Intel Xeon Gold 5117 vs AMD EPYC 7251

Comparative analysis of Intel Xeon Gold 5117 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.

Intel Xeon Gold 5117

AMD EPYC 7251

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon Gold 5117

CPU is newer: launch date 1 month(s) later
6 more cores, run more applications at once: 14 vs 8
12 more threads: 28 vs 16
Around 17% more L1 cache; more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
3.5x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 14% lower typical power consumption: 105 Watt vs 120 Watt
Around 79% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 26721 vs 14935

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	11 July 2017 vs June 2017
Number of cores	14 vs 8
Number of threads	28 vs 16
L1 cache	896 KB vs 96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	14 MB vs 512 KB (per core)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	105 Watt vs 120 Watt
Benchmarks
PassMark - CPU mark	26721 vs 14935

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7251

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Around 4% higher clock speed: 2.9 GHz vs 2.80 GHz
Around 66% more L3 cache; more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 20% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1671 vs 1394

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Maximum frequency	2.9 GHz vs 2.80 GHz
L3 cache	32 MB vs 19.25 MB
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1671 vs 1394

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Xeon Gold 5117
CPU 2: AMD EPYC 7251

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1394

1671

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

26721

14935

Name	Intel Xeon Gold 5117	AMD EPYC 7251
PassMark - Single thread mark	1394	1671
PassMark - CPU mark	26721	14935

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Xeon Gold 5117	AMD EPYC 7251
Essentials
Architecture codename	Skylake	Zen
Family	Xeon Gold	AMD EPYC
Launch date	11 July 2017	June 2017
Place in performance rating	1222	1273
Processor Number	5117
Series	5100	AMD EPYC 7000 Series
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.00 GHz	2.1 GHz
L1 cache	896 KB	96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	14 MB	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	19.25 MB	32 MB
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	14 nm
Maximum frequency	2.80 GHz	2.9 GHz
Number of cores	14	8
Number of threads	28	16
Number of Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) Links	2
Unlocked
Die size		192 mm
Transistor count		4800 million
Memory
ECC memory support
Max memory channels	6	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	107.3 GiB/s	307 GB/s
Maximum memory size	768 GB
Supported memory frequency	2400 MHz	2400 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR4
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Sockets supported	FCLGA3647	TR4
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	105 Watt	120 Watt
Max number of CPUs in a configuration		2
Socket Count		1P/2P
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	48
PCI Express revision	3.0	x128
Scalability	4S
Security & Reliability
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Instruction set extensions	Intel SSE4, Intel AVX, Intel AVX2, Intel AVX-512
Intel 64
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Optane™ Memory Supported
Intel® TSX-NI
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility
Speed Shift technology
Turbo Boost Max 3.0
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™)