Intel Xeon Gold question

[Chris Walters]

Hi all,

I am looking to purchase a new Dell Precision, with a Xeon Gold Processor, and I need some advice on which exact model to add. I plan to use this machine for running multiple VMs, so I know the core count in important. Currently I was looking at the:

Intel Xeon Gold 6136 3.0GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 12C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI,24.75M Cache, HT (150W) DDR4-2666

I was a bit confused because this processor below is an additional $2,274.06:

Intel Xeon Gold 6134M 3.2GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 8C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI,24.75M Cache, HT (130W) DDR4-2666

Is the extra .2 GHz really that meaningful? Why is this other one so much more?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Bouowmx]

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...kylake-SP.22_.2814_nm.29_Scalable_Performance

M processors support double memory per socket (1536 vs 768 GB).

Base frequency is unimportant. All-core Turbo frequency is the important one. Note: in heavy AVX2 loads, frequency is decreased by 0.4 GHz, and in heavy AVX-512, frequency is decreased by 0.9 GHz.

By the metric of (core count) * frequency / price, Gold 6130 (16 cores, 2.8-3.7 GHz, 1900 USD (via Intel)) ranks highest among the Gold 6100 series.

 

[kjboughton]

The 6136 is a 12C or 12-core.
The 6134M is an 8C or 8-core.
The "M" signifies the processor is for high-density memory applications and is probably not the best fit for your usage unless you plan to configure more than 768GB of system memory. The "M" variants support up to 1.5TB (double).
And that's why the "M" processor is much more expensive. In a lot of cases it comes down to software licensing costs (which are often based on total core count of the system on which it executes). Adding more memory, or more high-speed cache, or more *anything* except for cores can often increase performance on parity to adding cores (brute force) without the additional licensing costs that go along with more cores.
A one-time investment of just a couple thousand more dollars for a single processor which I can then double the memory capacity and now I can keep my entire dB in memory? That can be a worth consideration when the alternative is doubling the core count and now doubling my per-year licensing costs year over year over year...
You want the 6136.

 

[kjboughton]

Just checked that link you posted... yummy.
You can go dual processor. What exactly are you planning on doing with this system?

I vote you go all out...
Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8180M 2.5GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo, 28C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI, 38MCache,HT(205W) DDR4-2666

 

[Chris Walters]

Won't individual applications run slower with the 6130 at 2.8Ghz?

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...kylake-SP.22_.2814_nm.29_Scalable_Performance

M processors support double memory per socket (1536 vs 768 GB).

Base frequency is unimportant. All-core Turbo frequency is the important one. Note: in heavy AVX2 loads, frequency is decreased by 0.4 GHz, and in heavy AVX-512, frequency is decreased by 0.9 GHz.

By the metric of (core count) * frequency / price, Gold 6130 (16 cores, 2.8-3.7 GHz, 1900 USD (via Intel)) ranks highest among the Gold 6100 series.

 

[Chris Walters]

By the way, the 6130 has less cache than the 6136:

• Intel Xeon Gold 6130 2.1GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 16C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI, 22M Cache, HT (125W) DDR4-2666
  
  
• Intel Xeon Gold 6136 3.0GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 12C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI,24.75M Cache, HT (150W) DDR4-2666
  

Does that make a difference? If the 6130 is better than the 6136, why does it cost less?

Thanks!

 

[Topweasel]

By the way, the 6130 has less cache than the 6136:

• Intel Xeon Gold 6130 2.1GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 16C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI, 22M Cache, HT (125W) DDR4-2666
  
  
• Intel Xeon Gold 6136 3.0GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo, 12C, 10.4GT/s 3UPI,24.75M Cache, HT (150W) DDR4-2666

Does that make a difference? If the 6130 is better than the 6136, why does it cost less?

Thanks!

Lower base clock, lower TDP, less cache. Ignoring the cache. The 6130 will hit it's wall earlier with the lower TDP. Chances are much like the base clock, the all core max turbo will be considerably lower than the one or two core 3.7GHz turbo that both share.