A8-6600K vs Xeon E5-2420 v2

Primary details

Comparing Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1306	1839
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.81	0.47
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	no data	AMD A-Series (Desktop)
Architecture codename	Ivy Bridge-EN (2013)	Richland (2013−2014)
Release date	1 September 2013 (10 years ago)	1 June 2013 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$480	$142
Current price	$72 (0.2x MSRP)	$58 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon E5-2420 v2 has 72% better value for money than A8-6600K.

Detailed specifications

Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K 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	6 (Hexa-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	12	4
Base clock speed	2.2 GHz	3.9 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.7 GHz	4.2 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	192 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	4096 KB
L3 cache	15 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Die size	160 mm2	246 mm2
Maximum core temperature	76 °C	74 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	74 °C
Number of transistors	1,400 million	1,178 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K 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	2	1
Socket	FCLGA1356	FM2
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	100 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	1
FMA	no data	FMA4
AVX	+	AVX
PowerTune	no data	-
TrueAudio	no data	-
PowerNow	no data	+
PowerGating	no data	+
Out-of-band client management	no data	-
VirusProtect	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	+	no data
PAE	46 Bit	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
Identity Protection	-	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K are enumerated here.

AMD-V	no data	+
VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data
IOMMU 2.0	no data	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3-1866
Maximum memory size	384 GB	no data
Max memory channels	3	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.4 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	AMD Radeon HD 8570D
Number of pipelines	no data	256
Enduro	no data	+
Switchable graphics	no data	1
UVD	no data	+
VCE	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K integrated GPUs.

DisplayPort	no data	+
HDMI	no data	+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX

no data

DirectX® 11

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	24	no data

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.

Xeon E5-2420 v2 outperforms A8-6600K by 111% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	4.11	1.95
Recency	1 September 2013	1 June 2013
Physical cores	6	4
Threads	12	4
Cost	$480	$142
Chip lithography	22 nm	32 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	80 Watt	100 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2420 v2 and A8-6600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.

---