Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) vs Xeon Gold 6256

Place in the ranking	146	167
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Server	Desktop processor
Series	no data	Apple M4
Power efficiency	13.52	82.29
Release date	1 January 2020 (4 years ago)	30 October 2024 (less than a year ago)

Detailed specifications

Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 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	12 (Dodeca-Core)	12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads	24	12
Base clock speed	3.6 GHz	2.592 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.5 GHz	4.51 GHz
L2 cache	no data	4 MB
L3 cache	33 MB	no data
Chip lithography	14 nm	3 nm
Maximum core temperature	64 °C	no data
64 bit support	-	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data

Compatibility

Information on Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 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.

Socket	FCLGA3647	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	205 Watt	32 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores). 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	no data
AES-NI	+	-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Deep Learning Boost	+	-

Security technologies

Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) 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 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) 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 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores). Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2933	DDR5
Maximum memory size	1 TB	no data
Max memory channels	6	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

Apple M4 16-core GPU

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores).

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	48	no data

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	29.44	27.97
Recency	1 January 2020	30 October 2024
Threads	24	12
Chip lithography	14 nm	3 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	205 Watt	32 Watt

Xeon Gold 6256 has a 5.3% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

Apple M4 Pro (12 cores), on the other hand, has an age advantage of 4 years, a 366.7% more advanced lithography process, and 540.6% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores).

Be aware that Xeon Gold 6256 is a server/workstation processor while Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Gold 6256 and Apple M4 Pro (12 cores), ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.