Intel Xeon E-2134 vs Intel Xeon E5-4648 v3 Comparison

The database tells a story of two very different server chips landing in almost the same place. The Intel Xeon E-2134 is a compact Coffee Lake part with four cores running at high clocks, while the Intel Xeon E5-4648 v3 is a Haswell-EP flagship with twelve cores clocked conservatively. Despite the tripled core count, the recorded Cinebench results show the E-2134 winning every single test, with margins between roughly 4 and 5 percent. Both processors are end-of-life, both carry server and workstation market positioning, and both sit in the mid-pack of the database at the 48th and 47th percentiles respectively.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear if narrow winner: the Xeon E-2134 sweeps all six head-to-head Cinebench tests. It leads by 4.1 percent in Cinebench R15 multi-core (808 versus 776), 4.6 percent in R15 single-core (114 versus 109), 4.1 percent in R20 multi-core (3367 versus 3234), 4.2 percent in R20 single-core (475 versus 456), 4.1 percent in R23 multi-core (8018 versus 7701), and 4.1 percent in R23 single-core (1132 versus 1087).

For workloads that follow the same pattern as these rendering tests, the E-2134 is the stronger pick on pure performance. Its higher clocks deliver a lead in every scenario the database captures, including multi-core tests where the E5-4648 v3 should theoretically have had the advantage with twelve cores and twenty-four threads.

The case for the E5-4648 v3 rests on platform characteristics rather than raw benchmark scores. It offers quad-channel DDR4 with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth against the E-2134's dual-channel 42.7 GB/s, plus 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes against 16. That matters for memory-hungry or I/O-heavy deployments. It also carries a much larger 30 MB shared L3 cache. But if the decision rests on the recorded Cinebench data alone, the E-2134 wins, and it does so with a 71 W TDP versus 105 W.

Architecture Differences

These chips come from two different eras of Intel silicon. The E-2134 belongs to the Xeon E-2100 series, built on the Coffee Lake architecture with the Coffee Lake-S WS codename, manufactured at Intel on a 14 nm process. The E5-4648 v3 is a Haswell-EP design on Intel's older 22 nm process.

The core topology diverges sharply. The E-2134 has 4 cores and 8 threads with a 3.50 GHz base clock and a 4.50 GHz boost clock. The E5-4648 v3 counters with 12 cores and 24 threads, but at far lower frequencies: a 1700 MHz base and a 2.20 GHz boost. That clock deficit, multiplied across a database workload mix, is what erases the core-count advantage in the recorded results.

Cache is a different story. Both chips carry identical per-core L1 (64 KB) and L2 (256 KB) allocation, but the E5-4648 v3 supplies 30 MB of shared L3 versus 8 MB on the E-2134. The Haswell die is correspondingly larger at 356 mm² with 2,600 million transistors, while the Coffee Lake die measures 126 mm².

Platform features also differ. The E5-4648 v3 uses quad-channel DDR4 for 59.7 GB/s of memory bandwidth and exposes 40 Gen 3 PCIe lanes. The E-2134 runs dual-channel DDR4 at 42.7 GB/s with 16 Gen 3 lanes, but adds integrated graphics in the form of UHD Graphics P630, which the E5-4648 v3 lacks entirely. Both support ECC memory, both have locked multipliers, and both fit different sockets: Socket 1151 for the E-2134, Socket 2011-3 for the E5-4648 v3.

Release timing separates them by years. The E5-4648 v3 launched in 2015; the E-2134 followed in 2018. Both carry end-of-life status in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall in the recorded benchmarks?

A: The Xeon E-2134. It won all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, with leads between 4.1 and 4.6 percent, and holds a higher average benchmark score of 2319 versus 2227.

Q: How does each chip rank against the broader database?

A: They are nearly identical in standing. The E-2134 sits at the 48th percentile versus all CPUs, while the E5-4648 v3 sits at the 47th percentile.

Q: Does the 12-core E5-4648 v3 ever win a multi-core test?

A: No. Despite having triple the cores (12 versus 4) and double the threads (24 versus 8), it loses every multi-core test, including Cinebench R23 where the E-2134 scored 8018 against 7701.

Q: Which CPU is more power efficient by rated TDP?

A: The E-2134, with a 71 W TDP versus 105 W for the E5-4648 v3, while also delivering the better benchmark results.

Q: Which chip has the stronger memory and PCIe platform?

A: The E5-4648 v3. It supports quad-channel DDR4 at 59.7 GB/s bandwidth with 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes, compared to dual-channel DDR4 at 42.7 GB/s and 16 lanes on the E-2134.

Q: Which rivals sit closest to these two in average score?

A: The E-2134's nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (average score 2320, 0.1 percent apart), Intel Core i7-8809G (2307), Intel Core i5-10400H (2303), and Xeon E3-1285 v6 (2348). The E5-4648 v3 clusters near the Core i7-8559U (2225), Core i7-5775C (2224), Xeon D-1548 (2231), and Xeon D-1715TER (2238).

Specification Differences

| Field | Xeon E-2134 | Xeon E5-4648 v3 |

|---|---|---|

| Series | Xeon E-2100 series | Not listed |

| Cores | 4 | 12 |

| Threads | 8 | 24 |

| Base clock | 3.50 GHz | 1700 MHz |

| Boost clock | 4.50 GHz | 2.20 GHz |

| TDP | 71 W | 105 W |

| Socket | Socket 1151 | Socket 2011-3 |

| Architecture | Coffee Lake | Haswell |

| Codename | Coffee Lake-S WS | Haswell-EP |

| Process node | 14 nm | 22 nm |

| Transistors | Not listed | 2,600 million |

| Die size | 126 mm² | 356 mm² |

| L3 cache | 8 MB (shared) | 30 MB (shared) |

| Memory bus | Dual-channel | Quad-channel |

| Memory bandwidth | 42.7 GB/s | 59.7 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 16 lanes | Gen 3, 40 lanes |

| Integrated graphics | UHD Graphics P630 | None |

| Release date | 2018 | 2015 |

| Launch MSRP | $256 | $2405 |

| Part number | SR3WP | SR26R |

Shared traits worth noting: both support DDR4 with ECC, both are Server/Workstation parts, both are end-of-life, and both have locked multipliers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The sweep belongs to the E-2134 across every test, and the pattern is remarkably consistent.

Cinebench R15 multi-core: 808 for the E-2134 versus 776 for the E5-4648 v3, a 4.1 percent win. This is the most striking result in the dataset. The E5-4648 v3 brings twelve cores to a multi-core rendering test and still finishes behind a four-core chip, a direct consequence of its 2.20 GHz boost clock against 4.50 GHz on the E-2134.

Cinebench R15 single-core: 114 versus 109, a 4.6 percent margin, the largest gap in any test. Single-threaded work maximally rewards the E-2134's frequency advantage.

Cinebench R20 multi-core: 3367 versus 3234, a 4.1 percent E-2134 win. Cinebench R20 single-core: 475 versus 456, a 4.2 percent gap. The R20 pair confirms the trend is not version-specific.

Cinebench R23 multi-core: 8018 versus 7701, 4.1 percent apart. Cinebench R23 single-core: 1132 versus 1087, another 4.1 percent win. Even in the heaviest modern rendering workload in the database, the E-2134's four Coffee Lake cores outpace twelve Haswell cores.

The final tally is six wins for the E-2134 and zero for the E5-4648 v3, with an average score edge of 2319 to 2227. Context from the rival data reinforces how evenly matched these two are in absolute terms: the E-2134 trades blows with desktop and mobile chips like the Ryzen 7 2700 and Core i5-10400H, while the E5-4648 v3 sits within half a percent of parts like the Xeon D-1548 and Core i7-5775C. In percentile terms they are separated by a single point. Performance-wise these are peers, but peers where the younger, smaller, lower-TDP E-2134 takes every recorded test.