i5-12600KF vs Xeon Gold 5218

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	517	345
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	18.86	48.92
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Xeon Gold	Intel Core i5
Architecture codename	Cascade Lake (2019−2020)	Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date	2 April 2019 (5 years ago)	27 October 2021 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,273	$264

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-12600KF has 159% better value for money than Xeon Gold 5218.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF 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)	10 (Deca-Core)
Threads	32	16
Base clock speed	2.3 GHz	3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	4.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	DMI 4.0
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplier	23	37
L1 cache	1 MB	384 KB
L2 cache	16 MB	9.5 MB
L3 cache	22 MB	2 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	Intel 7 nm
Die size	no data	215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature	87 °C	100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	72 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	-	+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF 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	4 (Multiprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA3647	FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)	125 Watt	125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
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	-	+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	-
Status	Launched	Launched
Deep Learning Boost	+	+

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	+
Secure Key	no data	+
OS Guard	no data	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	+
VT-x	+	+
EPT	+	+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2667	DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size	1 TB	128 GB
Max memory channels	6	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	128.001 GB/s	76.805 GB/s
ECC memory support	+	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF.

PCIe version	3.0	5.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes	48	20

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.

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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.

Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	14.26	18.07
Recency	2 April 2019	27 October 2021
Physical cores	16	10
Threads	32	16

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Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i5-12600KF, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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