Atom C3958 vs Xeon Silver 4208

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	920	1612
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	23.52	0.60
Market segment	Server	Server
Series	Intel Xeon Silver	Intel Atom
Architecture codename	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)	Goldmont (2016−2017)
Release date	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)	15 August 2017 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$417	$449
Current price	$254 (0.6x MSRP)	$740 (1.6x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Xeon Silver 4208 has 3820% better value for money than Atom C3958.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958 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	8 (Octa-Core)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads	16	16
Base clock speed	2.1 GHz	2 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	2 GHz
L1 cache	512 KB	896 KB
L2 cache	8 MB	16 MB
L3 cache	11 MB	16 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Maximum core temperature	78 °C	83 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958 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 (Multiprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA3647	FCBGA1310
Power consumption (TDP)	85 Watt	31 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958. 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)	+	+
QuickAssist	no data	+
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	-
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	-
TSX	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Status	Launched	Launched

Security technologies

Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Boot	no data	+
Secure Key	no data	+
SGX	no data	-
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2400	DDR4: 2400
Maximum memory size	1 TB	256 GB
Max memory channels	6	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	115.212 GB/s	38.397 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958.

PCIe version	3.0	3
PCI Express lanes	48	16
USB revision	no data	3
Total number of SATA ports	no data	16
Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports	no data	16
Number of USB ports	no data	8
Integrated LAN	no data	4x10/2.5/1 GBE

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 Silver 4208 outperforms Atom C3958 by 164% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	7.31	2.77
Recency	2 April 2019	15 August 2017
Physical cores	8	16
Cost	$417	$449
Power consumption (TDP)	85 Watt	31 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Silver 4208 and Atom C3958, 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.

---