Xeon Gold 6542Y vs i9-12900KF

VS

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking186not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation37.23no data
Market segmentDesktop processorServer
SeriesIntel Core i9no data
Power efficiency19.60no data
Architecture codenameAlder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)Emerald Rapids (2023)
Release date27 October 2021 (3 years ago)14 December 2023 (less than a year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$564$2,878

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i9-12900KF 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 cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)24 (Tetracosa-Core)
Threads2448
Base clock speed3.2 GHz2.9 GHz
Boost clock speed5.2 GHz4.1 GHz
Bus typeDMI 4.0no data
Bus rate8 × 16 GT/sno data
Multiplier32no data
L1 cache768 KB80 KB (per core)
L2 cache4 MB2 MB (per core)
L3 cache6 MB60 MB (shared)
Chip lithographyIntel 7 nmIntel 7 nm
Die size215.25 mm22x 763 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °C83 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+no data
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-12900KF 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 configuration12
SocketFCLGA1700FCLGA4677
Power consumption (TDP)125 Watt250 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shift++
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX-+
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0+no data
Deep Learning Boost++

Security technologies

Core i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDB++
Secure Key+no data
SGXno dataYes with Intel® SPS
OS Guard++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-12900KF 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 i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR5-4800, DDR4-3200DDR5-5200
Maximum memory size128 GB4 TB
Max memory channels28
Maximum memory bandwidth76.805 GB/sno data
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataN/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y.

PCIe version5.0 and 4.05.0
PCI Express lanes2080

Pros & cons summary


Recency 27 October 2021 14 December 2023
Physical cores 16 24
Threads 24 48
Power consumption (TDP) 125 Watt 250 Watt

i9-12900KF 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 i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y. We've got no test results to judge.

Note that Core i9-12900KF is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6542Y is a server/workstation one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-12900KF and Xeon Gold 6542Y, 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.


Intel Core i9-12900KF
Core i9-12900KF
Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
Xeon Gold 6542Y

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4 540 votes

Rate Core i9-12900KF on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
5 1 vote

Rate Xeon Gold 6542Y on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i9-12900KF or Xeon Gold 6542Y, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.