Xeon Platinum 8256 vs E5-2696 v4
Aggregate performance score
E5-2696 v4 outperforms Platinum 8256 by a considerable 48% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 394 | 670 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 5.66 | 0.23 |
| Market segment | Server | Server |
| Series | Intel Xeon E5 | Intel Xeon Platinum |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell (2015−2019) | Cascade Lake-SP (2019) |
| Release date | 20 June 2016 (8 years ago) | 11 December 2018 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $7,007 |
| Current price | $1265 | $12925 (1.8x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E5-2696 v4 has 2361% better value for money than Xeon Platinum 8256.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256 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 | 22 (Docosa-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 44 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus support | 2 × 9.6 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 5.5 MB | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 55 MB | 16.5 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 456.12 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 7200 Million | 8,000 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256 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 (Multiprocessor) | 8 (Multiprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA3647 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| Status | no data | Launched |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4-2933 |
| Maximum memory size | 1,536 GB | 1 TB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 6 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 140.8 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | + |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 48 |
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.
E5-2696 v4 outperforms Platinum 8256 by 48% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
E5-2696 v4 outperforms Platinum 8256 by 48% in Passmark.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 16.04 | 10.85 |
| Recency | 20 June 2016 | 11 December 2018 |
| Physical cores | 22 | 4 |
| Threads | 44 | 8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 105 Watt |
The Xeon E5-2696 v4 is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon Platinum 8256 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2696 v4 and Xeon Platinum 8256, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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