Ryzen 9 9900X vs Xeon Gold 6538N
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 9 9900X outperforms Xeon Gold 6538N by a significant 22% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 163 | 108 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 21.61 | 63.88 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 13.05 | 27.19 |
| Architecture codename | Emerald Rapids (2023) | Granite Ridge (2024) |
| Release date | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) | 15 August 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $3,351 | $499 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 9 9900X has 196% better value for money than Xeon Gold 6538N.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X 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) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 64 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | 2.1 GHz | 4.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 5.6 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 2 MB (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 60 MB (shared) | 64 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | Intel 7 nm | 4 nm |
| Die size | 2x 763 mm2 | 2x 70.6 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 95 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 85 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 16,630 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X 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 | AM5 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 120 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X. 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 | SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | - |
Security technologies
Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| SGX | Yes with Intel® SPS | no data |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5-5200 | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 4 TB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 8 | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | AMD Radeon Graphics |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 80 | 24 |
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 | 29.34 | 35.78 |
| Recency | 14 December 2023 | 15 August 2024 |
| Physical cores | 32 | 12 |
| Threads | 64 | 24 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 120 Watt |
Xeon Gold 6538N has 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
Ryzen 9 9900X, on the other hand, has a 21.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 months, and 70.8% lower power consumption.
The Ryzen 9 9900X is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon Gold 6538N in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon Gold 6538N is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 9900X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6538N and Ryzen 9 9900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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