EPYC 7742 vs Xeon Platinum 8256

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	732	46
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.88	3.33
Market segment	Server	Server
Series	Intel Xeon Platinum	AMD EPYC
Power efficiency	9.53	18.45
Architecture codename	Cascade Lake-SP (2018−2019)	Zen 2 (2017−2020)
Release date	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)	7 August 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$7,007	$6,950

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

EPYC 7742 has 77% better value for money than Xeon Platinum 8256.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742 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	4 (Quad-Core)	64 (Tetrahexaconta-Core)
Threads	8	128
Base clock speed	3.8 GHz	2.25 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	3.4 GHz
Multiplier	38	22.5
L1 cache	256 KB	4 MB
L2 cache	4 MB	32 MB
L3 cache	16.5 MB (shared)	256 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm, 14 nm
Die size	no data	192 mm2
Maximum core temperature	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	8,000 million	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742 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	8 (Multiprocessor)	2 (Multiprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA3647	TR4
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	225 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742. 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	+	+
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	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Precision Boost 2	no data	+
Deep Learning Boost	+	-

Security technologies

Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742 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 Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2933	DDR4 Eight-channel
Maximum memory size	1 TB	4 TiB
Max memory channels	6	8
Maximum memory bandwidth	140.8 GB/s	204.763 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

N/A

no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	48	no data

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.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	10.77	44.69
Recency	2 April 2019	7 August 2019
Physical cores	4	64
Threads	8	128
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	105 Watt	225 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Platinum 8256 and EPYC 7742, 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.

---