Xeon Gold 6538N vs i7-980
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6538N outperforms Core i7-980 by a whopping 547% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1349 | 164 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.19 | 21.90 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Power efficiency | 3.18 | 13.05 |
| Architecture codename | Gulftown (2010−2011) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 26 June 2011 (13 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,109 | $3,351 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Xeon Gold 6538N has 11426% better value for money than i7-980.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-980 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 64 |
| Base clock speed | 3.33 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus rate | 4.8 GT/s | no data |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 12 MB (shared) | 60 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 239 mm2 | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 69 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 85 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,170 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-980 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 | 2 |
| Socket | FCLGA1366,LGA1366 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 205 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2 | 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 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 24 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | 3 | 8 |
| 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 Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 80 |
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 | 4.37 | 28.26 |
| Recency | 26 June 2011 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 32 |
| Threads | 12 | 64 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 205 Watt |
i7-980 has 57.7% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6538N, on the other hand, has a 546.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 12 years, and 433.3% more physical cores and 433.3% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6538N is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-980 in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-980 is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6538N is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-980 and Xeon Gold 6538N, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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