Core i7-870 vs Xeon Gold 6242

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	349	1831
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	7.53	0.95
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon Gold	no data
Architecture codename	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)	Lynnfield (2009−2010)
Release date	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)	September 2009 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$2,529	$305
Current price	$2473 (1x MSRP)	$88 (0.3x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Gold 6242 has 693% better value for money than i7-870.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870 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	8
Base clock speed	2.8 GHz	2.93 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3.6 GHz
Bus support	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	1 MB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	16 MB	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	22 MB	8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Die size	no data	296 mm2
Maximum core temperature	85 °C	73 °C
Number of transistors	no data	774 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870 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	FCLGA1156,LGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870. 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® SSE4.2
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	no data
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	1.0
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	+
TSX	+	no data
Idle States	no data	+
Thermal Monitoring	no data	-
Demand Based Switching	no data	-
PAE	no data	36 Bit
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Status	Launched	Discontinued

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	+
EDB	+	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2933	DDR3
Maximum memory size	1 TB	16 GB
Max memory channels	6	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	140.8 GB/s	21 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870.

PCIe version	3.0	2.0
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 i7-870 by 742% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	17.00	2.02
Physical cores	16	4
Threads	32	8
Cost	$2529	$305
Chip lithography	14 nm	45 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	95 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6242 and Core i7-870, 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.

---