Xeon Gold 6538N vs i7-2657M
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6538N outperforms Core i7-2657M by a whopping 2755% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2464 | 164 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 21.90 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 5.51 | 13.05 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 3 January 2011 (13 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $317 | $3,351 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N 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 | 2 (Dual-core) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 1.6 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 16 | no data |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512 KB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 4 MB | 60 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 149 mm2 | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 85 °C |
| Number of transistors | 624 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N 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 | 1 (Uniprocessor) | 2 |
| Socket | FCBGA1023 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 17 Watt | 205 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | + | - |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| My WiFi | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | + | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| FDI | + | no data |
| Fast Memory Access | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
| Anti-Theft | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333 | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 8.01 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 21.335 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel HD Graphics 3000 | N/A |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 2 | no data |
| eDP | + | no data |
| DisplayPort | + | - |
| HDMI | + | - |
| SDVO | + | no data |
| CRT | + | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 80 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.99 | 28.26 |
| Recency | 3 January 2011 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 32 |
| Threads | 4 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 17 Watt | 205 Watt |
i7-2657M has 1105.9% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6538N, on the other hand, has a 2754.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 12 years, and 1500% more physical cores and 1500% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6538N is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2657M in performance tests.
Be aware that Core i7-2657M is a notebook processor while Xeon Gold 6538N is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-2657M and Xeon Gold 6538N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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