Apple M2 vs Intel Xeon Gold 6342

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M2 or Apple M2 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple M2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Apple M series series.
The Intel Xeon Gold 6342 features 24 processor cores and has the capability to manage 48 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2021 and belongs to the 3 generation of the Intel Xeon Gold series.
To use the Intel Xeon Gold 6342, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 4189 socket.
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M2 Name Intel Xeon Gold 6342
Apple M series Family Intel Xeon Gold
2 Generation 3
Apple M2 Group Intel Xeon Gold 5300/6300
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.5 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Intel Xeon Gold 6342 has 24 CPU cores and can calculate 48 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Xeon Gold 6342 is 2.8 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.5 GHz.
None None 3.5 GHz
2.8 GHz B-Core Frequency None
3.5 GHz A-Core Frequency None
4x Blizzard Cores B None
4x Avalanche Cores A None
No Overclocking No
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
None None 2.8 GHz
8 Threads 48
No Hyperthreading Yes
8 CPU Cores 24
None None 24x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M2 uses the Apple M2 (10 Core), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Xeon Gold 6342 does not have integrated graphics.
1.4 GHz GPU frequency --
Q2/2022 Release date --
-- Direct X --
Apple M2 (10 Core) GPU name
5 nm Technology --
-- Max. displays --
1280 Shaders --
24.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
160 Execution units --
2 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode AVC --
Decode VC-1 --
Decode / Encode VP9 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
Decode / Encode h264 --
Decode VP8 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
Decode / Encode JPEG --
No AV1 --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 24.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 6.0 TB distributed across 8 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 204.8 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
2 Memory channels 8
24.0 GB Max. Memory 6.0 TB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI Yes
No ECC Yes
102.4 GB/s Bandwidth 204.8 GB/s
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type DDR4-3200
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 22 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 230 W watts.
100 °C Tjunction max --
22 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 230 W
10 W TDP down None
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M2 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Xeon Gold 6342 is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 36.0 MB cache.
Q2/2022 Release date Q2/2021
-- Part Number --
20.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
M2 Architecture Ice Lake
5 nm Technology 10 nm
Socket LGA 4189
macOS, iPadOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
-- Release price 2529 $
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
0 bytes L3-Cache 36.0 MB