Intel Xeon Gold 6338N

The Intel Xeon Gold 6338N is a 32-core, 64-thread server processor built on the Ice Lake-SP architecture, using Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates on the Intel Socket 4189 platform, supports DDR4 memory over an eight-channel bus with ECC, and provides 64 PCIe Gen 4 lanes from the CPU. With a base clock of 2.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz, it is positioned for heavy multi-threaded workloads. The processor is currently active in production and holds a 70th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 10347.

Platform and Compatibility

The 6338N uses the Intel Socket 4189, which is the landing zone for Ice Lake-SP Xeon processors. This socket supports DDR4 memory with an eight-channel bus, providing a theoretical memory bandwidth of 170.7 GB/s. ECC memory is supported, which is essential for server reliability and data integrity. For expansion, the processor offers 64 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only), enabling high-throughput storage, networking, and accelerator connectivity. As an Ice Lake-SP part, it is compatible with platforms designed for that generation. The data does not specify a wider upgrade path beyond the socket itself, but the socket is shared with other Ice Lake-SP Xeon parts. The process node is 10 nm, fabricated by Intel, and the architecture is Ice Lake-SP, indicating a mature server design.

How It Compares

The nearest rival is the Intel Xeon Gold 6330, which has an average benchmark score of 10343. The 6338N's score of 10347 gives a deltaPct of 0%, meaning the two processors are statistically tied in overall performance. This suggests that within the same family, the 6338N offers essentially identical average throughput to the 6330, despite any differences in core count or clock speed that might be inferred from the part numbers.

The Intel Xeon E3-1565L v5 scores 10320, which is 0.3% lower than the 6338N. This is a very small margin, placing the 6338N slightly ahead. The E3-1565L v5 is a much older architecture, so the near parity is noteworthy, but the 6338N still edges it out in the aggregate benchmark.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X scores 10387, which is 0.4% higher than the 6338N. The Threadripper is a high-end desktop part, and its slight lead in average score indicates that the 6338N is competitive with a top-tier consumer/workstation CPU, despite being a server-oriented Xeon.

The Intel Xeon Gold 6312U scores 10435, which is 0.8% higher than the 6338N. This is the largest gap among the nearest rivals, but still within a single percentage point. The 6312U is a different SKU in the same Ice Lake-SP family, and the data shows it has a slightly higher average benchmark score.

Power and Thermals

The 6338N has a TDP of 185W, placing it in the high-power segment of server processors. This implies the need for a robust cooling solution capable of dissipating that heat output. In a server chassis, that typically means active heatsinks or high-static-pressure fans, though specific cooler recommendations are not part of the data. The 185W TDP also indicates that the processor is designed for sustained multi-core loads, which is consistent with its 32-core configuration. The thermal design point is a key consideration for system integrators, as it affects chassis airflow, power delivery, and overall system density.

FAQ

Q: What socket does the Intel Xeon Gold 6338N use?

A: It uses Intel Socket 4189.

Q: How much L3 cache does it have?

A: It has 48 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Does it support ECC memory?

A: Yes, ECC memory is supported.

Q: What is the memory bus width and bandwidth?

A: The memory bus is eight-channel, with a bandwidth of 170.7 GB/s.

Q: What is the process node?

A: The process node is 10 nm, fabricated by Intel.

Q: What is the boost clock speed?

A: The boost clock is 3.50 GHz.

Benchmark Performance

The 6338N delivers a multi-core score of 3605 in Cinebench R15, while the single-core score is 509. In Cinebench R20, the multi-core score rises to 15024 and the single-core score to 2121. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score reaches 35773 and the single-core score is 5050. These results show strong scaling across the 32 cores and 64 threads, with multi-core scores that are roughly an order of magnitude higher than single-core scores in each test version. The average benchmark score of 10347 places the processor at the 70th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested processors.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the 6338N is essentially tied with the Xeon Gold 6330 (0% delta), slightly ahead of the Xeon E3-1565L v5 (0.3% delta), and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (-0.4% delta) and the Xeon Gold 6312U (-0.8% delta). The narrow deltas indicate that all five processors fall within a tight performance band, and the 6338N's position is competitive across both Intel and AMD offerings.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The single-core scores are relatively modest compared to the multi-core scores, reflecting the design philosophy of a many-core server chip. For example, in Cinebench R23, the single-core score of 5050 is far lower than the multi-core score of 35773. This indicates that the processor excels in workloads that can utilize all 32 cores and 64 threads, such as rendering, scientific simulations, and virtualization. Conversely, lightly-threaded tasks will not see the same benefit from the core count, and the 3.50 GHz boost clock is the primary driver for single-thread performance. The base clock of 2.20 GHz is relatively low, but the boost clock provides a headroom of 1.30 GHz for transient single-thread bursts. The data shows that the 6338N is optimized for throughput rather than raw single-thread speed, which is typical for server processors targeting multi-tenant or parallel compute environments.