Intel Xeon Silver 4208 vs AMD EPYC 7281

Comparative analysis of Intel Xeon Silver 4208 and AMD EPYC 7281 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 Silver 4208

AMD EPYC 7281

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Xeon Silver 4208

CPU is newer: launch date 1 year(s) 10 month(s) later
Around 19% higher clock speed: 3.20 GHz vs 2.7 GHz
2x lower typical power consumption: 85 Watt vs 155/170 Watt
Around 7% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1740 vs 1626

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	2 April 2019 vs June 2017
Maximum frequency	3.20 GHz vs 2.7 GHz
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	85 Watt vs 155/170 Watt
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1740 vs 1626

Reasons to consider the AMD EPYC 7281

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
8 more cores, run more applications at once: 16 vs 8
16 more threads: 32 vs 16
3x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
2.9x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 20% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 21621 vs 18023

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Number of cores	16 vs 8
Number of threads	32 vs 16
L1 cache	96 KB (per core) vs 512 KB
L3 cache	32 MB vs 11 MB
Benchmarks
PassMark - CPU mark	21621 vs 18023

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Xeon Silver 4208
CPU 2: AMD EPYC 7281

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1740

1626

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

18023

21621

Name	Intel Xeon Silver 4208	AMD EPYC 7281
PassMark - Single thread mark	1740	1626
PassMark - CPU mark	18023	21621

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Xeon Silver 4208	AMD EPYC 7281
Essentials
Architecture codename	Cascade Lake	Zen
Family	Xeon Silver	AMD EPYC
Launch date	2 April 2019	June 2017
Launch price (MSRP)	$417
Place in performance rating	1189	1192
Processor Number	4208
Series	4200	AMD EPYC 7000 Series
Vertical segment	Server	Server
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.10 GHz	2.1 GHz
L1 cache	512 KB	96 KB (per core)
L2 cache	8 MB	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	11 MB	32 MB
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	14 nm
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	78 °C
Maximum frequency	3.20 GHz	2.7 GHz
Number of cores	8	16
Number of threads	16	32
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 GB/s	307/341 GB/s
Maximum memory size	1 TB
Supported memory frequency	2400 MHz	2400/2666 MHz
Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR4
Compatibility
Sockets supported	FCLGA3647	TR4
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	85 Watt	155/170 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	2S
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Mode-based Execute Control (MBE)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
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® Volume Management Device (VMD)
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™)