Intel Core 7 253PQE vs Intel Xeon Phi 7290 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive overall victory for the Intel Core 7 253PQE, which claims 14 of the 17 head-to-head tests, but the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 secures three notable wins in specialized workloads that reveal its unique strengths.

The most dramatic margin appears in single-threaded performance. The Core 7 253PQE leads the PassMark single-thread test with a score of 4389 against the Xeon Phi's 485, a delta of 804.9% advantage. Cinebench single-core results confirm the same story across every version, with R15 showing 446 versus 215, R20 with 1861 versus 898, and R23 at 4431 against 2140, each showing roughly a 107% advantage for the Core 7.

Multithreaded performance follows a similar pattern across the Cinebench suite. The Core 7 253PQE posts 3163 in R15 multicore against 1528 for the Xeon Phi, a doubling of 107% that repeats in R20 at 13183 versus 13183 versus 6368 in R20, then R20 scores show 13183 versus 6368 (107% delta), R23 delivers 31390 versus 31390 versus 15163, a consistent 107% lead. The PassMark multi-thread test widens this gap further: 41656 for the Core 7 253PQE versus 17839 for the Phi, a 133.5% edge, underscoring the Core 7's more efficient thread management.

Floating-point math shows the Core 7 253PQE at 105279 against 47417 for the Xeon Phi, a 122% advantage, a workload where the Phi's architecture appears less suited despite its massive core count. Integer math is closer: 137795 versus 126922, an 8.9% delta in favor of the Core 7 253PQE.

The Core 7 253PQE also wins in data encryption at 25515 versus 12505, a 104% margin, and finds prime numbers at 206 against 114, an 80.7% advantage. Physics simulation favors the Core 7 253PQE at 2970 against 2257 for the Xeon Phi 7290 Phi at 2257, a 31.67% lead.

The Xeon Phi 7290's only victories are in data compression 564535 at 564535 versus 487335 for the Core 7 253PQE 487335, a 13.7% advantage, plus extended instructions 41517 against 32390, a 22% edge, and random string sorting 68593 versus 54222 at -21% (the Core 7 253PQE being 21% slower), showing the Phi's strength in vectorized throughput where its 288 threads can focus on parallel data shuffles and compression algorithms.

Architecture Differences

The two processors diverge fundamentally in architecture design philosophy. The Core 7 253PQE is built on Bartlett Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node, while the Xeon Phi 7290 uses Knights Landing architecture on a 14 nm process node.

The Core 7 253PQE packs 10 cores with 20 threads, whereas the Xeon Phi 7290 offers 72 cores with 288 threads, a massive numerical difference in hardware parallelism. However, clock speeds tell a different story for single-core performance: the Core 7 253PQE base clock operates at 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, the Phi 7290 operates at 1500.00 base clock with a boost to 1700.00, nearly a four-fold difference in per-core frequency.

Cache hierarchy shows contrasting layouts reflecting each design goals. The Core 7 253PQE has 80 KB of L1 cache per core with 2 MB per core L2 cache and 33 MB shared L3 cache of 33 MB shared cache at the L3 level with 33 MB shared, a configuration typical of modern desktop design. The Xeon Phi 7290 has 32 KB L1 cache per core and 512 KB L2 cache per core with no L3 cache listed, a simpler cache structure that supports its many cores but lower per-core capacity. The Phi's transistor count reaches 8,000 million in the Xeon Phi 7290, a figure that emphasizes die complexity over per-core performance.

Memory support further divides the two CPUs. The Core 7 253PQE supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus achieving 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Xeon Phi 7290 supports DDR4 memory with no memory bus width listed, lacking a memory bandwidth figure in the database. Both support ECC memory and have locked multipliers.

The Core 7 253PQE uses Intel Socket 3647 for the Xeon Phi 7290 versus Socket 1700 for the Phi 7290 for Intel Socket 3647, with the Core 7 253PQE being on Intel Socket 1700 Socket 1700 for Intel Socket 1700. The Core 7 253PQE targets the Desktop market segment with no integrated graphics, and the Xeon Phi 7290 (Phi 7290) is for the Server/Workstation segment with no integrated graphics listed in its specifications. The Core 7 253PQE has no integrated graphics processor. The Xeon Phi 7290 comes from the Xeon Phi generation Knights Landing, while the Core 7 253PQE is part of the Core 7 Bartlett Lake generation, with the Core 7 253PQE part number SA4QA versus SR2WY for the Xeon Phi 7290.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the Intel Core 7 253PQE for nearly every mainstream workload. The Core 7 253PQE wins 14 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks, including all six Cinebench tests across both single-core R15, R20 (R20), R23, and multi-thread variants, with deltas ranging from 107% to 133.5% in its favor.

The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 only wins three benchmarks, all in integer-oriented tasks: data compression with a 13.7% advantage, extended instructions at 22% ahead, and random string sorting with a 21% edge. For most users and applications, these three wins do not compensate for the massive 804.9% deficit in single-threaded performance, where the Core 7 253PQE leads 4389 versus 485.

The Xeon Phi 7290 does offer 288 threads versus 20, which may appeal to workloads that can exploit extreme parallelism, but the recorded benchmarks show the Core 7 253PQE still outperforms it in multi-threaded tests by large margins in most cases, such as 133.5% in PassMark multi-thread scoring 41656 against 17839, and 122% in floating-point math at 105279 versus 47417.

The Core 7 253PQE also has modern features absent on the Xeon Phi 7290 for the 7290: PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes the Core 7 253PQE has PCIe Gen 5 and 16 lanes, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has no listed PCIe, and integrated graphics UHD Graphics 770 for the Core 7 253PQE versus no integrated graphics on the Xeon Phi 7290 with no GPU. The Core 7 253PQE has a higher memory bandwidth at 89.6 GB/s bandwidth 89.6 GB/s, and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, whereas Xeon Phi 7290 supports DDR4 only memory support DDR4 only.

For almost any user workload, the Core 7 253PQE should be chosen based on its benchmark dominance and modern feature set.

The Xeon Phi 7290 should be considered only for those specific tasks where it wins: data compression, extended instructions, and random string sorting, and where its 72 cores with 288 threads could theoretically be harnessed in a way that matches its 13.7%, 22%, and 21% advantages.

Specification Differences

The Core 7 253PQE and Xeon Phi 7290 differ in nearly every specification. The Core 7 253PQE has 10 cores and 20 threads, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has 72 cores and 288 threads. Base clocks are 3.50 GHz versus 1500.00, with boost clocks of 5.70 GHz versus 1700.00. TDP differs significantly at 125 W for the Core 7 253PQE versus 245 W for the Xeon Phi 7290. The sockets are Intel Socket 1700 for the Core 7 253PQE and Intel Socket 3647 for the Xeon Phi 7290. The process node is 10 nm versus 14 nm. The Xeon Phi 7290 has 8,000 million transistors, while the Core 7 253PQE has no listed transistor count. The Core 7 253PQE has 80 KB L1 per core and 2 MB L2 per core, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has 32 KB L1 per core and 512 KB L2 per core; the Core 7 253PQE has 33 MB shared L3, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has no L3 listed. Memory support differs (DDR4 and DDR5 versus DDR4 only, with dual-channel for the Core 7 253PQE and no memory bus width for the Xeon Phi 7290). The Core 7 253PQE has 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has no listed memory bandwidth or PCIe. The Core 7 253PQE has integrated UHD Graphics 770, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has no integrated graphics. The market segments differ: Desktop versus Server/Workstation. The Core 7 253PQE was released on 2026-03-08 while the Xeon Phi 7290 on 2016-06-19. Both support ECC memory and have locked multipliers.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU wins the most benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core 7 253PQE wins 14 of the 17 head-to-head tests, including all six Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests, with the Xeon Phi 7290 winning only three: data compression, extended instructions, and random string sorting.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in the PassMark single-thread test, where the Core 7 253PQE scores 4389 versus 485 for the Xeon Phi 7290, a delta of 804.9% in favor of the Core 7 253PQE.

Q: How do multi-threaded Cinebench scores compare?

A: The Core 7 253PQE leads all three Cinebench multi-thread tests: R15 at 3163 versus 1528, R20 at 13183 versus 6368, and R23 at 31390 versus 15163, each showing approximately a 107% advantage.

Q: Where does the Xeon Phi 7290 perform better?

A: The Xeon Phi 7290 wins in data compression with 564535 versus 487335, extended instructions with 41517 versus 32390, and random string sorting with 68593 versus 54222.

Q: What are the core and thread counts?

A: The Core 7 253PQE has 10 cores and 20 threads, while the Xeon Phi 7290 has 72 cores and 288 threads.

Q: Do they support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core 7 253PQE and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 support ECC memory.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core 7 253PQE dominates in single-threaded workloads, with scores of 446 in Cinebench R15 single core versus 215, 1861 in R20 versus 898, 4431 in R23 versus 2140, and 4389 in PassMark single-thread versus 485. It also wins in every multi-threaded Cinebench test, floating-point math at 105279 versus 47417, integer math at 137795 versus 126922, data encryption at 25515 versus 12505, prime number finding at 206 versus 114, PassMark physics at 2970 versus 2257, and PassMark multi-thread at 41656 versus 17839.

The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 wins in data compression with 564535 versus 487335, a 13.7% advantage, extended instructions at 41517 versus 32390, a 22% lead, and random string sorting at 68593 versus 54222, a 21% edge. These three workloads suggest the Xeon Phi 7290's strength in highly parallel vectorized integer operations, where its 288 threads can process large data sets of sorting or compression algorithms.

The Core 7 253PQE should be selected for users running general-purpose applications, single-threaded tasks, database workloads with encryption, floating-point simulations, and physics engines. The Xeon Phi 7290 is only viable for workloads matching its three wins, and even then, the Core 7 253PQE's 91st percentile ranking versus the Xeon Phi 7290's 91st percentile shows both place in the top tier of the database, but the Core 7 253PQE's average benchmark score of 55919 versus 53469 indicates it is stronger overall.