CPU
GPU
Xeon Silver 4208
EPYC 7261
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Xeon Silver 4208 is positioned at rank 329 and the EPYC 7261 is on rank 592, so the Xeon Silver 4208 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Xeon Silver 4208
Performance Per Dollar EPYC 7261
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Xeon Silver 4208 | EPYC 7261 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($8) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Cascade Lake (2019−2020) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Naples (2017−2018) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Xeon Silver 4208 | EPYC 7261 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($8) |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Xeon Silver 4208 and EPYC 7261
Xeon Silver 4208
The Xeon Silver 4208 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 11 MB. L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA3647. Thermal design power (TDP): 85 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 11,040 points. Launch price was $417.
EPYC 7261
The EPYC 7261 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Naples (2017−2018) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.9 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3. Thermal design power (TDP): 170 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 11,149 points. Launch price was $800.
Processing Power
Both the Xeon Silver 4208 and EPYC 7261 share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Xeon Silver 4208 versus 2.9 GHz on the EPYC 7261 — a 9.8% clock advantage for the Xeon Silver 4208 (base: 2.1 GHz vs 2.5 GHz). The Xeon Silver 4208 uses the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the EPYC 7261 uses Naples (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Xeon Silver 4208 scores 11,040 against the EPYC 7261's 11,149 — a 1% lead for the EPYC 7261. L3 cache: 11 MB on the Xeon Silver 4208 vs 32 MB (total) on the EPYC 7261.
| Feature | Xeon Silver 4208 | EPYC 7261 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 |
| Boost Clock | 3.2 GHz+10% | 2.9 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.1 GHz | 2.5 GHz+19% |
| L3 Cache | 11 MB | 32 MB (total)+191% |
| L2 Cache | 8 MB+1500% | 512K (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Cascade Lake (2019−2020) | Naples (2017−2018) |
| PassMark | 11,040 | 11,149 |
Memory & Platform
The Xeon Silver 4208 uses the LGA3647 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the EPYC 7261 uses SP3 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Xeon Silver 4208 | EPYC 7261 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA3647 | SP3 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0+33% |
| Max RAM Speed | 2400 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 1024 | — |
| RAM Channels | 6 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 48 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Xeon Silver 4208) / not specified (EPYC 7261).
| Feature | Xeon Silver 4208 | EPYC 7261 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| IGPU Model | None | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | Yes | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d | — |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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