CPU Comparison
Intel Xeon 6515P vs Intel Xeon 6728P
A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Intel Xeon 6515P is a 16‑core, 32‑thread server and workstation processor from Intel’s Xeon 6 Granite Rapids‑SP family, built on Intel 3 chiplets with 72 MB of L3 cache, 8‑channel DDR5‑6400, and 88 PCIe 5.0 lanes, targeting single‑socket and dual‑socket compute‑intensive workloads.
The Bottom Line
Overview & Launch
Specifications Compared
Performance Compared
Productivity
Gaming
Virtualization
Efficiency
Specialized Performance
AI / ML
- AMX and AVX‑512 provide strong CPU‑based AI acceleration.
- Best suited for inference and small‑to‑medium models; not a replacement for GPUs in large‑scale training.
- Popular for LLM inference on CPU‑only stacks and OpenVINO‑optimized workloads.
- Intel AMX accelerates INT8 and BF16 matrix operations for deep learning inference.
- Good fit for CPU-based LLM inference and small-to-medium model serving.
- AI performance per core significantly better than pre-AMX Xeon generations.
Content Creation
Gaming
- Not designed for gaming; single‑threaded performance is good but not class‑leading.
- High PCIe lane count is overkill for most gaming GPUs.
- Better suited as a host CPU for GPU‑accelerated game servers or cloud gaming.
- No integrated graphics; discrete GPU required.
- High platform cost makes it unattractive for gaming versus consumer CPUs.
- Adequate for casual gaming but not a target use case.
Industry Impact
Best CPU by Use Case
Target Audience
Strengths & Weaknesses
Pros
- 16 P‑cores with strong single‑threaded performance
- 88 PCIe 5.0 lanes for dense GPU/NVMe configs
- 8‑channel DDR5‑6400 with up to 4 TB capacity
- AMX + AVX‑512 for AI and HPC
- Good single‑socket performance without dual‑socket complexity
Cons
- 150 W TDP may require strong cooling in 1U servers
- Premium price for I/O and memory that only matters if you use them
- No integrated graphics
- Locked multiplier, no manual overclocking
Pros
- 24 high-performance Redwood Cove P-cores with strong IPC.
- 144 MB L3 cache benefits latency-sensitive workloads.
- 8-channel DDR5-6400 with up to 4 TB per socket.
- 88 PCIe 5.0 lanes for GPUs, NVMe, and networking.
- AMX and on-die accelerators (QAT, DLB, DSA, IAA) for AI and data processing.
- Supports 2S/4S/8S configurations for scalable enterprise deployments.
Cons
- High platform cost and 210 W TDP require robust cooling and power delivery.
- Locked multiplier; no overclocking headroom.
- No integrated graphics; must pair with discrete GPU or BMC.
- Memory and motherboard ecosystem are more expensive than consumer platforms.
- Less core-count density than higher-end Granite Rapids or EPYC 9004 SKUs.
Competitors & Alternatives
Intel Xeon 6515P
- AMD EPYC 9115Rival
Server / Workstation
- Compare head-to-headIntel Xeon 6511PRival
Server / Workstation
- Compare head-to-headIntel Xeon 6517PRival
Server / Workstation
- Intel Xeon w5‑3435XRival
Workstation
- AMD EPYC 9125Rival
Server / Workstation
Intel Xeon 6728P
- AMD EPYC 9224 (24C/48T, Zen 4, SP5)Rival
Server / Workstation
- Intel Xeon 6521P (24C/48T, Granite Rapids-SP)Rival
Server / Workstation
- Intel Xeon 6731P (32C/64T, Granite Rapids-SP)Rival
Server / Workstation
- AMD EPYC 9124 (16C/32T, Zen 4, SP5)Rival
Server / Workstation
- Intel Xeon Platinum 8380 (40C/80T, Ice Lake-SP)Rival
Server / Workstation
Same 24C/48T Granite Rapids-SP family but lower TDP and price if you don’t need the full 210 W performance profile.
Compare head-to-head- AMD EPYC 9224Alt
24-core Zen 4 server CPU with 12-channel DDR5 and competitive performance; better if you prioritize core count or prefer AMD’s platform.
Higher 32C/64T count within the same Granite Rapids-SP platform if you need more threads and can afford the higher TDP.
Compare head-to-head- AMD EPYC 9124Alt
Lower-cost 16-core Zen 4 server CPU if your workload doesn’t require 24 cores and you want to reduce platform cost.
- Intel Xeon Platinum 8260 (used)Alt
Older 24-core Cascade Lake-SP part available on the used market at lower cost if you don’t need DDR5, PCIe 5.0, or AMX.
Our Verdict on Each
A strong 16‑core Granite Rapids‑SP CPU for single‑socket servers and workstations, offering excellent memory bandwidth, PCIe 5.0, and AMX/AVX‑512 acceleration, but with a 150 W TDP and a price that only makes sense in platforms that fully exploit its I/O and memory.
Best for: Single‑socket servers or workstations that need maximum memory bandwidth, many PCIe 5.0 lanes, and AMX/AVX‑512 for AI or HPC.
Read the full reviewA balanced Granite Rapids-SP SKU with strong per-core performance, large cache, and serious AI acceleration, best suited for memory-intensive and AI-augmented server workloads rather than cost-sensitive or purely throughput-oriented deployments.
Best for: Building or upgrading a 2S/4S server or workstation for AI inference, in-memory databases, or virtualization where 8-channel DDR5 and AMX are valuable.
Read the full reviewFrequently Asked Questions
Which is faster for gaming, Intel Xeon 6515P or Intel Xeon 6728P?
For gaming, the Intel Xeon 6515P leads with a gaming performance score of 65/100 among Intel Xeon 6515P and Intel Xeon 6728P.
Which uses less power?
The Intel Xeon 6515P has the lowest rated TDP. Power draw across these chips: Intel Xeon 6515P (150 W), Intel Xeon 6728P (210 W).
Do Intel Xeon 6515P and Intel Xeon 6728P use the same socket?
Yes — all of these CPUs use the FCLGA4710 socket, so they share compatible motherboards.
Which has more cores?
The Intel Xeon 6728P has the most cores. Core counts: Intel Xeon 6515P (16 cores), Intel Xeon 6728P (24 cores).
Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?
The Intel Xeon 6515P posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Intel Xeon 6515P (25,000), Intel Xeon 6728P (0). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.