// PHORONIX — LINUX & OPEN SOURCE
Intel Xeon 600 Workstation Performance vs. AMD Threadripper 9000 In Nearly 400 Benchmarks
Last month I had the chance to test the Xeon 678X workstation processor as my first hands-on opportunity with the Xeon 600 "Granite Rapids WS" series. The Intel Xeon 678X was within the HP Z4 G6i workstation and used it for a number of different benchmarks. In that HP workstation review were also some comparison points to the likes of AMD Ryzen Threadripper while in this article are some much more concentrated benchmarks between the competing Xeon 600 series and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series for workstations. Nearly 400 benchmarks plus power and frequency comparison too.
Prior to needing to send back that HP Z4 Gi workstation review unit, I ran a large arsenal of benchmarks on the Xeon 678X for a more directed comparison against AMD Ryzen Threadripper now being published today. The Intel Xeon 678X as a reminder has 48 cores / 96 threads, all comprised of Redwood Cove P cores. The Xeon 678X has a 2.4GHz base frequency and 4.9GHz max turbo frequency for this CPU with a 300 Watt base power rating and 360 Watt maximum turbo power rating. The Xeon 600 series supports up to eight channels of DDR5-6400 or MRDIMM-8000 memory. In the case of the HP Z4 G6i workstation though it was quad channel DDR5-6400 memory.
With the Xeon 678X having been my only Xeon 600 series access thus far, for comparison in nearly 400 benchmarks I tested it against the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X 64-core CPU both at 64 cores / 128 threads and then at core-for-core of 48 cores / 96 threads. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X features 64 Zen 5 cores, 3.2GHz base clock, and up to 5.4GHz maximum boost clock while having a 350 Watt TDP. So power-wise isn't too different from the Xeon 678X and the benchmarks were done both at 64c/128t and 48c/96t for matching the Xeon 678X.
When testing the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X at 48 cores, from the BIOS each of the eight CCDs were set to six cores online and two cores disabled.
The Threadripper 9980X was tested within the System76 Thelio Major. Thanks to System76 for allowing Phoronix to hold onto this system for long-term testing and makes it possible for comparisons such as this one. With the System76 Thelio Major was four channels of 32GB DDR5-5600 memory modules. Same number of memory channels but at DDR5-5600 speeds rather than DDR5-6400. In the lab is also the likes of the Threadripper PRO 9995WX albeit further out of scope for comparing to this lone Xeon 600 series workstation CPU.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with the Linux 7.0 kernel and GCC 15.2 compiler were run on both of these workstations for the same software stack. Both workstations were running in their performance scaling governor and EPP modes. All the software otherwise at its defaults for comparing the Xeon 600 series and Threadripper 9000 series workstation processors in a wide mix of workloads both for performance and power efficiency.
Thanks to System76 and HP for the hardware in making this workstation comparison possible.