Apple M4 Max (16 cores) vs Xeon Gold 5420+
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 5420+ outperforms Apple M4 Max (16 cores) by a substantial 31% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores) processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 95 | 165 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 59.38 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Apple M4 |
| Power efficiency | 16.83 | 29.33 |
| Architecture codename | Sapphire Rapids (2023−2024) | no data |
| Release date | 10 January 2023 (1 year ago) | 30 October 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1,848 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores) 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 | 28 (Octacosa-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 56 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 2 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 4.51 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 2 MB (per core) | no data |
| L3 cache | 52.5 MB | no data |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 3 nm |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 84 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores) 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 | no data |
| Socket | 4677 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 90 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores). You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
Security technologies
Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores) technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores) are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores). Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5-4400 | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Apple M4 40-core GPU |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores).
| PCIe version | 5.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 80 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 36.65 | 28.04 |
| Recency | 10 January 2023 | 30 October 2024 |
| Physical cores | 28 | 16 |
| Threads | 56 | 16 |
| Chip lithography | 10 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 205 Watt | 90 Watt |
Xeon Gold 5420+ has a 30.7% higher aggregate performance score, and 75% more physical cores and 250% more threads.
Apple M4 Max (16 cores), on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, a 233.3% more advanced lithography process, and 127.8% lower power consumption.
The Xeon Gold 5420+ is our recommended choice as it beats the Apple M4 Max (16 cores) in performance tests.
Be aware that Xeon Gold 5420+ is a server/workstation processor while Apple M4 Max (16 cores) is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 5420+ and Apple M4 Max (16 cores), ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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