AMD EPYC 9335 vs Intel Xeon 6780E Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data delivers a decisive outcome: the Intel Xeon 6780E wins 9 of 11 head-to-head tests, with the AMD EPYC 9335 claiming only 2. The margin of victory for Intel is often massive, particularly in workloads that scale with core count and memory bandwidth.

The largest single win for the Intel Xeon 6780E comes in the PassMark physics test, where it scores 10,951 versus the EPYC 9335's 1,905. That is a 474.9% advantage, a gap so wide it suggests the Intel part's 144 cores are being fully utilized in a way the 32-core AMD processor cannot match in this specific simulation workload. In data encryption, Intel again dominates, scoring 193,004 against AMD's 63,159, a 205.6% lead. Random string sorting shows a 180.4% advantage for Intel (326,954 vs. 116,608), indicating superior handling of memory-intensive, pointer-chasing operations.

In data compression, the Intel Xeon 6780E posts 2,557,582 versus the EPYC 9335's 1,203,096, a 112.6% improvement. Prime number finding follows a similar pattern: Intel scores 708, AMD scores 340, a 108.2% lead. Floating-point math sees Intel at 433,862 against AMD's 228,123, a 90.2% margin, while integer math shows an 85.3% advantage (641,817 vs. 346,291). Even in extended instructions, where the gap is smallest among Intel's wins, the Xeon 6780E leads by 7.9% (114,008 vs. 105,706).

The multi-threaded PassMark score, a broad measure of parallel throughput, favors Intel by 31.8% (86,734 vs. 65,811). This is a notable result because it shows that despite the EPYC 9335's higher boost clock (4.40 GHz vs. 3.00 GHz), the sheer core count of the Xeon 6780E (144 vs. 32) translates into a substantial overall throughput advantage.

The AMD EPYC 9335's only victories come in the single-thread tests. In both PassMark single-thread and singlethread benchmarks, AMD scores 2,732 versus Intel's 1,923, a 29.6% advantage. This is a significant margin, reflecting the Zen 5 architecture's higher per-core efficiency and the EPYC's superior clock speed. However, the database shows this advantage is confined to scalar, single-threaded execution.

It is also worth contextualizing these results within each processor's nearest rivals. The Intel Xeon 6780E has an average benchmark score of 280,438, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X, 1.8% behind the AMD EPYC 9565, and 2% behind the Intel Xeon 696X. The AMD EPYC 9335 averages 194,228, which is 0.3% behind the Intel Xeon 6741P, 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon 678X, and 3.5% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6740E. These figures suggest the Xeon 6780E sits in a higher performance tier overall, consistent with its 144-core design.

Where Each One Wins

The split between these two processors is clean and easy to characterize. The Intel Xeon 6780E wins every multi-threaded and throughput-oriented workload in the database. Its advantage ranges from a modest 7.9% in extended instructions to a staggering 474.9% in physics. The common thread is parallelism: workloads that can utilize many cores see the Xeon 6780E pull ahead by large margins. The data compression test, which is often memory-bandwidth sensitive, shows Intel at 2,557,582, and the multi-thread score of 86,734 reinforces this pattern.

The AMD EPYC 9335 wins where single-thread performance is paramount. Its 29.6% lead in both single-thread tests (2,732 vs. 1,923) is the only area where it outpaces Intel. This is typical of a lower-core-count, higher-clock processor. The EPYC 9335 also benefits from a lower TDP (210W vs. 330W) and a twelve-channel memory bus versus Intel's eight-channel, though the benchmark data does not directly measure power efficiency or bandwidth scaling.

For workload selection, the data suggests the Xeon 6780E is the choice for batch processing, database compression, encryption-heavy tasks, or any workload that can be parallelized across a large number of threads. The EPYC 9335 is better suited for latency-sensitive tasks, single-threaded applications, or environments where per-core performance is the bottleneck. The physics test result (474.9% delta) is an extreme example, but even the more moderate wins like integer math (85.3%) and floating-point math (90.2%) show that Intel's core-count strategy pays off broadly.

The Verdict

The verdict from the recorded data is unambiguous: the Intel Xeon 6780E is the superior processor for throughput-intensive server workloads. It wins 9 of 11 benchmarks, often by triple-digit percentages. Its 144 cores, 108 MB of shared L3 cache, and 409.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth combine to deliver an average benchmark score of 280,438, which is 44.4% higher than the EPYC 9335's 194,228. The Xeon 6780E also occupies the 99th percentile of all CPUs, as does the EPYC 9335, but the absolute scores place Intel firmly ahead in aggregate performance.

The AMD EPYC 9335 is the better choice only when single-thread performance is the primary criterion. Its 4.40 GHz boost clock and Zen 5 architecture deliver a 29.6% single-thread advantage, which is substantial. However, the data shows that this advantage is isolated. Even in the multi-thread benchmark, the Xeon 6780E leads by 31.8%, and in encryption, Intel is more than three times faster. For a general-purpose server processor, the Xeon 6780E's breadth of wins makes it the default recommendation.

The launch MSRP for the Intel Xeon 6780E is $11350, while the AMD EPYC 9335 has a launch MSRP of $3178. These figures are recorded in the database, but the performance data stands on its own: the Xeon 6780E delivers a 112.6% improvement in data compression and a 205.6% improvement in encryption, indicating a fundamentally different performance class. Users requiring maximum multi-threaded throughput should select the Xeon 6780E. Users whose workloads are dominated by single-threaded operations and who require the higher clock speed should consider the EPYC 9335.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The Intel Xeon 6780E has 144 cores and 144 threads. The AMD EPYC 9335 has 32 cores and 64 threads.

Q: What is the single-thread performance difference?

A: The AMD EPYC 9335 wins the PassMark single-thread test with a score of 2,732, which is 29.6% higher than the Intel Xeon 6780E's score of 1,923.

Q: How do the processors compare in multi-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Xeon 6780E scores 86,734 in the PassMark multi-thread test, which is 31.8% higher than the AMD EPYC 9335's score of 65,811.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD EPYC 9335 has a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, while the Intel Xeon 6780E has a boost clock of 3.00 GHz.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth for each?

A: The Intel Xeon 6780E supports eight-channel memory with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth. The AMD EPYC 9335 supports twelve-channel memory with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which processor has a larger L3 cache?

A: The AMD EPYC 9335 has 128 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Xeon 6780E has 108 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: How many PCIe lanes does each processor provide?

A: The Intel Xeon 6780E provides 88 Gen 5 lanes (CPU only). The AMD EPYC 9335 provides 128 Gen 5 lanes (CPU only).

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures. The Intel Xeon 6780E uses the Sierra Forest architecture, specifically the Xeon 6 generation (Sierra Forest-SP). It is manufactured on Intel's 5 nm process node with a die size of 578 mm². The AMD EPYC 9335 uses the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Turin, from the EPYC 9005 series. It is manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process node with a die size of 4x 70.6 mm² and contains 33,260 million transistors.

The core configurations differ dramatically. The Xeon 6780E has 144 cores with 96 KB of L1 cache per core and 4 MB of L2 cache per module. The EPYC 9335 has 32 cores with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. The L3 cache situation is reversed: the EPYC 9335 has 128 MB shared, while the Xeon 6780E has 108 MB shared.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Xeon 6780E uses an eight-channel DDR5 memory bus with 409.6 GB/s bandwidth. The EPYC 9335 uses a twelve-channel DDR5 memory bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both support ECC memory. In terms of I/O, the Xeon 6780E provides 88 Gen 5 lanes (CPU only), while the EPYC 9335 provides 128 Gen 5 lanes (CPU only). Neither processor has integrated graphics.

These architectural differences explain the benchmark results. The Xeon 6780E's 144 cores provide massive parallel throughput, while the EPYC 9335's higher base clock (3.00 GHz vs. 2.20 GHz) and boost clock (4.40 GHz vs. 3.00 GHz) drive its single-thread advantage. The EPYC 9335's smaller transistor count per die (4x 70.6 mm² vs. 578 mm²) and 4 nm process suggest higher density, but the benchmark data shows the Xeon 6780E's core count dominates in aggregate workloads.

Specification Differences

The table below lists only the fields where the two processors differ, based on the recorded database entries.

| Specification | Intel Xeon 6780E | AMD EPYC 9335 |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 144 | 32 |

| Threads | 144 | 64 |

| Base Clock | 2.20 GHz | 3.00 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.00 GHz | 4.40 GHz |

| TDP | 330W | 210W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 4710 | AMD Socket SP5 |

| Architecture | Sierra Forest | Zen 5 |

| Codename | Sierra Forest | Turin |

| Generation | Xeon 6 (Sierra Forest-SP) | EPYC (Zen 5 (Turin)) |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 4 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Transistors | Not recorded | 33,260 million |

| Die Size | 578 mm² | 4x 70.6 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 96 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 4 MB (per module) | 1 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 108 MB (shared) | 128 MB (shared) |

| Memory Bus | Eight-channel | Twelve-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 409.6 GB/s | 576.0 GB/s |

| PCIe Lanes | Gen 5, 88 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 5, 128 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Release Date | 2024-06-02 | 2024-10-09 |

| Launch MSRP | $11350 | $3178 |

| Part Number | SRPG3 | 100-000001149 |

Both processors are active production parts for the Server/Workstation market segment, have no integrated graphics, are not multiplier-unlocked, and support DDR5 memory with ECC. Both rank in the 99th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Xeon 6780E has an average benchmark score of 280,438, while the AMD EPYC 9335 averages 194,228.