Xeon Gold 6538N vs i3-8120
Primary details
Comparing Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 164 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 21.88 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | no data | 13.04 |
| Architecture codename | Coffee Lake (2017−2019) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 1 September 2018 (6 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $3,351 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N 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) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 256 KB | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 60 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 126 mm2 | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 85 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N 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 | 1 (Uniprocessor) | 2 |
| Socket | 1151 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 51 Watt | 205 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Dual-channel | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 38.397 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 80 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 1 September 2018 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 32 |
| Threads | 4 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 51 Watt | 205 Watt |
i3-8120 has 302% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6538N, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 5 years, and 700% more physical cores and 1500% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i3-8120 is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6538N is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8120 and Xeon Gold 6538N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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