Ryzen Threadripper 2920X vs Xeon E5-2697A v4
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen Threadripper 2920X outperforms Xeon E5-2697A v4 by a moderate 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 549 | 424 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.71 | 9.61 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon E5 | AMD Ryzen Threadripper |
| Power efficiency | 8.89 | 8.40 |
| Architecture codename | Broadwell (2015−2019) | ZEN+ (2018−2019) |
| Release date | 20 June 2016 (8 years ago) | 3 October 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $2,891 | $649 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen Threadripper 2920X has 255% better value for money than Xeon E5-2697A v4.
Detailed specifications
Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X 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) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 32 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | 2.6 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Bus type | QPI | no data |
| Bus rate | 2 × 9.6 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | 26 | 35 |
| L1 cache | no data | 96K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 4 MB | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 40 MB | 32 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 12 nm |
| Die size | 456.12 mm2 | 213 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 78 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 7200 Million | 19,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | SP3r2 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 145 Watt | 180 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX2 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Flex Memory Access | - | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | + | no data |
| PAE | 46 Bit | no data |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-1600, DDR4-1866, DDR4-2133, DDR4-2400 | DDR4 Quad-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 1.5 TB | 2 TiB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 76.8 GB/s | 93.867 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | no data |
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.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.62 | 15.97 |
| Recency | 20 June 2016 | 3 October 2018 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 12 |
| Threads | 32 | 24 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 12 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 145 Watt | 180 Watt |
Xeon E5-2697A v4 has 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads, and 24.1% lower power consumption.
Ryzen Threadripper 2920X, on the other hand, has a 17.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and a 16.7% more advanced lithography process.
The Ryzen Threadripper 2920X is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon E5-2697A v4 in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon E5-2697A v4 is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen Threadripper 2920X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon E5-2697A v4 and Ryzen Threadripper 2920X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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