Xeon Gold 6526Y vs Apple M3 Max 16-Core
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6526Y outperforms Apple M3 Max 16-Core by a moderate 12% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 194 | 155 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 56.09 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Server |
| Series | Apple M3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 31.38 | 14.06 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) | 14 December 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $1,517 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 37.5 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | no data | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 82 °C |
| Number of transistors | 92000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y 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) | 78 Watt | 195 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y. 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
M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y 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 M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y 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 M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-5200 |
| 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 M3 Max 40-Core GPU | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y.
| 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 | 25.86 | 28.97 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 14 December 2023 |
| Threads | 16 | 32 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 78 Watt | 195 Watt |
Apple M3 Max 16-Core has 150% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6526Y, on the other hand, has a 12% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 month, and 100% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6526Y is our recommended choice as it beats the M3 Max 16-Core in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M3 Max 16-Core is a notebook processor while Xeon Gold 6526Y is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Xeon Gold 6526Y, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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