Xeon Gold 5420+ vs Gold 6256

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	123	78
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	13.25	no data
Market segment	Server	Server
Architecture codename	no data	Sapphire Rapids
Release date	1 January 2020 (4 years ago)	10 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Current price	$3724	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+ 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	12 (Dodeca-Core)	28 (Octacosa-Core)
Threads	24	56
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	2 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	4.1 GHz
L1 cache	no data	80K (per core)
L2 cache	no data	2 MB (per core)
L3 cache	33 MB	52.5 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	10 nm
Maximum core temperature	64 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	84 °C
64 bit support	-	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+ 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	no data	2
Socket	FCLGA3647	4677
Power consumption (TDP)	205 Watt	205 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+. 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	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	no data	+
vPro	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Status	Launched	no data

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+ 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 Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+ are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2933	DDR5-4400
Maximum memory size	1 TB	no data
Max memory channels	6	no data
ECC memory support	+	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0
PCI Express lanes	48	80

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.

Gold 5420+ outperforms Gold 6256 by 23% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	30.24	37.24
Recency	1 January 2020	10 January 2023
Physical cores	12	28
Threads	24	56
Chip lithography	14 nm	10 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6256 and Xeon Gold 5420+, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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