Apple M2 Pro vs Xeon Gold 5218

Aggregate performance score

Xeon Gold 5218
2019
16 cores / 32 threads, 125 Watt
13.63
Apple M2 Pro
2023
12 cores / 12 threads, 2424 Watt
13.70
+0.5%

Apple M2 Pro outperforms Xeon Gold 5218 by a minimal 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking540537
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation14.70no data
Market segmentServerLaptop
SeriesIntel Xeon GoldApple Apple M-Series
Power efficiency10.32no data
Architecture codenameCascade Lake (2019−2020)no data
Release date2 April 2019 (5 years ago)17 January 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,273no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro 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)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads3212
Base clock speed2.3 GHz2.424 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz3.5 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0no data
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/sno data
Multiplier23no data
L1 cache1 MB3.3 MB
L2 cache16 MB36 MB
L3 cache22 MB24 MB
Chip lithography14 nm5 nm
Maximum core temperature87 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data40000 Million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+no data

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro 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 configuration4 (Multiprocessor)no data
SocketFCLGA3647no data
Power consumption (TDP)125 Watt2424 ‑ 3504 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512no data
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Speed Shift+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
TSX+-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0-no data
Deep Learning Boost+-

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro are enumerated here.

VT-d+no data
VT-x+no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-2667no data
Maximum memory size1 TBno data
Max memory channels6no data
Maximum memory bandwidth128.001 GB/sno data
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataApple M2 Pro 19-Core GPU

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro.

PCIe version3.0no data
PCI Express lanes48no 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.

Xeon Gold 5218 13.63
Apple M2 Pro 13.70
+0.5%

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.

Xeon Gold 5218 21651
Apple M2 Pro 21754
+0.5%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 13.63 13.70
Recency 2 April 2019 17 January 2023
Physical cores 16 12
Threads 32 12
Chip lithography 14 nm 5 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 125 Watt 2424 Watt

Xeon Gold 5218 has 33.3% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads, and 1839.2% lower power consumption.

Apple M2 Pro, on the other hand, has a 0.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, and a 180% more advanced lithography process.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro.

Be aware that Xeon Gold 5218 is a server/workstation processor while Apple M2 Pro is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5218 and Apple M2 Pro, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Xeon Gold 5218
Xeon Gold 5218
Apple M2 Pro
M2 Pro

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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