9x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 13733 vs 4678

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	16 vs 4
Number of threads	16 vs 4
L1 cache	768 KB vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	16 MB vs 256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	16 MB vs 8192 KB (shared)
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	4 vs 1
Benchmarks
PassMark - CPU mark	13733 vs 4678

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2

Around 6% higher clock speed: 3.50 GHz vs 3.3 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 22 nm vs 32 nm
Around 67% lower typical power consumption: 69 Watt vs 115 Watt
Around 86% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1875 vs 1007

Specifications (specs)
Maximum frequency	3.50 GHz vs 3.3 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	22 nm vs 32 nm
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	69 Watt vs 115 Watt
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1875 vs 1007

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Opteron 6278
CPU 2: Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1007

1875

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

13733

4678

Name	AMD Opteron 6278	Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2
PassMark - Single thread mark	1007	1875
PassMark - CPU mark	13733	4678
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		671
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		2310

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Opteron 6278	Intel Xeon E3-1220 v2
Essentials
Architecture codename	Interlagos	Ivy Bridge
Family	AMD Opteron
Launch date	May 2012	May 2012
OPN Tray	OS6278WKTGGGU
Place in performance rating	1857	1815
Series	AMD Opteron 6200 Series Processor	Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Launch price (MSRP)		$220
Price now		$329.11
Processor Number		E3-1220V2
Status		Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)		5.99
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.4 GHz	3.10 GHz
Die size	316 mm	160 mm
L1 cache	768 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	16 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	16 MB	8192 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm	22 nm
Maximum core temperature	69°C
Maximum frequency	3.3 GHz	3.50 GHz
Number of cores	16	4
Number of threads	16	4
Transistor count	2400 million	1400 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		5 GT/s DMI
Memory
Supported memory frequency	2000 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3 1333/1600
ECC memory support
Max memory channels		2
Maximum memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
Maximum memory size		32.77 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	4	1
Sockets supported	G34	FCLGA1155
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	115 Watt	69 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		37.5mm x 37.5mm
Advanced Technologies
Fused Multiply-Add (FMA)
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Idle States
Instruction set extensions		Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
Intel 64
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
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)
Peripherals
PCI Express revision		3.0
PCIe configurations		1x16 & 1x4, 2x8 & 1x4 or 1x8 & 3x4
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Identity Protection technology
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)