Intel Xeon Gold 6242R vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Xeon Gold 6242R vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and understand which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, programming, machine learning, rendering. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, 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 software tests like Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, 3DMark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Blender, RealBench, WPrime, VeraCrypt, Furmark, Blender, SuperPi, MATLAB, 7zip, Handbrake, Prime95, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5900 or Intel Xeon Gold 6242R.

Summary benchmark results

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

Xeon Gold 6242R

60%

Ryzen 9 5900

62%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5900 is 3% better than Xeon Gold 6242R. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon Gold 6242R

66%

Ryzen 9 5900

59%

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	117.7	103.8
Valorant	133.8	118.0
Cyberpunk 2077	74.9	66.1
Apex Legends	125.8	110.9
Call of Duty Warzone	100.4	88.5
Overwatch	108.4	95.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	92.3	81.4
DOOM Eternal	66.9	59.0
Warzone	104.4	92.0
Assassin's Creed	112.4	99.1
Valheim	111.1	97.9

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 computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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

Xeon Gold 6242R

17%

Ryzen 9 5900

89%

To make a final decision 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 Ryzen 9 5900 is more energy efficient than the Xeon Gold 6242R since it has less power consumption: 205W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	216	285
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5946	3789
Cinbench 20 Single-core	497	668
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14382	8653
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1269	1815
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	36754	23790

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	2419	3487
Multi-Core	34882	39560

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	1073	1743
Multi-Core	29161	15530

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	January 12, 2021
Type	Server	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA3647	AM4
Core name	Cascade Lake	Vermeer
Architecture	x86	Zen 3
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	20	12
Threads	40	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	9400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	205 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	DDR4
Max. Memory	1 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache
L2 cache		6MB
L3 cache	35.75 MB	64MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number		100-000000062

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Xeon Gold 6242R is 3% better than Ryzen 9 5900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Gold 6242R has 8 more core than Ryzen 9 5900. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is better: 20
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is better: 15
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Xeon Gold 6242R and AMD Ryzen 9 5900 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Xeon Gold 6242R specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900 specs and review.