i9-10900K vs Xeon Gold 5120

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	684	501
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	5.02	15.76
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon Gold	no data
Power efficiency	10.27	10.84
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Comet Lake (2020)
Release date	11 July 2017 (7 years ago)	30 April 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,555	$488

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i9-10900K has 214% better value for money than Xeon Gold 5120.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K 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	14 (Tetradeca-Core)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	28	20
Base clock speed	2.2 GHz	3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	5.2 GHz
Bus rate	no data	8 GT/s
Multiplier	22	no data
L1 cache	896 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	14 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	19.25 MB	20 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Die size	no data	206 mm2
Maximum core temperature	81 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K 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	4 (Multiprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA3647	FCLGA1200
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K. 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® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	2.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	-
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	-	+
SIPP	-	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	+

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
Identity Protection	-	+
SGX	no data	Yes with Intel® ME
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR4
Maximum memory size	768 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	6	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	115.212 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	no data	Intel UHD Graphics 630
Max video memory	no data	64 GB
Quick Sync Video	-	+
Clear Video	no data	+
Clear Video HD	no data	+
Graphics max frequency	no data	1.2 GHz
InTru 3D	no data	+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

3

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	no data	+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	4096 x 2160@30Hz
Max resolution over eDP	no data	4096 x 2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort	no data	4096 x 2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	12
OpenGL	no data	4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	48	16

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	11.40	14.32
Recency	11 July 2017	30 April 2020
Physical cores	14	10
Threads	28	20
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	125 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5120 and Core i9-10900K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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