Xeon E-2478 vs Gold 6438N
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6438N outperforms Xeon E-2478 by an impressive 77% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 116 | 312 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 25.41 | 82.50 |
| Market segment | Server | Server |
| Power efficiency | 15.34 | 22.22 |
| Architecture codename | Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) | Raptor Lake-S (2023−2024) |
| Release date | 10 January 2023 (1 year ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $3,351 | $568 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon E-2478 has 225% better value for money than Xeon Gold 6438N.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478 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 | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 64 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 2 GHz | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 5.2 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 16 GT/s |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 2 MB (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 60 MB | 24 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | Intel 7 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | no data | 257 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 85 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478 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 | 1 |
| Socket | FCLGA4677 | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | - |
Security technologies
Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| SGX | Yes with Intel® SPS | no data |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5-4800, DDR5-4400 | DDR5-4800 |
| Maximum memory size | 4 TB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 8 | 2 |
| ECC memory support | + | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478.
| PCIe version | 5 | 5 |
| PCI Express lanes | 80 | 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 34.49 | 19.49 |
| Recency | 10 January 2023 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 32 | 8 |
| Threads | 64 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 80 Watt |
Xeon Gold 6438N has a 77% higher aggregate performance score, and 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads.
Xeon E-2478, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 11 months, and 156.3% lower power consumption.
The Xeon Gold 6438N is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E-2478 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6438N and Xeon E-2478, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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