Xeon Gold 6530 vs Apple M2 Max
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6530 outperforms Apple M2 Max by a whopping 146% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 394 | 59 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 56.60 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Server |
| Series | Apple M-Series | no data |
| Power efficiency | 20.13 | 14.46 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 17 January 2023 (1 year ago) | 14 December 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $2,128 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 2.424 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4 GHz |
| L1 cache | 3.3 MB | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 36 MB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 48 MB | 160 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | no data | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 74 °C |
| Number of transistors | 67000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 2 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 79 Watt | 270 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5 @ 4800 MT/s (1 DPC) |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 8 |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530.
| PCIe version | no data | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 80 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 16.80 | 41.26 |
| Recency | 17 January 2023 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 32 |
| Threads | 12 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 79 Watt | 270 Watt |
Apple M2 Max has 241.8% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6530, on the other hand, has a 145.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 months, and 166.7% more physical cores and 433.3% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6530 is our recommended choice as it beats the M2 Max in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M2 Max is a notebook processor while Xeon Gold 6530 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M2 Max and Xeon Gold 6530, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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