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Intel Xeon Gold 5520+ vs Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y: Comparison
Xeon Gold 5520+ vs Xeon Gold 6542Y boost clock compared
The first real difference is boost clock: Xeon Gold 5520+ 4.0 GHz against Xeon Gold 6542Y 4.1 GHz. Measured rather than claimed: in SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip the Xeon Gold 5520+ returns 263 against 261, a 1% lead. Add l3 cache to that, 160 MB on the Xeon Gold 5520+ versus 180 MB on the Xeon Gold 6542Y, and the pattern holds. There is a split on tdp as well, 205 W on the Xeon Gold 5520+ versus 250 W on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. They differ on core count too, 28 cores on the Xeon Gold 5520+ versus 24 cores on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. There is a split on thread count as well, 56 threads on the Xeon Gold 5520+ versus 48 threads on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. They differ on base clock too, 2.2 GHz on the Xeon Gold 5520+ versus 2.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6542Y.
Which should you buy, Xeon Gold 5520+ or Xeon Gold 6542Y?
Buy the Xeon Gold 5520+ for enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is not built for desktop use and gaming builds. The Xeon Gold 6542Y suits enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is the wrong buy for desktop use and gaming builds. Our rating of the Xeon Gold 5520+ (8.1/10): the Intel Xeon Gold 5520+ is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty. Our rating of the Xeon Gold 6542Y (8.1/10): the Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty.
What Xeon Gold 5520+ and Xeon Gold 6542Y have in common
Where they agree, they agree completely, release year, igpu, core architecture and socket included, so the decision does not turn on any of those.
Specs and benchmarks
Release Year
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 2023
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 2023
Core Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 28 cores
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 24 cores
iGPU
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- None
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- None
Thread Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 56 threads
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 48 threads
Core Architecture
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- Emerald Rapids
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- Emerald Rapids
Base Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 2.2 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 2.9 GHz
Boost Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 4.0 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 4.1 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 160 MB-11%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 180 MBBest
Socket
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- LGA 4677
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- LGA 4677
TDP
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 205 W
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 250 W
Benchmarks
- General CPU
SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 263Best
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 261-1%
Best published 1-chip result on spec.org, retrieved 23 Sept 2026.
Server-style tasks like compiling and compression on every thread. Best for judging workstation and server work.
SPECrate® 2017 Floating Point (base), 1-chip
- Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
- 362Best
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 358-1%
Best published 1-chip result on spec.org, retrieved 23 Sept 2026.
Scientific and engineering tasks on every thread. Rewards core count and memory bandwidth.
SPEC®, SPECrate® and SPECspeed® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. Copied by permission of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC). Results retrieved from www.spec.org on 23 Sept 2026.
Which one should you pick?
Choose 5520+ if you want the higher SPECrate® 2017 integer (base), 1-chip (263 vs 261) and the higher SPECrate® 2017 floating point (base), 1-chip (362 vs 358).
Choose 6542Y if you want the higher L3 cache (180 MB vs 160 MB).
Verdict
Intel Xeon Gold 5520+
8.1 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Xeon Gold 5520+ is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty.
Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
8.1 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty.