Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3 vs AMD EPYC 7251

Comparative analysis of Intel Xeon E5-2696 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: 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), 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score, PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark.

Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3

AMD EPYC 7251

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3

10 more cores, run more applications at once: 18 vs 8
20 more threads: 36 vs 16
Around 50% more L1 cache; more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
Around 13% more L2 cache; more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 41% more L3 cache; more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later

Number of cores	18 vs 8
Number of threads	36 vs 16
L1 cache	1.125 MB vs 96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	4.5 MB vs 512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	45 MB vs 32 MB

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

Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm vs 22 nm

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3
CPU 2: AMD EPYC 7251

Name	Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3	AMD EPYC 7251
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	13.442
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	209.959
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	1.343
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	8.446
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	27.642
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	6767
PassMark - Single thread mark		1671
PassMark - CPU mark		14935

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Xeon E5-2696 v3	AMD EPYC 7251
Essentials
Architecture codename	Haswell-EP	Zen
Family	Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3	AMD EPYC
Launch date	Q4'14	June 2017
Place in performance rating	1304	1315
Processor Number	E5-2696 v3
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Series		AMD EPYC 7000 Series
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2300 MHz	2.1 GHz
Bus Speed	5 GT/s DMI
L1 cache	1.125 MB	96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	4.5 MB	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	45 MB	32 MB
Manufacturing process technology	22 nm	14 nm
Number of cores	18	8
Number of threads	36	16
Die size		192 mm
Maximum frequency		2.9 GHz
Transistor count		4800 million
Unlocked
Memory
Max memory channels	2	8
Supported memory types	DDR4	DDR4
Maximum memory bandwidth		307 GB/s
Supported memory frequency		2400 MHz
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	2	2
Sockets supported	LGA2011-3 (R3)	TR4
Socket Count		1P/2P
Thermal Design Power (TDP)		120 Watt
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	40
PCI Express revision	3.0	x128
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Fused Multiply-Add 3 (FMA3)
Intel 64
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)