Xeon D-1521

Details and Benchmarks for Intel Xeon D-1521

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Please take all results with a big grain of salt. Sysbuilds is in alpha stage at the moment which can lead to wrong data, strange counting errors, silly results and more. This site is under active development.

Benchmark Results

Combined benchmark scores based on multiple data points, giving a quick overview of this processor's performance.

Overall Score

Overall score for Xeon D-1521 based on all benchmark results gathered. Look at this like a meta score, you will find more specific workload ratings below.

4,924 Rank: 930
Rank Name Score Visual
926 Xeon E5-1607 v4 4,928
+0.1%
927 Core i7-4800MQ 4,925
+0%
928 Core i7-5550U 4,925
+0%
929 Ryzen 5 3500U 4,924
+0%
930 Xeon D-1521 4,924
931 Core i3-6100T 4,924
+0%
932 Xeon E3-1235L v5 4,922
+-0%
933 Pentium 6805 4,922
+-0%
934 Pentium G4500T 4,921
-0.1%
935 Core i5-6500TE 4,920
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Multicore Score

Multicore performance score for Xeon D-1521 based on multi-threaded benchmark results.

4,869 Rank: 768
Rank Name Score Visual
764 Ryzen 7 3750H 4,871
+0%
765 Xeon E5-2643 v2 4,871
+0%
766 Ryzen 3 5300U 4,871
+0%
767 Ryzen 3 PRO 1300 4,870
+0%
768 Xeon D-1521 4,869
769 Celeron 847E 4,869
+0%
770 Xeon E3-1245 v6 4,868
+-0%
771 Core i3-9100F 4,866
-0.1%
772 Core i3-6100H 4,861
-0.2%
773 Xeon E3-1275 v6 4,859
-0.2%

View full ranking →

Singlecore Score

Single-core performance score for Xeon D-1521 based on single-threaded benchmark results.

4,961 Rank: 961
Rank Name Score Visual
957 Xeon E5-2630 v4 4,967
+0.1%
958 Core i5-4200H 4,965
+0.1%
959 Core i5-3470T 4,964
+0.1%
960 Xeon E3-1245 V2 4,963
+0%
961 Xeon D-1521 4,961
962 Xeon D-1531 4,960
+-0%
963 Core i5-3470S 4,960
+-0%
964 Core i7-4702MQ 4,956
-0.1%
965 Xeon E3-1225 V2 4,955
-0.1%
966 Ryzen 7 3700U 4,954
-0.1%

View full ranking →

Workload Scores

Performance scores grouped by workload type, normalized and aggregated from multiple raw benchmark results.

Number Crunching

Aggregated score for Xeon D-1521 based on integer math, floating point math, and prime number computation benchmarks.

4,647 Rank: 837
Rank Name Score Visual
833 Core i5-1030NG7 4,649
+0%
834 Xeon E3-1225 V2 4,648
+0%
835 Core i7-4720HQ 4,648
+0%
836 Core i7-3820QM 4,648
+0%
837 Xeon D-1521 4,647
838 Ryzen 3 2200G 4,647
+0%
839 Core i7-3820 4,647
+0%
840 Core i5-4570 4,646
+-0%
841 Core i5-8265U 4,646
+-0%
842 Xeon E3-1220 V2 4,646
+-0%

View full ranking →

Data Processing

Aggregated score for Xeon D-1521 based on data encryption, data compression, and string sorting benchmarks.

4,630 Rank: 825
Rank Name Score Visual
821 Core i7-4710HQ 4,632
+0%
822 Core i7-6700TE 4,631
+0%
823 Core i7-3615QM 4,631
+0%
824 Xeon E5645 4,631
+0%
825 Xeon D-1521 4,630
826 Core i5-8350U 4,630
+0%
827 Core i5-10210U 4,630
+0%
828 Core i7-4750HQ 4,630
+0%
829 Core i7-3610QM 4,630
+0%
830 Ryzen 3 PRO 3300U 4,630
+0%

View full ranking →

Physics & Compute

Aggregated score for Xeon D-1521 based on physics simulation and extended instruction set (SSE/AVX) benchmarks.

4,664 Rank: 808
Rank Name Score Visual
804 Xeon E3-1270 V2 4,668
+0.1%
805 Core i5-6500T 4,666
+0%
806 Xeon E3-1290 v2 4,666
+0%
807 Xeon E3-1240 V2 4,665
+0%
808 Xeon D-1521 4,664
809 Xeon D-1520 4,664
+0%
810 Core i5-10210U 4,664
+0%
811 Core i7-8550U 4,663
+-0%
812 Core i5-8365U 4,663
+-0%
813 Core i5-4440 4,663
+-0%

View full ranking →

Xeon D-1521 Details

Designed for compact server and embedded applications, the Intel Xeon D-1521 is a low-power, high-efficiency processor built on the Broadwell-DE microarchitecture. Launched in November 2015, this 14 nm processor remains relevant in niche markets where power efficiency and integrated features are prioritized over raw performance. With a 45 W TDP and BGA 1667 package, it targets small-form-factor systems and edge computing environments where thermal constraints are tight.

The Xeon D-1521 features four cores and eight threads, enabled by Intel's Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) technology, which allows it to handle multiple workloads efficiently. It operates at a base frequency of 2.4 GHz, with a turbo boost up to 2.7 GHz, and includes 6 MiB of L3 cache, 1 MiB of L2 cache, and 0.25 MiB of L1 cache split between instructions and data. It supports DDR4-2133 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a maximum capacity of 131 GB and ECC support, making it suitable for mission-critical workloads.

Despite lacking integrated graphics, the Xeon D-1521 offers robust connectivity through PCIe 3.0 with up to 24 lanes and supports advanced virtualization technologies such as Intel VT-x, VT-d, and EPT, enabling efficient virtual machine performance. It also includes AES-NI, AVX, AVX2, and other instruction set extensions for accelerating encryption, multimedia, and scientific computing tasks.

In benchmark testing, the Xeon D-1521 achieves an overall score of 4924, ranking #929 out of 2060 processors, with single-core and multi-core scores of 4961 and 4869, respectively. While it performs competitively among older server-grade CPUs, it trails significantly behind modern high-end processors like the Ryzen Threadripper and Core Ultra series. Its strongest performance is in single-threaded tasks, where it ranks higher than many multi-core processors from the same era.

As of March 2026, the Xeon D-1521 is best suited for legacy server environments, network appliances, or small-scale data centers requiring reliable, low-power processing. While outdated compared to current flagship CPUs, its balance of efficiency, ECC memory, and virtualization support ensures continued use in specialized applications where power consumption and reliability outweigh the need for cutting-edge performance.
Frequently Compared

Intel Core i5-2415M 42 views

Intel Xeon E3110 42 views

Intel Xeon D-1520 41 views

AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS 40 views

Intel Xeon D-1540 40 views

Intel Xeon Silver 4214 40 views

Intel Xeon E5345 38 views

Intel Xeon X3440 38 views

Intel Xeon E5-1650 v2 37 views

Intel Celeron N2930 37 views

Intel Xeon D-1521

Main Specifications

Designer: Intel
Name: Xeon D-1521
Family: Xeon
Series: D-1500
Model Number: D-1521
Cores: 4
Threads: 8
Base Frequency: 2400 MHz
Turbo Frequency (1 core): 2700 MHz
Clock Multiplier: 24x (locked)
Microarchitecture: Broadwell
Core Name: Broadwell
Core Family: 6
Core Model: 6
Socket: BGA 1667
Package: FCBGA-1667
Target Segment: Server
Max CPUs: 1
TDP: 45 W
Release Price: $199.00

Cache Specifications

L1 Cache: 256 KiB
L1 Instruction Cache: 128 KiB (8-way set associative)
L1 Data Cache: 128 KiB (8-way set associative)
L2 Cache: 1 MiB (8-way set associative)
L3 Cache: 6 MiB (16-way set associative)

Memory Specifications

Supported Memory Type: DDR4-2133
Memory Channels: 2
Maximum Memory: 128 GB
Maximum Bandwidth: 31.78 GB/s
ECC Support: Yes

PCI-Express Specifications

PCIe Revision: 3.0
PCIe Lanes: 24
PCIe Configuration: x16, x8, x4

Physical Specifications

Process: 14 nm
Die Area: 246.24 mm²
Transistor Count: 3.20 billion
Manufacturer: Intel
Technology: CMOS
Word Size: 64-bit
ISA: x86-64 (x86)

CPU Features

MMX EMMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE4.1 SSE4.2 AVX AVX2 ABM BMI1 BMI2 FMA3 AES RdRand ADX CLMUL F16C x86-16 x86-32 x86-64 Real Protected SMM FPU NX HT TBT 2.0 EIST TXT vPro VT-x VT-d EPT Secure Key SMEP TSX Flex Memory TBT 1.0 FMA
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