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Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y vs Intel Xeon Gold 6548N: Comparison
What is the difference between Xeon Gold 6542Y and Xeon Gold 6548N?
The gap that matters here is l3 cache: Xeon Gold 6542Y 180 MB against Xeon Gold 6548N 240 MB, which puts Xeon Gold 6548N 25% ahead. The benchmark result agrees. SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip puts Xeon Gold 6548N 21% ahead, 330 against 261. There is a split on boost clock as well, 4.1 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6542Y versus 4.0 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6548N. Core count is not the same on both, 24 cores on the Xeon Gold 6542Y versus 32 cores on the Xeon Gold 6548N. They differ on thread count too, 48 threads on the Xeon Gold 6542Y versus 64 threads on the Xeon Gold 6548N. Base clock is not the same on both, 2.9 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6542Y versus 2.4 GHz on the Xeon Gold 6548N.
Xeon Gold 6542Y vs Xeon Gold 6548N: which one fits your build
The Xeon Gold 6542Y suits enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is the wrong buy for desktop use and gaming builds. Buy the Xeon Gold 6548N for enterprise virtualization and demanding server workloads, though it is not built for desktop use and gaming builds. 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. Our rating of the Xeon Gold 6548N (8.1/10): the Intel Xeon Gold 6548N is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty.
Where the two are identical
Where they agree, they agree completely, tdp, 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 6542Y
- 2023
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 2023
Core Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 24 cores
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 32 cores
iGPU
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- None
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- None
Thread Count
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 48 threads
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 64 threads
Core Architecture
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- Emerald Rapids
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- Emerald Rapids
Base Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 2.9 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 2.4 GHz
Boost Clock
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 4.1 GHz
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 4.0 GHz
L3 Cache
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 180 MB-25%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 240 MBBest
Socket
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- LGA 4677
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- LGA 4677
TDP
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 250 W
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 250 W
Benchmarks
- General CPU
SPECrate® 2017 Integer (base), 1-chip
- Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y
- 261-21%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 330Best
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 6542Y
- 358-14%
- Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
- 415Best
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 6542Y if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose 6548N if you want the higher L3 cache (240 MB vs 180 MB), the higher SPECrate® 2017 integer (base), 1-chip (330 vs 261) and the higher SPECrate® 2017 floating point (base), 1-chip (415 vs 358).
Verdict
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.
Intel Xeon Gold 6548N
8.1 / 10 Expert Rating
The Intel Xeon Gold 6548N is a strong mid-to-high tier data center chip, well suited to enterprise virtualization and server duty.