Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3 vs Intel Xeon W-2133 Comparison

The Intel Xeon W-2133 and Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3 are two server/workstation processors from different eras of Intel’s lineup. The W-2133 is a Skylake-W part released in late 2017, while the E5-2618L v3 is a Haswell-EP chip from 2014. Despite their generational gap, benchmark results show they land in a remarkably similar performance tier. The data indicates the W-2133 holds a slim but consistent edge across every test in this comparison, though the E5-2618L v3 counters with advantages in core count, cache size, and power efficiency. This analysis breaks down the benchmark scores, architectural differences, and use-case implications for these two Xeon processors.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark suite here is entirely Cinebench-based, covering both multi-core and single-core workloads across three versions of the renderer. The Intel Xeon W-2133 wins all six head-to-head comparisons, but the margins are consistently narrow. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the W-2133 scores 1075 against the E5-2618L v3’s 1068, a delta of just 0.7%. The single-core R15 test tells a similar story: 151 versus 150, again a 0.7% edge for the W-2133.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern holds. The W-2133 posts 4483 in multi-core, while the E5-2618L v3 manages 4452 — another 0.7% gap. Single-core R20 sees the W-2133 at 632 and the E5-2618L v3 at 628, a 0.6% difference. The most recent benchmark generation, Cinebench R23, shows the W-2133 reaching 10676 in multi-core against 10601 for the E5-2618L v3, with single-core scores of 1507 and 1496 respectively. Both R23 results show a 0.7% advantage for the W-2133.

What’s striking is the consistency of these margins. Every multi-core test shows a 0.7% lead for the W-2133, while single-core tests range from 0.6% to 0.7%. This suggests the performance difference is systematic rather than workload-specific. The W-2133’s higher clock speeds — 3.60 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost versus 2.30 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost — clearly outweigh the E5-2618L v3’s two additional cores in these particular workloads. The E5-2618L v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads, but its older Haswell architecture and lower clocks prevent it from converting that core advantage into a benchmark win.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this picture. The W-2133 averages 3087 across its benchmark set, placing it in the 52nd percentile of all CPUs. The E5-2618L v3 averages 3066, also in the 52nd percentile. The nearest rival for the W-2133 is the Intel Core i7-8700B with an average score of 3086, a delta of 0%. For the E5-2618L v3, the closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 4980U at 3066, again with a 0% delta. Both processors sit in a crowded mid-pack, but the W-2133’s slight numerical edge is consistent across every measured dimension.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Xeon W-2133 scores 10676, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3’s 10601 in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test.

Q: How do the single-core scores compare between these two CPUs?

A: The W-2133 wins all three single-core tests. In Cinebench R15, it scores 151 versus 150. In R20, it scores 632 versus 628. In R23, it scores 1507 versus 1496. The margins range from 0.6% to 0.7% in favor of the W-2133.

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

A: The W-2133 has an average benchmark score of 3087, while the E5-2618L v3 averages 3066. Both processors sit in the 52nd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Xeon W-2133 has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: How does the W-2133 compare to its nearest rival in average score?

A: The W-2133’s nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-8700B, which has an average score of 3086. The delta between them is 0%. The E5-2618L v3’s nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, also with a 0% delta at 3066.

Q: What is the production status of each processor?

A: The Intel Xeon W-2133 is listed as end-of-life, while the Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3 is still marked as active production.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Xeon W-2133 wins every benchmark in this comparison, but the margins are small enough that the practical implications depend heavily on workload specifics. The W-2133’s wins come from its clock speed advantage. With a 3.60 GHz base clock and 3.90 GHz boost, it runs substantially faster than the E5-2618L v3’s 2.30 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost. This makes the W-2133 the better choice for single-threaded tasks and lightly threaded workloads where clock speed dominates. Its 0.7% lead in all multi-core Cinebench tests suggests that even in multi-threaded rendering, the higher clocks compensate for having two fewer cores.

The Intel Xeon E5-2618L v3, despite losing every benchmark, has structural advantages that matter in specific scenarios. Its 8 cores and 16 threads provide more parallel execution resources than the W-2133’s 6 cores and 12 threads. In workloads that scale perfectly with core count and are not clock-limited, the E5-2618L v3 could pull ahead — the benchmark data simply doesn’t include such a test. The E5-2618L v3 also has a much larger L3 cache at 20 MB shared, versus 8.25 MB shared on the W-2133. For datasets that fit within that larger cache, the E5-2618L v3 could see a performance benefit that Cinebench doesn’t capture.

The power envelope is another clear differentiator. The E5-2618L v3 has a TDP of 75 watts, while the W-2133 draws 140 watts. For dense server deployments where power and cooling are constrained, the E5-2618L v3 offers nearly equivalent benchmark performance at roughly half the thermal budget. The W-2133 also uses the Intel Socket 2066 platform, while the E5-2618L v3 uses Intel Socket 2011-3 — a factor that matters for system upgrades and platform availability.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every major specification category. The W-2133 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the E5-2618L v3 has 8 cores and 16 threads. Clock speeds diverge significantly: the W-2133 runs at 3.60 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost, compared to 2.30 GHz base and 3.40 GHz boost for the E5-2618L v3. Thermal design power is another major split, with the W-2133 rated at 140 watts and the E5-2618L v3 at just 75 watts.

Cache configurations are notably different. The W-2133 has 64 KB of L1 per core and 1 MB of L2 per core, while the E5-2618L v3 has 64 KB of L1 per core but only 256 KB of L2 per core. The L3 cache flips the comparison: the W-2133 has 8.25 MB shared, while the E5-2618L v3 has 20 MB shared. Memory bandwidth also differs, with the W-2133 supporting 85.3 GB/s versus 59.7 GB/s for the E5-2618L v3, though both use quad-channel DDR4.

PCIe lane counts separate the two as well. The W-2133 provides 48 PCIe Gen 3 lanes from the CPU, while the E5-2618L v3 offers 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes. The sockets are incompatible: the W-2133 uses Intel Socket 2066, and the E5-2618L v3 uses Intel Socket 2011-3. The release dates are nearly three years apart, with the W-2133 launching in 2017 and the E5-2618L v3 in 2014. The W-2133 carries a launch MSRP of $617, while the E5-2618L v3 launched at $779. The W-2133 is end-of-life, while the E5-2618L v3 remains in active production.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two processors is substantial, reflecting their different generations. The W-2133 uses the Skylake architecture on a 14 nm process node, with a die size of 484 mm². The E5-2618L v3 is built on the older Haswell architecture using a 22 nm process node, with a die size of 356 mm². The transistor counts differ as well: the E5-2618L v3 packs 2,600 million transistors, while the W-2133’s transistor count is not listed in the data.

The codenames tell the story of their platforms: the W-2133 is part of the Skylake-W family, while the E5-2618L v3 belongs to Haswell-EP. Both are classified as server/workstation parts, and both support ECC memory. Neither has integrated graphics, and both are multiplier-locked. The W-2133’s part number is SR3LL, while the E5-2618L v3’s is SR200.

The 14 nm process on the W-2133 represents a full node shrink over the E5-2618L v3’s 22 nm process. This newer node allows the W-2133 to achieve much higher clock speeds — 3.60 GHz base versus 2.30 GHz base — despite having a larger die and higher TDP. The architectural improvements in Skylake also contribute to better instructions-per-clock performance, which helps explain why the W-2133 wins even multi-threaded benchmarks despite having fewer cores. The E5-2618L v3 compensates with more cores, a larger L3 cache, and a dramatically lower power draw, but it cannot overcome the clock and IPC deficit in the tested workloads.