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Intel Xeon Gold 6534 vs Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y: Comparison
What is the difference between Xeon Gold 6534 and Xeon Gold 6542Y?
Start with l3 cache, because it is the widest measured gap between them: Xeon Gold 6534 60 MB against Xeon Gold 6542Y 180 MB, 67% in favour of Xeon Gold 6542Y. The benchmark result agrees. SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip puts Xeon Gold 6542Y 62% ahead, 261 against 100. Boost clock is not the same on both, 4.3 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6534 versus 4.1 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. There is a split on tdp as well, 195 W on the Xeon Gold 6534 versus 250 W on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. They differ on core count too, 8 cores on the Xeon Gold 6534 versus 24 cores on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. Thread count is not the same on both, 16 threads on the Xeon Gold 6534 versus 48 threads on the Xeon Gold 6542Y. There is a split on base clock as well, 3.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6534 versus 2.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6542Y.
Who each one is for
Buy the Xeon Gold 6534 for enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is the wrong buy for desktop use and gaming builds. The Xeon Gold 6542Y suits enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is not the pick for desktop use and gaming builds. Our rating of the Xeon Gold 6534 (8.1/10): the Intel Xeon Gold 6534 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 6534 and Xeon Gold 6542Y have in common
Everything else lines up. Release year, igpu, core architecture and socket read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Specs and benchmarks
Release Year
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 2023
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 2023
Core Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 8 cores
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 24 cores
iGPU
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- None
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- None
Thread Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 16 threads
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 48 threads
Core Architecture
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- Emerald Rapids
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- Emerald Rapids
Base Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 3.9 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 2.9 GHz
Boost Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 4.3 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 4.1 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 60 MB-67%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 180 MBBest
Socket
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- LGA 4677
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- LGA 4677
TDP
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 195 W
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 250 W
Benchmarks
- General CPU
SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip
- Intel Xeon Gold 6534
- 100-62%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 261Best
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 6534
- 155-57%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 358Best
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 6534 if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose 6542Y if you want the higher L3 cache (180 MB vs 60 MB), the higher SPECrate® 2017 integer (base), 1-chip (261 vs 100) and the higher SPECrate® 2017 floating point (base), 1-chip (358 vs 155).
Verdict
Intel Xeon Gold 6534
8.1 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Xeon Gold 6534 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.