AMD EPYC 7502 vs Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the AMD EPYC 7502 vs Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as Gears 5, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, WPrime, SuperPi, RealBench, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, MATLAB, AIDA64, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Prime95.
   And how good the processors are in games:

Apex Legends
Cyberpunk 2077
Death Stranding
Fortnite
Valorant
Fallout 76
Overwatch
Watch Dogs Legion
Halo Infinite
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Valheim
Grand Theft Auto V
DOOM: Eternal
Rainbow Six Siege
Red Dead Redemption 2
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Borderlands 3
Last Man Standing
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M or AMD EPYC 7502.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

EPYC 7502

66%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

60%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, EPYC 7502 is 9% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

EPYC 7502

73%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

69%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	129.9	121.9
Valorant	147.7	138.5
Cyberpunk 2077	82.7	77.6
Apex Legends	138.8	130.2
Call of Duty Warzone	110.7	103.9
Overwatch	119.6	112.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	101.9	95.6
DOOM Eternal	73.8	69.3
Warzone	115.2	108.1
Assassin's Creed	124.0	116.4
Valheim	122.6	115.0

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

EPYC 7502

17%

Xeon Platinum 8260M

21%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Xeon Platinum 8260M is more energy efficient than the EPYC 7502 as it consumes less power: 180W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD EPYC 7502	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Cinbench 15 Single-core	160	211
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	6608	5808
Cinbench 20 Single-core	391	366
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14007	14048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	740	1239
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	36424	35899

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD EPYC 7502	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Single-Core	2094	2291
Multi-Core	53430	34071

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD EPYC 7502	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Single-Core	939	1071
Multi-Core	41117	33238

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD EPYC 7502	Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	October 01, 2020
Type	Server	Server
Socket	SP3	LGA3647
Core name	Rome	Cascade Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	2	2
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	2.5 MHz	2.3 MHz
Cores	32	24
Threads	64	48
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	64000 millions	7510 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	180 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory		1 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	128MB	35.75 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number	100-000000054 100-100000054WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here EPYC 7502 is 8% better than Xeon Platinum 8260M in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that EPYC 7502 has 8 more core than Xeon Platinum 8260M. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD EPYC 7502 is better: 21
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M is better: 10
All the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD EPYC 7502 and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD EPYC 7502 specs and review.

• Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M specs and review.