Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4 vs AMD EPYC 7251

Comparative analysis of Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4 and AMD EPYC 7251 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Peripherals, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4

AMD EPYC 7251

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4

Around 31% higher clock speed: 3.80 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
Around 32% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 2204 vs 1671

Specifications (specs)
Maximum frequency	3.80 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	2204 vs 1671

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7251

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Around 17% lower typical power consumption: 120 Watt vs 140 Watt
Around 10% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 14935 vs 13614

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2 vs 1
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	120 Watt vs 140 Watt
Benchmarks
PassMark - CPU mark	14935 vs 13614

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4
CPU 2: AMD EPYC 7251

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2204

1671

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

13614

14935

Name	Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4	AMD EPYC 7251
PassMark - Single thread mark	2204	1671
PassMark - CPU mark	13614	14935
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	888
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	6851

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Xeon E5-1660 v4	AMD EPYC 7251
Essentials
Architecture codename	Broadwell	Zen
Launch date	Q2'16	June 2017
Place in performance rating	1249	1272
Processor Number	E5-1660V4
Series	Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v4 Family	AMD EPYC 7000 Series
Status	Launched
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Family		AMD EPYC
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.20 GHz	2.1 GHz
Bus Speed	0 GT/s QPI
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	14 nm
Maximum core temperature	70°C
Maximum frequency	3.80 GHz	2.9 GHz
Number of cores	8	8
Number of QPI Links	0
Number of threads	16	16
Die size		192 mm
L1 cache		96 KB (per core)
L2 cache		512 KB (per core)
L3 cache		32 MB
Transistor count		4800 million
Unlocked
Memory
Max memory channels	4	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	307 GB/s
Maximum memory size	1.5 TB
Supported memory types	DDR4 1600/1866/2133/2400	DDR4
Supported memory frequency		2400 MHz
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	2
Package Size	45mm x 52.5mm
Sockets supported	FCLGA2011-3	TR4
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt	120 Watt
Socket Count		1P/2P
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	40
PCI Express revision	3.0	x128
PCIe configurations	x4, x8, x16
Scalability	1S Only
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Identity Protection technology
Intel® OS Guard
Intel® Secure Key technology
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Idle States
Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX2
Intel 64
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Flex Memory Access
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® TSX-NI
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)	46-bit
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)