Phoronix recently reviewed AMD's new Zen 4c equipped EPYC 8324P and 8324PN (Siena) server processors in Linux and found that both chips offer outstanding performance in server workloads. In testing, Phoronix found that both AMD Zen 4c chips could match the performance of an Intel Xeon Gold 6421N 32-core processor in most workloads while operating with substantially lower power consumption.
The 8324P and 8324PN are part of AMD's latest 8004 series EPYC server CPU lineup, focusing on power efficiency over raw CPU performance. All CPUs in the 8004 lineup come with AMD's new Zen 4c core, which is 35% smaller than Zen 4 and offers better power efficiency than its larger counterpart. The only disadvantage of AMD's Zen 4c core is its raw performance, which is inferior to a standard Zen 4 core.
The 8324P and PN sit directly in the middle of AMD's 8004 series CPU stack, sporting 32 cores, 128MB of L3 cache, six DDR5 memory channels, and 96 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. They differ in clock speeds and power ratings, with the 8324P featuring a base clock of 2.65 GHz, a 3 GHz boost clock, and 180W TDP. The 8324PN, on the other hand, sports a 2.05 GHz base clock, a 3 GHz boost clock, and a much lower 130W TDP.
This is because the PN series of 8004 CPUs are designed for Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) compliant deployments, requiring systems that can withstand greater operating temperature ranges than regular chips.
Phoronix benchmarked the two chips in many different benchmarks, equating to seven different categories, including AI workloads, video encoding, code compiling, file compression/decompression, HPC, and more.
On average, the two AMD chips outperformed Intel's Xeon Gold 6421N 32 core at their maximum power settings. At stock settings, the 8324P was 2.7% quicker than the Xeon 6421N, 2.5% slower at its lowest configurable TDP of 155W, and 5% faster in the chip's performance determinism mode.
The 8324PN, unsurprisingly, was a bit slower due to its reduced power rating and base clock specifications. Stock the 8324PN was 11.8% slower than the Intel Xeon but could still beat the chip in its performance determinism mode, garnering a 4.8% lead over the Intel CPU.
AMD also highly favored power efficiency, with both the 8324P and 8324PN outputting average power consumption ratings well below the 100W mark, even when performance determinism mode was enabled. On the contrary, Intel's Sapphire Rapids counterpart couldn't get close to AMD's power efficiency, with an average power consumption rating of 137 watts.
Phoronix's testing reveals that AMD's latest Zen 4c core is very potent and is capable of outputting performance that can match the best Intel can offer today. Intel might have beaten AMD to the E-core game with Alder Lake, but these latest benchmarks prove that AMD can make a delicious efficiency core that can rival Intel's high-performance cores in the right circumstances.
