i7-12700KF vs Xeon Gold 5218

VS

Aggregate performance score

Xeon Gold 5218
2019
16 cores / 32 threads, 125 Watt
13.89
Core i7-12700KF
2021
12 cores / 20 threads, 125 Watt
22.02
+58.5%

Core i7-12700KF outperforms Xeon Gold 5218 by an impressive 59% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking541243
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation14.8042.19
Market segmentServerDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Xeon GoldIntel Core i7
Power efficiency10.3216.36
Architecture codenameCascade Lake (2019−2020)Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)
Release date2 April 2019 (5 years ago)27 October 2021 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,273$384

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-12700KF has 185% better value for money than Xeon Gold 5218.

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF 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)
Threads3220
Base clock speed2.3 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz5 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0DMI 4.0
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s8 × 16 GT/s
Multiplier2336
L1 cache1 MB384 KB
L2 cache16 MB2 MB
L3 cache22 MB1 MB
Chip lithography14 nmIntel 7 nm
Die sizeno data215.25 mm2
Maximum core temperature87 °C100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplier-+

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF 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)1
SocketFCLGA3647FCLGA1700
Power consumption (TDP)125 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)++
Speed Shift++
Turbo Boost Technology2.02.0
Hyper-Threading Technology++
TSX+-
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0-+
Deep Learning Boost++

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB++
Secure Keyno data+
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF 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 i7-12700KF. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-2667DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Maximum memory size1 TB128 GB
Max memory channels62
Maximum memory bandwidth128.001 GB/s76.805 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF.

PCIe version3.05.0 and 4.0
PCI Express lanes4820

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 13.89
i7-12700KF 22.02
+58.5%

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
i7-12700KF 34329
+58.6%

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.

Xeon Gold 5218 1157
i7-12700KF 2541
+120%

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.

Xeon Gold 5218 8111
i7-12700KF 13717
+69.1%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 13.89 22.02
Recency 2 April 2019 27 October 2021
Physical cores 16 12
Threads 32 20

Xeon Gold 5218 has 33.3% more physical cores and 60% more threads.

i7-12700KF, on the other hand, has a 58.5% higher aggregate performance score, and an age advantage of 2 years.

The Core i7-12700KF is our recommended choice as it beats the Xeon Gold 5218 in performance tests.

Be aware that Xeon Gold 5218 is a server/workstation processor while Core i7-12700KF is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5218 and Core i7-12700KF, 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 Xeon Gold 5218
Xeon Gold 5218
Intel Core i7-12700KF
Core i7-12700KF

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.


3.4 22 votes

Rate Xeon Gold 5218 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.3 1135 votes

Rate Core i7-12700KF on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Xeon Gold 5218 or Core i7-12700KF, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.