CPU Comparison

Intel Xeon 6730P and AMD EPYC 7642 are both 97th-percentile server processors, yet they achieve near-identical average benchmark scores (124,756 vs. 124,006) through fundamentally different designs. The Intel part wins 13 of 17 head-to-head tests, while the AMD EPYC takes 4, with the overall delta between them sitting at just 0.6% in favor of the Xeon. This pairing is a study in architectural trade-offs: a newer, higher-clocked but lower-core-count Intel chip against an older, higher-core-count AMD part with a wider memory bus and superior cryptographic throughput.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Xeon 6730P is the clear winner for single-threaded and lightly threaded workloads, as well as for any task that stresses raw integer or floating-point execution per core. Its Cinebench single-core scores are consistently 26% higher than the EPYC 7642's, and the PassMark single-thread result is a decisive 46% ahead. Physics simulation is the largest single win for Intel, with an 68.8% advantage, indicating strong per-core efficiency in calculation-heavy tasks. The Xeon also dominates extended instruction set performance (39.7% ahead) and prime number finding (38.3% ahead), making it the better choice for scientific computing, simulation, and applications that rely on AVX-class instructions or tight loops.

The AMD EPYC 7642 wins in exactly the areas where its 48 cores and 96 threads can be marshaled against data-heavy, parallelizable workloads. Its data compression score is 4.8% higher than Intel's, and integer math shows a similar 4.8% edge. The most dramatic AMD win is data encryption, where it outperforms the Xeon by 35.2%, a huge margin that points to the EPYC's strength in cryptography and secure data handling. Random string sorting goes to AMD by a narrow 0.8%, indicating a slight edge in sorting algorithms. For workloads that are memory-bandwidth-bound or heavily threaded with large data sets, the EPYC 7642 holds the advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from opposite ends of the design spectrum. The Intel Xeon 6730P is built on Intel's 5 nm process using the Granite Rapids architecture, with a die size of 2x 598 mm². It packs 32 cores and 64 threads, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. Its cache hierarchy is notable for a massive 288 MB of shared L3 cache, with 2 MB of L2 per core and 112 KB of L1 per core. It supports DDR5 memory across an eight-channel bus, providing 409.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and features 88 PCIe Gen 5 lanes.

The AMD EPYC 7642 is a Zen 2 part from the Rome generation, manufactured by TSMC on a 7 nm process. It uses a chiplet design with a 74 mm² die size and 3,800 million transistors. It offers 48 cores and 96 threads, but clocks are lower: 2.40 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost. The cache configuration is smaller per core, 96 KB L1 and 512 KB L2, but the shared L3 is still substantial at 256 MB. Memory support is DDR4 on an eight-channel interface, which halves the theoretical bandwidth to 204.8 GB/s. It relies on PCIe Gen 4 rather than Gen 5. The Intel part launches in 2025, while the EPYC dates to 2019, a six-year gap that explains the process and memory generation differences.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is the consistency of Intel's Cinebench wins. Across all six Cinebench tests, R15, R20, and R23, both multi-core and single-core, the Xeon 6730P wins by 26% to 26.1%. The multi-core scores are 6,349 vs. 5,037 (R15), 26,458 vs. 20,989 (R20), and 62,996 vs. 49,975 (R23). Single-core results are similarly lopsided: 896 vs. 711 (R15), 3,735 vs. 2,963 (R20), and 8,893 vs. 7,055 (R23). This uniformity suggests that the Intel architecture's higher clocks and newer core design provide a consistent per-thread advantage that carries through every rendering workload.

The PassMark suite breaks the pattern. Intel wins floating point math by 24.7% (226,838 vs. 181,887) and multithread by 26.1% (74,113 vs. 58,795), but AMD counters in integer math with a 4.8% edge (305,303 vs. 290,740). The encryption test is where AMD runs away: 86,397 vs. 55,964, a 35.2% margin that is the largest any single benchmark produces in this comparison. Data compression also goes to AMD by 4.8% (1,195,584 vs. 1,138,470). The physics test shows Intel's dominance in a different light, 8,606 vs. 5,098 is a 68.8% gap, far larger than any other delta in the entire dataset. Random string sorting is nearly a tie, with AMD ahead by just 0.8% (114,871 vs. 113,919).

Specification Differences

The core count is the most obvious difference: 32 cores and 64 threads for the Xeon versus 48 cores and 96 threads for the EPYC. Clocks differ as well, with the Intel part offering a 0.10 GHz higher base clock and a 0.40 GHz higher boost clock. The process node favors Intel at 5 nm versus AMD's 7 nm, and the foundries differ (Intel vs. TSMC). Die size is massively different: the Xeon uses 2x 598 mm² while the EPYC uses a single 74 mm² die. Cache sizes vary per core, L1 is 112 KB vs. 96 KB, L2 is 2 MB vs. 512 KB, but the shared L3 is 288 MB for Intel versus 256 MB for AMD. Memory support is DDR5 for Intel and DDR4 for AMD, with the same eight-channel bus but a 409.6 GB/s versus 204.8 GB/s bandwidth gap. PCIe is Gen 5 with 88 lanes on the Intel side versus Gen 4 on the AMD side. The Xeon carries a 250 W TDP versus 225 W for the EPYC. The Xeon has a launch MSRP of $3726; the AMD part has no listed launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has higher single-thread performance?

A: The Intel Xeon 6730P wins every single-core benchmark. It leads by 26% in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 single-core tests, and by 46% in PassMark single-thread testing.

Q: Why does the AMD EPYC 7642 win the encryption benchmark?

A: The EPYC 7642 scores 86,397 in PassMark data encryption versus 55,964 for the Xeon, a 35.2% advantage. This suggests the AMD architecture has more efficient cryptographic instruction handling, despite its older Zen 2 design.

Q: How do they compare in overall average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Xeon 6730P has an average benchmark score of 124,756, while the AMD EPYC 7642 scores 124,006. The Xeon leads by 0.6% overall, placing both in the 97th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Xeon 6730P supports DDR5 across an eight-channel bus, providing 409.6 GB/s. The AMD EPYC 7642 uses DDR4 on the same eight-channel configuration, yielding 204.8 GB/s, exactly half the Intel part's bandwidth.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD EPYC 7642 has 48 cores and 96 threads. The Intel Xeon 6730P has 32 cores and 64 threads, giving the AMD part a 50% advantage in raw thread count.

Q: How large is the physics simulation performance gap?

A: The Intel Xeon 6730P scores 8,606 in PassMark physics, while the AMD EPYC 7642 scores 5,098. This is a 68.8% difference, the largest single-benchmark margin in this comparison.