Intel Xeon Gold 6242 Processor — Full Technical Overview

Overview

The Intel Xeon Gold 6242 is a high-performance server processor in Intel’s 2nd Generation Xeon Scalable (Cascade Lake) family. Designed for enterprise workloads, it delivers a combination of high core count, strong multi-threaded performance, and advanced memory support.

Featuring 16 cores and 32 threads, the Xeon Gold 6242 is optimized for virtualization, cloud computing, large-scale databases, analytics, and high-performance enterprise servers. Its support for AVX-512, six-channel DDR4 memory, and robust RAS technologies ensures reliable performance in demanding server environments.

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Key Features

• 16 cores / 32 threads for multi-threaded enterprise workloads

• 2.80 GHz base frequency with 3.90 GHz maximum turbo frequency

• 22 MB L3 cache for fast data access and reduced latency

• Six-channel DDR4-2933 memory support

• Up to 1 TB memory per socket (platform dependent)

• Supports AVX-512, Intel DL Boost, and enterprise acceleration technologies

• 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes for storage, networking, and accelerator expansion

• Compatible with dual-socket (2S) server platforms

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Detailed Specification Table

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Performance Analysis

1. Virtualization & Cloud Computing

With 16 cores and 32 threads, the Xeon Gold 6242 excels in:

• Virtual machine hosting and high-density VDI

• Multi-tenant cloud applications

• Container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Docker)

2. Database & Analytics

Large L3 cache and six-channel memory enable:

• OLTP and OLAP database workloads

• Big data and distributed computing

• In-memory analytics and caching layers

3. High-Performance Compute (HPC)

The CPU’s AVX-512 support provides acceleration for:

• Scientific simulations

• Engineering computations

• Machine learning inference

• Rendering and batch processing

4. Enterprise Applications

Efficient for:

• ERP and CRM systems

• Web and application servers

• Financial modeling and analytics

• High-uptime enterprise servers

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Advantages

• High core count suitable for multi-threaded workloads

• Strong memory bandwidth and support for large datasets

• AVX-512 and DL Boost for advanced compute tasks

• Enterprise-grade RAS and virtualization support

• Scalable dual-socket platform compatibility

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Limitations

• Base frequency is moderate compared to high-frequency Xeon models

• Based on 14 nm architecture

• PCIe 3.0 instead of PCIe 4.0 or 5.0