Intel Xeon E-2200 Series SKU List and Value Analysis

Recently we covered the Intel Xeon E-2200 series launch. More precisely, we covered the workstation launch since we expect the parts will be re-launched for servers in August  2019. We wanted to show our normal SKU list and value analysis for the new line since that has become a custom at STH every time there is a new server CPU launch.

Intel Xeon E-2200 Series SKU List and Value Analysis

We took all of the new Intel Xeon E-2200 series SKUs and put them into a fairly simple chart that we then coded to show visually a few key comparison points.

There are a few parts that jump out immediately. The 45W TDP Intel Xeon E-2286M and Intel Xeon E-2276M parts with 8 cores and 6 cores respectively are also priced the highest for their compute power. This is normal for lower power chips. One of the strange naming conventions here is that the Intel Xeon E-2286G is an 8-core part. All of the other chips use the “x” in Xeon E-220x to denote the number of cores. Even though this is a “6” part it has eight cores.

8-core parts are the big additions in this generation. That along with modest clock speed bumps elsewhere in the range. If you read Looking back at Intel Xeon E3-1200 V1-V6 to the New Xeon E-2100 you will see seven generations of quad-core processors in the segment. The Intel Xeon E-2100 series in 2018 brought us 6-core CPUs. Less than a year later in 2019 the Intel Xeon E-2200 series is bringing us 8-core CPUs. That means we have double the core count in these chips today than we had in the segment just twelve months ago.

Here is what the chips look like in terms of list price per SKU so you can see how Intel is using its price bands:

What is more instructive is the SKUs times their cores and threads that you get per dollar spent. Here is that view.

As you can see, the Intel E-2246G is again a strong contender for those looking for performance plus an onboard GPU. In our Intel Xeon E-2146G Benchmarks and Review we called its predecessor our “top pick”. In this generation that is harder since there are 8 core SKUs available.

Comparing Intel Xeon E-2200 v. Xeon E-2100 Series SKUs

We wanted to take a generational comparison of the SKUs since they will be found in the same sockets. Here is what the new chart looks like with both generations of CPUs added:

Here one can see that the biggest changes are the Intel Xeon E-2288G and Xeon E-2278G which both have 8-cores, 16-threads, and turbo boost up to 5GHz. The Xeon E-2288G has a 3.7GHz base clock and a 15W higher TDP to go along with its $45 price premium of the step-down SKU. The Intel Xeon E-2278G has only a 3.4GHz base clock but is less expensive and uses less power. With 33% more cores than the previous generation, both SKUs carry a price premium as well as a lot more performance.

Although it is $44 more costly, we think the Intel Xeon E-2278G is a wise upgrade over the Intel Xeon E-2286G just to get additional cores. In the context of a system, that $44 is likely a single-digit percentage delta.

Final Words

We will have more on these CPUs in a few months when they launch for servers. Until then, the pace at which this segment is seeing increasing core counts is blinding. We hope the pace of innovation continues as the higher-end mainstream CPU market is also on a rapid core count explosion.

If you want to see all of our Intel Xeon E-2100 and Xeon E-2200 series coverage, we have a hub for you here: Intel Xeon E-2100 and Xeon E-2200 Coverage from STH Your Guide.