AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 vs Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 Comparison

The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 and Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 are both 4-core, 8-thread processors aimed at compact, power-conscious systems, yet they represent vastly different design philosophies. Benchmark data shows the AMD part holds a consistent, albeit narrow, lead across all tested Cinebench workloads, while the Intel part counters with a higher base clock and a larger L3 cache. This analysis breaks down the raw scores, architectural trade-offs, and practical implications for each processor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results are remarkably one-sided, with the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 winning all six Cinebench tests. The margins, however, are consistently slim, ranging from 0.8% to 1%. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the R2544 scores 726 against the Xeon’s 720, a 0.8% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar pattern: 102 versus 101, a 1% lead for AMD.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the AMD chip posts a multi-core score of 3029, while the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 delivers 3001, yielding a 0.9% delta. The single-core R20 results are 427 and 423, respectively, again with a 0.9% gap. The most modern test, Cinebench R23, follows the same trend: the R2544 achieves 7213 multi-core and 1018 single-core, while the Xeon manages 7146 and 1008, resulting in deltas of 0.9% and 1% in favor of AMD.

These margins are small enough to be considered within run-to-run variance, but the consistency across all six tests is telling. The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 demonstrates a slight but reproducible performance edge in this benchmark suite. The data indicates a 1% lead in single-core performance in both R15 and R23, suggesting the Zen+ architecture’s IPC is marginally superior to Intel’s Skylake in these specific workloads, despite the Intel part’s higher clock speeds.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark wins, the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 is the outright winner in every tested category. It takes the multi-core crown in R15, R20, and R23, and also leads in single-core performance across all three versions of Cinebench. This means that for users running rendering tasks that scale with multi-threading, the R2544 offers a slight advantage. Similarly, for lightly-threaded tasks like legacy single-core applications, the AMD part holds the edge.

The Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5, despite losing every benchmark, has a critical advantage outside of raw Cinebench scores: its integrated graphics. The Xeon features Iris Pro Graphics P580, whereas the AMD part uses Radeon Vega 8. While the FACT PACK provides no direct graphics benchmarks, the presence of two different iGPU solutions implies a difference in media and display capabilities. The Intel part also has a higher base clock (3.50 GHz vs 3.35 GHz) and boost clock (3.90 GHz vs 3.70 GHz), which could theoretically benefit burst workloads that are not captured by Cinebench’s sustained load patterns. Furthermore, the Xeon’s 8 MB of shared L3 cache is double the AMD’s 4 MB, which could improve performance in cache-sensitive database or server workloads not represented in this benchmark set.

FAQ

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

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 scores 7213, which is 0.9% higher than the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5’s score of 7146.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 has an average benchmark score of 2086, while the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 has an average score of 2067.

Q: Are these processors comparable in terms of thread count?

A: Yes, both the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 and the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 feature 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Which CPU has a higher single-core performance in Cinebench R20?

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 achieves a score of 427, beating the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5’s score of 423 by 0.9%.

Q: What is the difference in their percentiles among all CPUs?

A: Both processors are rated at the 46th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Does the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 support more memory types than the AMD part?

A: Yes, the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 supports both DDR3 and DDR4, whereas the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 only supports DDR4.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge significantly on paper, starting with their sockets and physical packages. The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 uses the AMD Socket FP5, while the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 uses Intel BGA 1440. Their clock speeds differ, with the Intel part holding a 0.15 GHz base clock advantage (3.50 GHz vs 3.35 GHz) and a 0.20 GHz boost clock advantage (3.90 GHz vs 3.70 GHz). The thermal design power (TDP) also differs substantially: the AMD chip is rated at 45 W, while the Intel chip is rated at 65 W.

Memory support is another differentiator. The AMD part supports only DDR4, whereas the Intel part supports both DDR3 and DDR4. The theoretical memory bandwidth also favors AMD, with a rating of 51.2 GB/s compared to Intel’s 34.1 GB/s. The integrated graphics are different models: Radeon Vega 8 on the AMD side and Iris Pro Graphics P580 on the Intel side. The market segment designation also differs, with AMD classified as Desktop and Intel as Server/Workstation. Finally, the production status shows the AMD R2544 is Active, while the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 is End-of-life.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide is stark. The AMD Ryzen Embedded R2544 is built on the Zen+ architecture, codenamed Picasso, and uses a 12 nm process node from GlobalFoundries. This chip packs 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. In contrast, the Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 uses the older Skylake architecture, specifically Skylake-H, manufactured on Intel’s 14 nm process. It contains 2,300 million transistors on a 171 mm² die. This difference in process node and transistor count highlights AMD’s denser design, which helps explain the R2544’s lower TDP despite having more than double the transistor count.

Cache hierarchies also differ. The AMD R2544 offers 96 KB of L1 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, with a 4 MB shared L3 cache. The Intel Xeon E3-1585 v5 has a smaller 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, but compensates with a larger 8 MB shared L3 cache. This larger L3 on the Intel part could be a significant factor in workloads that repeatedly access a large dataset, potentially offsetting AMD’s raw benchmark lead in such scenarios. Both CPUs support ECC memory, a critical feature for reliability-focused embedded or workstation tasks. They also both provide PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The AMD part was released in 2022, while the Intel part launched in 2016, reflecting a six-year gap in design philosophy and manufacturing technology.