Ryzen Threadripper 9980X vs Xeon 6521P
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen Threadripper 9980X outperforms Xeon 6521P by a whopping 154% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 121 | 6 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 6.20 | no data |
| Designer | Intel | AMD |
| Manufacturer | no data | TSMC |
| Architecture codename | no data | Shimada Peak (2025) |
| Release date | 1 January 2025 (less than a year ago) | July 2025 |
Detailed specifications
Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X 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 | 24 (Tetracosa-Core) | 64 (Tetrahexaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 48 | 128 |
| Base clock speed | 2.6 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 5.4 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 144 MB | 256 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | Intel 3 nm | 4 nm |
| Die size | no data | 8x 70.6 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 82 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 66,520 million |
| 64 bit support | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X 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 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA4710 | sTR5 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 225 Watt | 350 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512, Intel® AMX | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | - |
Security technologies
Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| SGX | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X 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 Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5(6400MT/s) | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 4 TB | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon 6521P and Ryzen Threadripper 9980X.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 136 | 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.
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. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 36.06 | 91.73 |
| Physical cores | 24 | 64 |
| Threads | 48 | 128 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 225 Watt | 350 Watt |
Xeon 6521P has 55.6% lower power consumption.
Ryzen Threadripper 9980X, on the other hand, has a 154.4% higher aggregate performance score, and 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Xeon 6521P in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon 6521P is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen Threadripper 9980X is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
