Xeon Gold 6421N vs Ryzen 9 5950X
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6421N outperforms Ryzen 9 5950X by a significant 29% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 159 | 90 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 26.57 | 44.73 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | AMD Ryzen 9 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 25.88 | 18.94 |
| Architecture codename | Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) | Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) |
| Release date | 5 November 2020 (4 years ago) | 10 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $799 | $2,368 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon Gold 6421N has 68% better value for money than Ryzen 9 5950X.
Detailed specifications
Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N 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) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 32 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 3.4 GHz | 1.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.9 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Multiplier | 34 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 80K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512K (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 64 MB | 60 MB |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm, 12 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | CPU cores: 2x 80.7 sq. mm., I/O: 125 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 95 °C | 85 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N 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 | 1 |
| Socket | AM4 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 185 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA | 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 | - | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N 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 Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 | DDR5-4400 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.196 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N.
| PCIe version | 4.0 | 5 |
| 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 | 28.71 | 37.02 |
| Recency | 5 November 2020 | 10 January 2023 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 32 |
| Threads | 32 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 105 Watt | 185 Watt |
Ryzen 9 5950X has 76.2% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6421N, on the other hand, has a 28.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6421N is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 9 5950X in performance tests.
Note that Ryzen 9 5950X is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6421N is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 5950X and Xeon Gold 6421N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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