Intel Atom x7211RE vs Intel Xeon E-2186M Comparison

The recorded data makes this head-to-head unusually lopsided. The Intel Xeon E-2186M, a Coffee Lake-H workstation part, sweeps all five shared benchmark tests against the Intel Atom x7211RE, an Amston Lake low-power chip, with margins in the neighborhood of 430 percent in every case. Yet the two parts occupy surprisingly similar positions in the database's overall rankings, both sitting in the 51st percentile versus all CPUs, a reminder that percentile placement and raw head-to-head performance tell very different stories. What follows is a breakdown of where each chip's numbers land and what design choices produced them.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Every direct comparison in the database favors the Xeon, and the gaps are remarkably consistent. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the E-2186M scores 961 against the Atom's 181, a 430.9 percent lead. Cinebench R20 multi-core goes 4007 to 757, a 429.3 percent gap. R23 multi-core reads 9542 versus 1804, 428.9 percent apart. Even single-threaded, where the Atom's boost behavior might have narrowed things, the Xeon wins decisively: 565 to 106 in R20 single-core (433 percent) and 1347 to 254 in R23 single-core (430.3 percent).

The uniformity of those deltas is itself informative. The Xeon's six cores and twelve threads explain most of the multi-core gap, but the single-core results show the per-thread deficit is just as large. The Atom's Gracemont-derived cores, even boosting to 3.20 GHz, cannot approach the throughput of the Xeon's larger cores running up to 4.80 GHz with SMT. The Xeon's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1347 is more than five times the Atom's 254.

Context from the database's rival listings adds nuance. The E-2186M's average benchmark score of 2912 places it essentially level with the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1600 (2909, a 0.1 percent gap), the Intel Core i5-1335UE (2907, 0.2 percent), the Intel Xeon E-2414 (2905, 0.2 percent), and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C14 (2921, with the V3C14 ahead by 0.3 percent). The Atom x7211RE's average score of 2811 sits in a similarly tight cluster around the Intel Core i5-8600K (2807, 0.2 percent), the Intel Xeon E-2324G (2823, 0.4 percent behind the Atom), the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5450U (2829, 0.6 percent ahead), and the Intel Core i5-11300H (2792, 0.7 percent behind). Note that the Atom's average is pulled up by Passmark component tests, detailed below, while it trails catastrophically in the Cinebench rendering suite the Xeon's average is built on. Averages built on different test mixes are not directly comparable.

The Atom's Passmark record, where the Xeon has no logged results, shows a different profile: 20820 in data compression, 1556 in data encryption, 1007 in extended instructions, 4303 in floating point math, 6517 in integer math, 2123 in the multi-thread test, 2712 in random string sorting, 185 in physics, a strikingly low 15 in find prime numbers, and 1317 in single-thread. Those are modest figures by any standard, consistent with a two-core, two-thread design.

Architecture Differences

These are two chips built for opposite envelopes. The Xeon E-2186M is Coffee Lake-H on Intel's 14 nm process, with a 154 mm² die, six cores and twelve threads, a 2.90 GHz base clock, a 4.80 GHz boost clock, and a 45 W TDP. Its cache hierarchy is generous for its class: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3.

The Atom x7211RE is Amston Lake, Gracemont-generation, on Intel's 10 nm node, with two cores and two threads, no SMT, a 1.00 GHz base clock, a 3.20 GHz boost clock, and a 6 W TDP. Its caches are structured differently: 96 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of shared L2, and 6 MB of shared L3. The wider per-core L1 reflects the Gracemont design, while the much smaller shared pools reflect the part's positioning.

Platform support diverges sharply. The Xeon uses Intel BGA 1440, supports dual-channel DDR4 with 42.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth and ECC, and offers PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes. The Atom uses the smaller Intel BGA 1264 socket, supports both DDR4 and DDR5 but only single-channel, delivers 38.4 GB/s, lacks ECC, and offers PCIe Gen 3 with just 9 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ too: UHD Graphics P630 on the Xeon versus UHD Graphics 16EU on the Atom. Market segment, production status, and lifecycle also split them: the Xeon is an end-of-life Server/Workstation part launched in 2018 with a launch MSRP of $623, while the Atom is an active Mobile-segment part launched in 2024 with a launch MSRP of $42. Neither has an unlocked multiplier.

FAQ

Q: Which chip is faster in benchmarks?

A: The Xeon E-2186M wins all five head-to-head tests, by 428.9 to 433 percent. In Cinebench R23 multi-core it scores 9542 versus the Atom's 1804.

Q: Is the Atom competitive in any single-threaded test?

A: No. The Xeon leads 565 to 106 in Cinebench R20 single-core and 1347 to 254 in R23 single-core. The Atom's best single-thread data point is a Passmark single-thread score of 1317, recorded on a different suite.

Q: Which chip uses less power?

A: The Atom, by a wide margin: its TDP is 6 W against the Xeon's 45 W. That difference is the core design driver behind the performance gap.

Q: Do both chips support ECC memory?

A: Only the Xeon does. The Atom x7211RE lacks ECC support, despite the Xeon being the one with workstation credentials.

Q: Which memory types does each support?

A: The Xeon supports DDR4 only, dual-channel, at 42.7 GB/s. The Atom supports both DDR4 and DDR5, but single-channel, at 38.4 GB/s.

Q: Are both chips still in production?

A: No. The Xeon E-2186M is end-of-life, having launched in 2018. The Atom x7211RE is active, launched in 2024.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ on nearly every specification line in the database:

• Cores and threads: 6/12 on the Xeon versus 2/2 on the Atom.
• Base and boost clocks: 2.90/4.80 GHz versus 1.00/3.20 GHz.
• TDP: 45 W versus 6 W.
• Process node: 14 nm versus 10 nm.
• Architecture: Coffee Lake (Coffee Lake-H) versus Amston Lake (Gracemont).
• Socket: Intel BGA 1440 versus Intel BGA 1264.
• Cache: 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, 12 MB shared L3 versus 96 KB L1 per core, 2 MB shared L2, 6 MB shared L3.
• Memory: dual-channel DDR4 at 42.7 GB/s with ECC versus single-channel DDR4/DDR5 at 38.4 GB/s without ECC.
• PCIe: Gen 3, 16 CPU lanes versus Gen 3, 9 CPU lanes.
• Graphics: UHD Graphics P630 versus UHD Graphics 16EU.
• Segment and status: end-of-life Server/Workstation versus active Mobile.
• Launch MSRP: $623 versus $42.
• Die size is recorded only for the Xeon, at 154 mm².

Where they match: both are Intel-manufactured, both have locked multipliers, and both sit at the 51st percentile versus all CPUs in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The Xeon E-2186M wins every performance contest that matters. Its 12 threads deliver 9542 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, five-plus times the Atom's result, making it the clear pick for rendering, multi-threaded workstation loads, and any throughput-bound task. Its single-core scores, 1347 in R23 and 1434 in Geekbench, mean responsiveness and lightly threaded applications also favor it heavily. Dual-channel memory with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth, ECC support, and 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes round out a platform built for sustained professional work.

The Atom x7211RE wins on nothing in raw speed, and its Passmark physics score of 185 and find-prime-numbers score of 15 confirm it is not built for compute. What it wins on is efficiency and platform modernity. A 6 W TDP means it can be deployed in thermal envelopes the Xeon simply cannot enter. It supports DDR5 alongside DDR4, it launched in 2024 and remains active while the Xeon is end-of-life, and its wider per-core L1 cache of 96 KB reflects a newer Gracemont-based design on a denser 10 nm process. For workloads where power draw dominates, throughput targets are modest, and single-channel memory with 9 PCIe lanes is sufficient, it is the viable option of the two. For everything else in the recorded data, the Xeon E-2186M is in a different class entirely.