AMD Opteron 6366 HE vs Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a remarkably consistent picture. Across all six recorded Cinebench tests, the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 wins every single comparison. The margins are narrow but uniform. In the Cinebench R15 multicore test, the Intel scores 488 against the AMD Opteron 6366 HE's 480, a 1.7% advantage. The single-core R15 result shows 68 versus 67, a 1.5% lead.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 records 2034 in multicore, while the AMD Opteron 6366 HE scores 2003, yielding a 1.5% delta. In single-core R20, the Intel posts 287 against 282, a 1.8% edge. The final pair of tests, Cinebench R23, shows the Intel at 4845 multicore and 684 single-core, versus the AMD at 4771 and 673, with both deltas sitting at 1.6%.

What is striking here is not the magnitude of the wins, but their consistency. The Intel part leads by roughly 1.5% to 1.8% across every workload in the database. This suggests a fundamental efficiency advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk. The AMD Opteron, despite having four times the core count, cannot overcome the per-core performance deficit. Its 16 cores produce nearly identical aggregate scores to the Intel's 4 cores. The average benchmark scores confirm this: the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 sits at 1401, while the AMD Opteron 6366 HE trails at 1379. In the broader database percentile ranking, the Intel lands at the 37th percentile of all CPUs, with the AMD just one point behind at the 36th percentile.

The nearest rival data for the Intel puts it in an interesting neighborhood. The Intel Xeon E-2104G scores 1402, a 0% delta, meaning these two are effectively tied. The Intel Core i5-6500TE is 0.1% behind, and the Intel Pentium Gold G7400TE is 0.2% ahead. For the AMD, its closest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, both at 1379 with 0% delta. The Intel Core i7-3740QM sits 0.1% ahead, while the Intel Core i7-3615QE is 0.1% behind. These rival clusters show that both processors occupy a similar performance tier, but the Intel consistently edges out the AMD in every direct comparison.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two processors is substantial. The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 uses a Skylake architecture, built on a 14 nm process at Intel's foundry. It integrates 1,750 million transistors on a die measuring 122 mm². The AMD Opteron 6366 HE, by contrast, uses the Piledriver architecture, codenamed Abu Dhabi, fabricated on a 32 nm process by GlobalFoundries. Its transistor count is higher at 2,400 million, spread across two dies, each measuring 315 mm².

Core configuration differs dramatically. The Intel packs 4 cores with 4 threads, while the AMD offers 16 cores with 16 threads. The cache hierarchies reflect these different designs. The Intel has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, with 8 MB of shared L3. The AMD uses a module-based layout: 768 KB total L1, 2 MB of L2 per module, and 8 MB of L3 per die. With two dies, the AMD effectively has 16 MB of L3 total, though the database records it as 8 MB per die.

Clock speeds tell another part of the story. The Intel has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz. The AMD starts at 1800.00 MHz base and boosts to 3.10 GHz. The Intel's higher clocks, despite far fewer cores, explain its ability to match the AMD's aggregate throughput. The Intel's boost advantage of 0.40 GHz over the AMD's boost is modest, but the base clock advantage is substantial at 1.20 GHz.

Memory architecture also diverges. The Intel supports both DDR3 and DDR4, with a dual-channel bus delivering 34.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD supports only DDR3, but its quad-channel bus delivers 59.7 GB/s. That bandwidth advantage is significant, nearly double the Intel's, yet it does not translate into a benchmark win for the AMD. The PCIe generation differs as well: the Intel uses Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD uses Gen 2. Both support ECC memory, and neither has integrated graphics.

The production status for both is end-of-life. The Intel was released in October 2015, while the AMD came out in November 2012, making the AMD roughly three years older. The process node advantage for the Intel (14 nm versus 32 nm) is a major factor in its efficiency, though the TDP figures are close: 80 W for the Intel versus 85 W for the AMD.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded benchmarks, the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 wins every category. There are no tests in the database where the AMD Opteron 6366 HE takes the lead. However, the practical implications of these wins depend on workload type.

For single-threaded or lightly threaded tasks, the Intel is clearly the better choice. Its 3.50 GHz boost clock and Skylake architecture deliver higher per-core performance. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 684 versus 673 shows a 1.6% edge that will matter in applications that rely on a single thread, such as older database queries, certain scripting workloads, or lightly parallelized simulation tools.

For multi-threaded workloads, the results are closer. The AMD's 16 cores should theoretically crush the Intel's 4 cores, but the data shows otherwise. The AMD's multicore R23 score of 4771 trails the Intel's 4845 by only 1.6%. This suggests that the AMD's Piledriver cores are so much slower per core that the core count advantage is nearly neutralized. In heavily threaded workloads that scale perfectly, the AMD might still have an edge in raw throughput, but the Cinebench results do not show it.

The memory bandwidth advantage belongs to the AMD. Its 59.7 GB/s quad-channel DDR3 support is nearly double the Intel's 34.1 GB/s dual-channel figure. Workloads that are memory-bandwidth sensitive, such as large in-memory databases or high-performance computing kernels, could benefit from the AMD's design. The database does not include such tests, so this remains an inference from the specification data, not a measured result.

The Intel wins on PCIe generation with Gen 3 versus the AMD's Gen 2. For modern NVMe storage or high-throughput network cards, the Intel's PCIe Gen 3 lanes provide double the bandwidth per lane. The AMD's Gen 2 support may bottleneck such devices.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every specification field. The Intel has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD has 16 cores and 16 threads. The Intel's base clock is 3.00 GHz against the AMD's 1800.00 MHz; boost clocks are 3.50 GHz versus 3.10 GHz. TDP differs slightly: 80 W for the Intel, 85 W for the AMD.

Sockets are incompatible: the Intel uses Intel Socket 1151, the AMD uses AMD Socket G34. The process nodes differ (14 nm versus 32 nm), as do the foundries (Intel versus GlobalFoundries). Transistor counts are 1,750 million versus 2,400 million, and die sizes are 122 mm² versus 2x 315 mm².

Cache layouts are entirely different. The Intel uses per-core L1 and L2 (64 KB and 256 KB per core), with 8 MB shared L3. The AMD uses 768 KB total L1, 2 MB L2 per module, and 8 MB L3 per die. Memory support differs: the Intel accepts DDR3 and DDR4, the AMD only DDR3. Memory channels are dual-channel for the Intel versus quad-channel for the AMD, with bandwidths of 34.1 GB/s and 59.7 GB/s respectively. PCIe versions are Gen 3 for the Intel and Gen 2 for the AMD. Release dates are October 2015 versus November 2012. The launch MSRP for the Intel is $203; for the AMD it is $575.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 scores 684, while the AMD Opteron 6366 HE scores 673, giving the Intel a 1.6% lead.

Q: How many cores does each processor have?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 has 4 cores with 4 threads. The AMD Opteron 6366 HE has 16 cores with 16 threads.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD Opteron 6366 HE supports quad-channel DDR3 with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth, while the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 uses dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 with 34.1 GB/s.

Q: Which processor has a newer PCIe generation?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 uses PCIe Gen 3, while the AMD Opteron 6366 HE uses PCIe Gen 2.

Q: What are the TDP ratings?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 has a TDP of 80 W. The AMD Opteron 6366 HE has a TDP of 85 W.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 has an average benchmark score of 1401, while the AMD Opteron 6366 HE has an average of 1379.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear winner: the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 outperforms the AMD Opteron 6366 HE in every benchmark recorded. The six-for-six sweep, with deltas between 1.5% and 1.8%, shows that the Intel's modern Skylake architecture and higher clock speeds overcome the AMD's fourfold core advantage. For single-threaded workloads, the Intel is the obvious choice. For multi-threaded workloads, the AMD's 16 cores do not deliver the expected advantage; the Intel still wins, though by a narrow margin.

The AMD Opteron 6366 HE does offer a significant memory bandwidth advantage (59.7 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s) and quad-channel support, which could benefit specific memory-bound applications. Its PCIe Gen 2 interface, however, is a limitation for modern peripherals. The Intel's PCIe Gen 3 support is more future-proof.

For buyers selecting between these two end-of-life server processors, the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 is the stronger performer in the recorded Cinebench tests. Its lower TDP (80 W versus 85 W), newer process node, and higher clock speeds make it the more efficient choice. The AMD's only potential advantages are its memory bandwidth and raw core count, which do not translate into benchmark wins in the data. The Intel's launch MSRP of $203 also positions it differently from the AMD's $575 launch MSRP, though pricing considerations are secondary to the measured performance. The verdict from the database is unambiguous: the Intel Xeon E3-1220 v5 is the better processor across all tested dimensions.