Xeon Gold 6542Y vs i9-12900K
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 191 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 37.30 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 19.75 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 4 November 2021 (3 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $589 | $2,878 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 24 (Tetracosa-Core) |
| Threads | 24 | 48 |
| Base clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 2.9 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 5.2 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 4.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 8 × 16 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 32 | no data |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 30 MB (shared) | 60 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 215.25 mm2" | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | 83 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y 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 | FCLGA1700 | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 125 Watt | 250 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | + | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| SIPP | + | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | + |
Security technologies
Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | + |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4, DDR5 | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 8 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 76.805 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | N/A |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.55 GHz | no data |
| Execution Units | 32 | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 4 | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over eDP | 5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz | no data |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 12 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y.
| PCIe version | 5.0 and 4.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 20 | 80 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 4 November 2021 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 24 |
| Threads | 24 | 48 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 125 Watt | 250 Watt |
i9-12900K has 100% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6542Y, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, and 50% more physical cores and 100% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y. We've got no test results to judge.
Note that Core i9-12900K is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6542Y is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-12900K and Xeon Gold 6542Y, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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