Xeon Gold 6242R

The Xeon Gold 6242R is a 20-core / 40-thread processor based on the Cascade Lake (2019−2020) architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process node. It reaches a maximum boost clock of 4.1 GHz from a base frequency of 3.1 GHz— higher boost clocks directly translate to better single-threaded performance and responsiveness in gaming. It carries 35.75 MB of L3 cache, plus 20 MB of L2 cache and 1.25 MB of L1 cache per core. In the PassMark benchmark (a comprehensive multi-threaded test), it scores 36,011, placing it in the High-End performance tier as a Aging generation product.

The Xeon Gold 6242R fits into the LGA3647 socket and supports PCIe 3.0 with 48 total PCIe lanes for expansion cards and storage. It supports DDR4-2933 memory at speeds up to 2933 (faster RAM improves bandwidth-sensitive workloads), with a maximum capacity of 1024 across 6 channels (dual-channel doubles bandwidth). It supports ECC memory, providing error-correcting capabilities — essential for mission-critical workloads and servers. Integrated graphics: None — allows display output without a dedicated GPU, useful for troubleshooting and light tasks.

It supports AVX-512 instructions — specialized SIMD operations that significantly accelerate AI inference, scientific computing, and video encoding workloads. Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d — enables running virtual machines efficiently (important for development and server workloads). Its primary market competitor is the EPYC 7302.

The Xeon Gold 6242R has a rated TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 205 Watt — this indicates the amount of heat generated under sustained load and determines what cooling solution is needed. No stock cooler is included — you will need to purchase an aftermarket cooler separately. Recommended cooling: LGA3647 Server Grade.

At an average price of $779 (MSRP: $2977), the Xeon Gold 6242R delivers 46 PassMark points per dollar. Performance ranking position: #332 out of all indexed processors.