Xeon Gold 6538N vs i9-9920X
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6538N outperforms Core i9-9920X by an impressive 78% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 420 | 163 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 5.12 | 21.61 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 9.09 | 13.05 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2019) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 8 October 2018 (6 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,189 | $3,351 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon Gold 6538N has 322% better value for money than i9-9920X.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-9920X 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 | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 24 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.5 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 35 | no data |
| L1 cache | 768 KB | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 12 MB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 19.25 MB (shared) | 60 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 484 mm2 | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 92 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 85 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-9920X 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 | FCLGA2066 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 205 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2666 | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85.33 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 44 | 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 | 16.44 | 29.34 |
| Recency | 8 October 2018 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 32 |
| Threads | 24 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 165 Watt | 205 Watt |
i9-9920X has 24.2% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6538N, on the other hand, has a 78.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, and 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6538N is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i9-9920X in performance tests.
Note that Core i9-9920X is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6538N is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-9920X and Xeon Gold 6538N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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