Core i5-6600K vs Xeon Gold 6242
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6242 outperforms i5-6600K by a whopping 316% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 351 | 1344 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 7.43 | 0.75 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon Gold | Intel Core i5 (Desktop) |
| Architecture codename | Cascade Lake (2019−2020) | Skylake (2015−2016) |
| Release date | 2 April 2019 (5 years ago) | 5 August 2015 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $2,529 | $242 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon Gold 6242 has 891% better value for money than i5-6600K.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 32 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.8 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus support | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 1 MB | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 16 MB | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 22 MB | 6 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 122 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 85 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | Yes |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K 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 | 4 (Multiprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | Socket P | FCLGA1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 91 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| TSX | + | + |
Security technologies
Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2933 | DDR3, DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 1 TiB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 6 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 140.8 GB/s | 34.134 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel HD Graphics 530 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K.
| PCIe version | no data | 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.
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 Gold 6242 outperforms Core i5-6600K by 316% 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%
Xeon Gold 6242 outperforms Core i5-6600K by 316% in Passmark.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 17.00 | 4.09 |
| Recency | 2 April 2019 | 5 August 2015 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 4 |
| Threads | 32 | 4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 91 Watt |
Xeon Gold 6242 has a 315.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, and 300% more physical cores and 700% more threads.
i5-6600K, on the other hand, has 64.8% lower power consumption.
The Xeon Gold 6242 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-6600K in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon Gold 6242 is a server/workstation processor while Core i5-6600K is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i5-6600K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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