Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3 vs AMD EPYC 7251

Comparative analysis of Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3 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, 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score.

Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3

AMD EPYC 7251

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3

4 more cores, run more applications at once: 12 vs 8
8 more threads: 24 vs 16
Around 21% higher clock speed: 3.50 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
Around 15% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1926 vs 1671
Around 78% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 26546 vs 14935

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	12 vs 8
Number of threads	24 vs 16
Maximum frequency	3.50 GHz vs 2.9 GHz
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1926 vs 1671
PassMark - CPU mark	26546 vs 14935

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7251

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 14 nm vs 22 nm
Around 13% lower typical power consumption: 120 Watt vs 135 Watt

Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm vs 22 nm
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	120 Watt vs 135 Watt

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3
CPU 2: AMD EPYC 7251

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1926

1671

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

26546

14935

Name	Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3	AMD EPYC 7251
PassMark - Single thread mark	1926	1671
PassMark - CPU mark	26546	14935
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	834
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	8521
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	5872

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3	AMD EPYC 7251
Essentials
Architecture codename	Haswell	Zen
Launch date	Q3'14	June 2017
Place in performance rating	1167	1178
Processor Number	E5-2690V3
Series	Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v3 Family	AMD EPYC 7000 Series
Status	Launched
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Family		AMD EPYC
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.60 GHz	2.1 GHz
Bus Speed	9.6 GT/s QPI
Manufacturing process technology	22 nm	14 nm
Maximum core temperature	89.9°C
Maximum frequency	3.50 GHz	2.9 GHz
Number of cores	12	8
Number of QPI Links	2
Number of threads	24	16
VID voltage range	0.65V–1.30V
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	68 GB/s	307 GB/s
Maximum memory size	768 GB
Supported memory types	DDR4 1600/1866/2133	DDR4
Supported memory frequency		2400 MHz
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2	2
Package Size	52.5mm x 45mm
Sockets supported	FCLGA2011-3	TR4
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	135 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	2S
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™)