After three years, the Intel HEDT platform is back: starting at 24 cores and reaching a maximum of 112 cores

IT House News on May 8, according to wccftech news, the latest information about Intel's latest HEDT platform Sapphire Rapids-X "Xeon-W" has been leaked by netizen Moore's Law is Dead (Moore's Law is dead). The new information adds more details about two parts of the lineup, the first being the Xeon-W Mainstream platform and the second being the Xeon-W Professional Platform.

The Intel Sapphire Rapids-X "Xeon-W" is based on the Fishhawk Falls platform and will be available in two models: 24 cores and up to 5GHz core frequency for mainstream platforms and up to 112 cores and 8 channels of DDR5 memory for professional platforms.

Intel will move away from the "Core-X" series of naming from their product lines in favor of the new "Xeon-W" series. This is similar to AMD's approach, which also abandons the traditional Ryzen Threadripper naming and uses the all-new "Pro" for all the high-end consumer models of the Zen 3 series.

Intel Sapphire Rapids-X-Xeon-W Professional Workstation Platform

Intel plans to further subdivide its Sapphire Rapids HEDT platform into two categories, one for professional work platforms and the other for mainstream work platforms. The Professional Workplace platform will succeed the Ice Lake-W Xeon CPU launched in 2020. These processors will have a minimum of 12 cores and a maximum of 56 Golden Cove cores, and the frequency will be increased above 4GHz. This will be a diverse product portfolio, with flagship models with A TDP of up to 350W. The chips are expected to cost between $3,000-5,000 and fall into the ultra-high-performance category.

The Fishhawk Falls platform will support the latest hardware, including 8-channel DDR5-4400 (1DPC)/DDR5-4800 (2DPC) memory and up to 112 PCIe Gen 5.0 channels. These memory channels all support ECC and will theoretically support DDR5 memory up to 4TB. And possibly a dual-socket SPR Professional motherboard, which would bring the number of cores per platform to 112, nearly twice as many as AMD's flagship Threadripper 5995WX (64 Zen 3 cores).

To summarize the latest exposure of the Intel HEDT Pro Platform:

Sapphire Rapids-X “Xeon-W” HEDT CPU

Up to 56 cores / 112 threads

LGA 4677 slot support (possible dual-socket motherboard)

112 PCIe generation 5.0 channels

8-channel DDR5 memory (up to 4 TB)

Intel Sapphire Rapids-X-Xeon-W mainstream workstation platform

The second platform is a more mainstream workstation product and will replace cascade Lake-X and Xeon-W Skylake-X (Xeon W-3175X) chips. Sapphire Rapids-X CPUs will have up to 24 cores in a single monolithic design. The maximum turbo frequency is up to 5 GHz and the full core turbo frequency is about 4.4-4.6 GHz. PL1 TDP with CPUs up to 200-300W TDP, top-of-the-line TDP up to 300-400W PL2 depending on the specifications and different Turbo designs. The latest consumer platform flagship Core i9-12900KS has a PL2 rating of 241W.

In terms of performance, according to the current exposure, 24 Golden Cove cores can easily surpass the 32 core 3970X in terms of multithreading, which is about the same as the 32-core 5970X, but AMD's top 64 core series will only be able to hand over to the latest Intel professional platform to compete.

As for mainstream platforms, 4-channel (EEC) DDR5 support will be supported, and the number of PCIe Gen 5.0 channels will be reduced to 64. The price will be roughly similar to previous Core-X CPUs, as it will be around $500-3000. According to information previously learned by IT House, the Fishhawk HEDT series will be based on the W790/C790 PCH, but considering that at least two platforms are under development, there may be a higher-end PCH model. The launch will take place in the third quarter of 2022, roughly in conjunction with the 13th generation Raptor Lake CPU, but Intel may let us take a first look at the platform at Computex later this month.

In the model anatomy, there are at least four different CPU models and three different platform configurations, starting with the Sapphire Rapids-SP XCC mold, which will target the server market and will not be part of the Xeon Workstation HEDT family. Then there's the Sapphire Rapids-112L XCC chip, which will deliver up to 112 PCIe Gen 5.0 channels and will be used under the Expert Workstation platform (most likely in a two-socket design). Then there's the Sapphire Rapids-SP MCC configuration, which will offer a medium core count but with 8-channel memory support. Finally, the entry-level SPR-MSWS mainstream workstation platform will have the same MCC chip, but will only support 4-channel DDR5 memory.

Judging from this exposure, Intel's latest HEDT will have the following different positioning:

Sapphire Rapids-AP (Xeon Workstation Level)

Sapphire Rapids-X (high-end enthusiast level)

Sapphire Rapids-X (Mainstream Enthusiast Level)