Ryzen 9 9950X vs Xeon Platinum 9221
Primary details
Comparing Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | not rated | 58 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 61.35 |
| Market segment | Server | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Xeon Platinum | no data |
| Power efficiency | no data | 23.26 |
| Architecture codename | Cascade Lake-AP (2019) | Granite Ridge (2024) |
| Release date | 2 April 2019 (5 years ago) | 15 August 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $649 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X 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 | 32 (Dotriaconta-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 64 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 2.3 GHz | 4.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 5.7 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 21 | no data |
| L1 cache | 2 MB | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 32 MB | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 71.5 MB (shared) | 64 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 4 nm |
| Die size | no data | 2x 70.6 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 95 °C |
| Number of transistors | 8,000 million | 16,630 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X 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 | 8 | 1 |
| Socket | Intel BGA5903 | AM5 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 170 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® AVX-512 | SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-2933 | DDR5 |
| Maximum memory size | 2 TiB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 12 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 281.6 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | AMD Radeon Graphics |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 24 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 2 April 2019 | 15 August 2024 |
| Physical cores | 32 | 16 |
| Threads | 64 | 32 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 4 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 170 Watt |
Xeon Platinum 9221 has 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.
Ryzen 9 9950X, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 5 years, a 250% more advanced lithography process, and 47.1% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Xeon Platinum 9221 is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 9950X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Xeon Platinum 9221 and Ryzen 9 9950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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