CPU Comparison

The Intel Xeon E5-1680 v4 and the Intel Xeon D-1732TE are both 8-core, 16-thread server processors, yet they represent two distinct design philosophies from Intel. The E5-1680 v4 is a high-power, high-clock Broadwell-EP part from 2016, while the D-1732TE is a low-power, modern Ice Lake-D SoC from 2022. Benchmark data reveals a surprisingly tight race, with the older chip maintaining a razor-thin edge across all Cinebench tests. The E5-1680 v4 wins all six head-to-head comparisons, but the largest margin is a mere 0.3%, placing these two CPUs in a statistical dead heat for most workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The performance gap between these two processors is remarkably consistent, with the E5-1680 v4 winning every single benchmark by a fraction of a percent. In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the E5-1680 v4 scores 1217 against 1214 for the D-1732TE, a delta of just 0.2%. The single-core R15 result is a perfect tie at 171 points, with a 0% delta, showing that neither chip has a raw frequency advantage in this legacy test. Moving to Cinebench R20, the E5-1680 v4 posts 5073 versus 5061, again a 0.2% lead. The R20 single-core test shows the E5-1680 v4 ahead by 0.3%, scoring 716 to 714.

The most demanding workload, Cinebench R23, tells the same story. The E5-1680 v4 scores 12080 in multi-core, while the D-1732TE scores 12052, a 0.2% difference. In R23 single-core, the E5-1680 v4 achieves 1705 compared to 1701, another 0.2% margin. While the E5-1680 v4 claims victory in all six benchmarks, these deltas are well within run-to-run variance. The average benchmark scores confirm this: the E5-1680 v4 has an average of 3494, while the D-1732TE sits at 3486, a gap of only 0.2%. In fact, the D-1732TE's nearest rival list includes the E5-1680 v4 with a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the D-1732TE is essentially matching the older chip.

The performance parity is striking given the architectural chasm between them. The E5-1680 v4 relies on a 3.40 GHz base clock boosting to 4.00 GHz, while the D-1732TE runs at a much lower 1.90 GHz base and 3.00 GHz boost. Despite the massive clock-speed deficit, the D-1732TE's newer Ice Lake architecture and larger per-core caches close the gap almost entirely. This indicates that the D-1732TE has significantly higher instructions-per-clock (IPC) efficiency. For the E5-1680 v4, this means its 140W TDP is buying very little additional performance over the D-1732TE's 52W TDP in these specific multi-threaded rendering tests.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Xeon E5-1680 v4 scores 12080 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, while the Intel Xeon D-1732TE scores 12052. The E5-1680 v4 is 0.2% ahead, but the difference is minimal and unlikely to be perceptible in real-world use.

Q: Are these two CPUs comparable in single-threaded performance?

A: Yes, the single-core results are nearly identical. In Cinebench R15, both score exactly 171. In R20, the E5-1680 v4 scores 716 versus 714 for the D-1732TE (0.3% delta), and in R23, the scores are 1705 and 1701 (0.2% delta).

Q: What is the significant specification difference regarding memory channels?

A: The E5-1680 v4 supports quad-channel DDR4 memory with a theoretical bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. The D-1732TE uses triple-channel DDR4 memory with a lower theoretical bandwidth of 64.0 GB/s. Both support ECC memory.

Q: How does the power draw compare between the two?

A: The E5-1680 v4 has a TDP of 140W, while the D-1732TE has a TDP of just 52W. This makes the D-1732TE a much more power-efficient part, delivering nearly identical benchmark scores at less than half the thermal envelope.

Q: Which processor is newer and what is its production status?

A: The D-1732TE was released on 2022-02-23 and is currently marked as Active in production. The E5-1680 v4 was released on 2016-06-19 and is listed as End-of-life.

Q: What is the difference in PCIe support?

A: The E5-1680 v4 provides 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, while the D-1732TE provides 16 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. The newer Gen 4 standard offers higher per-lane bandwidth, but the E5-1680 v4 has far more lanes for expansion.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows that the E5-1680 v4 wins every Cinebench benchmark, but the margins are so small that the practical winner depends entirely on the use case. For workloads that are purely CPU-bound and scale with multi-threading, there is no meaningful difference. The E5-1680 v4's 0.2% lead in multi-core R23 is negligible. However, the E5-1680 v4 is the better choice in legacy single-threaded tasks where its 4.00 GHz boost clock gives it a slight edge, as seen in its 0.3% win in R20 single-core.

The D-1732TE's victory is not in raw performance but in platform efficiency. Its 52W TDP versus 140W makes it ideal for dense server deployments, edge computing, or any environment where heat dissipation and power consumption are critical constraints. Additionally, its BGA 2227 socket and 16 PCIe Gen 4 lanes suggest a system-on-chip design that integrates more functionality, reducing the need for separate controller chips. For a rack full of CPUs, the D-1732TE delivers the same Cinebench performance as the E5-1680 v4 while consuming over 60% less power, which could significantly reduce cooling and electricity costs. The E5-1680 v4, with its 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, is better suited for systems requiring extensive expansion cards, such as GPUs or NVMe adapters.

Specification Differences

The two CPUs differ in almost every physical specification except core count and thread count. The E5-1680 v4 uses an Intel Socket 2011-3, while the D-1732TE uses a BGA 2227 package, meaning the latter is soldered to the motherboard. The E5-1680 v4 has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, whereas the D-1732TE has a much lower base clock of 1.90 GHz and a boost clock of 3.00 GHz. The TDP difference is stark: 140W for the E5-1680 v4 versus 52W for the D-1732TE.

Memory configurations also diverge. The E5-1680 v4 supports quad-channel memory with a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, while the D-1732TE supports triple-channel memory with a bandwidth of 64.0 GB/s. PCIe support differs in both generation and lane count: the E5-1680 v4 offers Gen 3 with 40 lanes, while the D-1732TE offers Gen 4 with only 16 lanes. The market segments are also different, with the E5-1680 v4 listed as Desktop and the D-1732TE as Server/Workstation. The E5-1680 v4 has a launch MSRP of $1723, while the D-1732TE has a launch MSRP of $730.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two is substantial, spanning multiple generations. The E5-1680 v4 is built on Intel's 14 nm Broadwell-EP process, featuring 3,400 million transistors on a 246 mm² die. It uses a per-core cache layout of 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2, with a shared 20 MB L3 cache. The D-1732TE, in contrast, is fabricated on Intel's 10 nm Ice Lake-D process. While its transistor count and die size are not listed, it features larger per-core caches: 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2, with a smaller shared 15 MB L3 cache.

This cache configuration explains the D-1732TE's ability to match the E5-1680 v4 despite much lower clock speeds. The larger L1 and L2 caches per core reduce memory latency and improve IPC, allowing the D-1732TE to execute more instructions per clock cycle. The E5-1680 v4 compensates with higher clocks and a larger L3 cache, but the L3 cache size advantage (20 MB vs 15 MB) is not enough to overcome the D-1732TE's efficiency gains. The D-1732TE also benefits from a more modern memory controller supporting PCIe Gen 4, though with fewer lanes. In terms of generation, the E5-1680 v4 belongs to the Xeon E5 (Broadwell-EP) family, while the D-1732TE belongs to the Xeon D (Ice Lake-D) family, marking a shift from a high-power workstation part to a low-power, integrated server SoC.