Overview

The Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is a high-performance server processor in the 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable family (Cascade Lake Refresh). It emphasizes a balance of high per-core frequency and multi-core throughput for demanding enterprise workloads. With 20 physical cores and 40 threads, elevated base clock and a robust thermal envelope, the 6242R is targeted at virtualization hosts, database front ends, analytics nodes and latency-sensitive enterprise applications that benefit from both clock speed and core density.

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Key features at a glance

• 20 cores / 40 threads for strong parallel throughput

• High base clock of 3.10 GHz and Turbo up to 4.10 GHz for responsive single-thread bursts

• 35.75 MB shared L3 cache to improve working set performance

• Six memory channels with DDR4-2933 support for high memory bandwidth

• 205 W TDP for sustained heavy workloads in properly cooled servers

• Socket FCLGA3647 for standard 2-socket enterprise platforms

• Support for AVX-512, Intel Deep Learning Boost, AES-NI, and full virtualization/RAS feature set

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Full specification table

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Architecture & notable technologies

• Built on the Cascade Lake Refresh microarchitecture with enterprise optimizations for reliability and performance.

• AVX-512 support delivers higher throughput for vectorized and compute-heavy kernels.

• Intel Deep Learning Boost accelerates certain inference workloads without requiring discrete accelerators.

• Comprehensive RAS and virtualization capabilities (ECC memory, VM extensions, resource director features) for production datacenters.

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Performance positioning & recommended workloads

• Virtualization and cloud hosts: High core count plus fast clocks make the 6242R excellent for consolidated VM hosts and container nodes where per-VM responsiveness matters.

• Database front-ends and analytics: Large L3 cache and six memory channels suit OLTP/OLAP, in-memory caching, and analytics pipelines.

• Latency-sensitive enterprise apps: Elevated base clock improves response times for transactional systems, real-time analytics and financial workloads.

• Compute workloads with wide vectors: AVX-512 benefits scientific computing, media processing and certain machine-learning inference paths.

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Deployment notes

• Verify motherboard and firmware support for Cascade Lake Refresh processors and the FCLGA3647 socket.

• Use certified ECC RDIMM/LRDIMM modules and adhere to vendor DIMM population guidelines to reach rated memory speeds.

• Plan for cooling and power delivery appropriate to 205 W TDP, especially in dense multi-socket racks.

• Check platform I/O topology if PCIe lane count or NVMe/GPU allocation is critical for your design.

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Pros & Cons

Pros

• Strong blend of per-core speed and multi-core throughput.

• Large memory bandwidth via six memory channels.

• AVX-512 and DL Boost add value for specialized compute and inference workloads.

• Designed for dual-socket enterprise servers with mature platform ecosystem.

Cons

• Higher TDP (205 W) requires more aggressive cooling and power budgeting.

• Based on 14 nm Cascade Lake Refresh — newer generations offer PCIe 4.x/5.x and updated process nodes with improved efficiency.

• PCIe 3.0 (platform dependent) offers less I/O bandwidth than newer PCIe standards.