Amd epyc vs xeon: the fight for the best server processor

AMD EPYC

First, we start with the product that has made this confrontation possible: the EPYC processor. We say this because there would be no battle without the emergence of AMD, it would be an Intel monopoly in that regard.

First generation (Naples)

So far, AMD offers its two generations of EPYC processors . The first is characterized by 14 processors ranging from 8 cores and 16 threads, to 32 cores and 64 threads. The launch of this generation was a blow to the table by AMD, which occurred in March June 2017 and in the middle of 2018.

They follow Zen architecture and are manufactured at a 14nm node by GlobalFoundries. Its socket would be SP3, especially for servers. We leave a table for you to see what models this generation has.

Model	Socket configuration	Cores (threads)	Frequency (GHz)	Cache	PCIe lines	Memory support	TDP	Price output	Release date
Base	Turbo	L2	L3
EPYC 7351P	1 P	16 (32)	2.4	2.9	16 x 512 kb	64 MB	128	2666 MHz	170 W	€ 750	June 2017
EPYC 7401P	24 (48)	2.0	3.0	24 x 512 kb		€ 1075
EPYC 7551P	32 (64)	3.0	32 x 512 kb	180 W	€ 2, 100
EPYC 7251	2 P	8 (16)	2.1	2.9	8 x 512 kb	32 MB	2400 MHz	120 W	€ 475
EPYC 7261	2.5	64 MB	2666 MHz	170 W	€ 700	Mid 2018
EPYC 7281	16 (32)	2.1	2.7	16 x 512 kb	32 MB	650 €	June 2017
EPYC 7301	2.2	64 MB	€ 800
EPYC 7351	2.4	2.9	€ 1, 100
EPYC 7371	3.1	3.8	€ 1, 550
EPYC 7401	24 (48)	2.0	3.0	24 x 512 kb	180 W	€ 1, 850	End 2018
EPYC 7451	2.3	3.2	170 W	€ 2, 400	June 2017
EPYC 7501	32 (64	2.0	3.0	32 x 512 kb	180 W	€ 3, 400
EPYC 7551	2.0	170 W	€ 3, 400
EPYC 7551P	2.2	3.2	180 W	€ 4, 200

Second generation (Rome)

Its release took place on August 7, 2019 and they assemble the Zen 2 architecture (which was launched in November 2018), which means that its manufacturing process is 7nm and it was manufactured by TSMC. The performance improvement over the previous generation is more than remarkable. We see processors with 48 and 64 cores, as with 96 and 128 threads.

The SP3 socket was still maintained , but all processors would support DDR4 memory of up to 3200 MHz. All processors were released on August 7, but the latest processor of this generation is 7H12, which was introduced on September 18, 2019. Let's go with the table.

Model	Socket configuration	Cores (threads)	Frequency (GHz)	Cache	TDP	Starting price
Base	Turbo	L2	L3
EPYC 7232P	1 P	8 (16)	3.1	3.2	8 X 512 kb	32	120 W	€ 450
EPYC 7302P	16 (32)	3	3.3	16 X 512 kb	128	155 W	€ 825
EPYC 7402P	24 (48)	2.8	3.35	24 X 512 kb	180 W	€ 1, 250
EPYC 7502P	32 (64)	2.5	3.35	32 x 512 kb	€ 2, 300
EPYC 7702P	64 (128)	two	3.35	64 X 512	256	200 W	€ 4, 425
EPYC 7252	2 P	8 (16)	3.1	3.2	8 X 512 kb	64	120 W	€ 475
EPYC 7262	3.2	3.4	128	155 W	€ 575
EPYC 7272	12 (24)	2.9	3.2	12 X 512 kb	64	120 W	€ 625
EPYC 7282	16 (32)	2.8	3.2	16 X 512 kb	650 €
EPYC 7302	3	3.3	128	155 W	€ 978
EPYC 7352	24 (48)	2.3	3.2	24 X 512 kb	€ 1, 350
EPYC 7402	2.8	3.35	180 W	€ 1, 783
EPYC 7452	32 (64)	2.35	3.35	32 x 512 kb	155 W	€ 2025
EPYC 7502	2.5	3.35	180 W	€ 2, 600
EPYC 7542	2.9	3.4	225 W	€ 3, 400
EPYC 7552	48 (96)	2.2	3.3	48 X 512 kb	192	200 W	€ 4025
EPYC 7642	2.3	3.3	256	225 W	€ 4, 775
EPYC 7702	64 (128)	two	3.35	64 x 512 kb	200 W	€ 6, 450
EPYC 7742	2.25	3.4	225 W	€ 6, 950
EPYC 7H12	2.6	3.3	280 W

Intel Xeon Gold and Platinum

As for Intel Xeon, we have to go to the highest models in this range because the EPYC brute force is evident. Therefore, we will go to the Xeon Gold 6138 and Xeon Platinum 8280.

Both processors have a 14nm litho, but they have certain differences:

Xeon Gold belongs to Skylake's range of Xeon Scalable Processors . It was launched in the fall of 2017 for the server sector or multinational companies. Its socket is the FCLGA3647 Xeon Platinum, on the contrary, it belongs to Cascade Lake. In your case, it hit the market in early 2019 for the FCLGA3647 socket .

To go straight to their specifications, here is a table with them.

Name	Cores (threads)	Base frequency	Turbo boost	L3 cache	TDP	Socket	Memory	Starting price	Departure date
Xeon Platinum 8280	28 (56)	2.7 GHz	4.00 GHz	38.5 MB	205 W	FCLGA3647	6x DDR4-2933 MHz	€ 10, 009	April 2, 2019
Xeon Gold 6138	20 (40)	2.00 GHz	3.70 GHz	27.5 MB	125 W	FCLGA3647	6x DDR4-2666 MHz	€ 2, 612	July 11, 2017

We can see that the change from Zen to Zen 2 is much greater than from Skylake to Cascade Lake. But, let's stop talking and move on to assess the benchmarks.

EPYC vs Xeon

The time has come to face the processors, but we will not face all of course. Let's see who wins in this EPYC vs Xeon fight.

Benchmarks

We have compiled a series of benchmarks to illustrate how the EPYC vs. Xeon duel unfolds. When you see " 2 x " it will mean that they are two processors.

In the compilation of the Linux Kernel, the clear winner is the EPYC 7742 with 15.67 seconds, compared to the Xeon Platinum 8280. Remember that this time, the less late, the better processor it is.

The time has come for 1080p video encoding . As we can see in the graphics, the EPYC 7742 sweeps the enemy without discretion. Get more FPS.

The last test will be for Intel because the Xeon Platinum 8280 demonstrates great integrity, as better performance than its rivals.

Conclusion about EPYC vs Xeon

With the technical data in hand and the benchmarks exposed, this duel seems to have a winner: AMD EPYC. This has been shown by the facts, since here it does not happen as in the enthusiastic range, there is no need to do gaming tests.

Companies are advised by highly trained people in this regard. One of the biggest examples is Amazon and its contract with AMD EPYC for its AWS (Amazon Web Services) services. We are facing a fight that has not occurred in many years in the business sector and that will not have the same voice because consumers have nothing to do with it.

For those who think that we can Intel can lower the price of chips and thus continue selling… is a questionable opinion. These processors go directly to the servers or cloud services of companies that bill many millions of euros (or dollars) a year.

There would have to be an abysmal difference between the price of an Intel and the price of an AMD for companies to think twice. Still, the Platinum's starting price is more expensive than the best EPYC. This makes it even more ironic.

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To finish, you have to wait for what comes from Intel, but even more what comes from AMD. Given the problems that Intel has to decrease its lithography, AMD is going to bring chips with a 4nm node in Zen 3, when Intel is still at 14nm.

What do you think about this fight? Do you think that Intel will improve or that it will only make your situation worse because of AMD?

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