Xeon Gold 6421N vs Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6421N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	65	90
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	15.59	44.73
Market segment	Desktop processor	Server
Series	AMD Ryzen Threadripper	no data
Power efficiency	13.43	18.94
Architecture codename	Matisse (2019−2020)	Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024)
Release date	25 November 2019 (4 years ago)	10 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,999	$2,368

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 6421N has 187% better value for money than Ryzen Threadripper 3970X.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 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	32 (Dotriaconta-Core)	32 (Dotriaconta-Core)
Threads	64	64
Base clock speed	3.7 GHz	1.8 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	3.6 GHz
Bus rate	8 × 16 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	37	no data
L1 cache	96K (per core)	80K (per core)
L2 cache	512K (per core)	2 MB (per core)
L3 cache	128 MB	60 MB
Chip lithography	7 nm, 12 nm	Intel 7 nm
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	85 °C
Number of transistors	19,200 million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 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 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	TR4	FCLGA4677
Power consumption (TDP)	280 Watt	185 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6421N. 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	-	+
Precision Boost 2	+	no data
Deep Learning Boost	-	+

Security technologies

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 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 Threadripper 3970X 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 Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6421N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4 Eight-channel	DDR5-4400
Maximum memory size	256 GB	4 TB
Max memory channels	4	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	102.403 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6421N.

PCIe version	no data	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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	39.74	37.02
Recency	25 November 2019	10 January 2023
Power consumption (TDP)	280 Watt	185 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and Xeon Gold 6421N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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