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Intel to Ditch Sapphire Rapids-X Lineup in Favor of Xeon Workstation Series [Rumor]

Intel bowed out of the HEDT segment as AMD consolidated its position with the launch of the 3rd Gen Ryzen Threadrippers. Since then, both chipmakers have somewhat neglected the HEDT space, not releasing a new platform based on their latest core architectures. Intel’s last HEDT platform was Glacier Falls, featuring the 10th Gen Cascade Lake-X chips. This was essentially another Skylake refresh with (slightly) competitive prices. AMD was quick to take advantage of the chaos, releasing three Threadripper families based on Zen and Zen 2.

However, it’s been a year since the launch of the Zen 3 core architecture, and we’re yet to see the next-gen Threadrippers. Intel is reportedly looking to advantage of this opportunity, launching two HEDT lineups in one go. However, the chipmaker supposedly going to drop the Core-X naming scheme in favor of the Xeon Workstation series.

As such, the next-gen HEDT lineup from Intel will come under the Xeon nomenclature. There will be two platforms under Sapphire Rapids HEDT: one based on a chiplet design similar to Sapphire Rapids-SP, and a core count of (up to) 56. This will be the successor to the Ice Lake Workstation series. It will feature octa-channel DDR5-4400 memory (or 4 channel DDR5-4800), 350W of TDP, and 112 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. The chips will have a boost clock exceeding 4GHz. They’ll feature one processor per socket (1S). These HEDT parts are slated to cost between $3,000, and 5,000.

A more affordable budget workstation platform is also slated to land alongside Sapphire Rapids HEDT based on a different design. This will be the actual successor to Cascade Lake-X. We’re looking at an MCC design with up to 36 cores and a TDP of ~300-400W. It’ll feature quad/octa channel memory and 64 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. We can expect a boost clock of close to 5GHz and a price tag of $1,000-$3,000.

Areej Syed

Processors, PC gaming, and the past. I have been writing about computer hardware for over seven years with more than 5000 published articles. Started off during engineering college and haven't stopped since. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Divinity, Torment, Baldur's Gate and so much more... Contact: areejs12@hardwaretimes.com.
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