Intel Launches New Xeon W “Sapphire Rapids” Workstation Processors

Computer News

by Julian MitchellMarch 13^th, 2023

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Intel has released the Xeon W-3400 and Intel Xeon W-2400 desktop workstation processors (code-named Sapphire Rapids). They’re being acclaimed as a return to form for the legacy semiconductor manufacturer. Read on for more details.

Intel workstation processors are high-performance CPUs designed specifically for workstations. These are specialized computers used for compute-intensive workloads, such as video editing, 3D modeling, and scientific computing. These processors are typically more powerful than consumer–grade versions and are designed to handle more complex and demanding tasks.

The Xeon series is particularly designed for server and workstation use. They are principally known for having high core counts for multiple and simultaneous tasks. Cache memory is usually larger too and clock speeds are higher. In fact, these new processors are overclockable for higher performance beyond specified limits but sanctioned by Intel.

The most powerful desktop workstation processor, and their most powerful until now, is part of the latest batch, the Intel Xeon w9-3495X. Intel claims massive performance hikes with these new processors, a “breakthrough in new compute architecture, faster cores, and new embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) packaging”.

Intel Xeon W “Sapphire Rapids” processors – further details

With the new Xeon W–3400 and Xeon W–2400 processors, there’s also support for 4TB of eight-channel DDR5 RDIMM RAM, PCIe Gen 5.0, and Wi-Fi 6E. The core counts for the expert line-up are up to 56 cores in a single socket. The top-end Intel Xeon w9-3495X processor features a redesigned memory controller and larger L3 cache, delivering up to 28% single-thread and up to 120% multi-thread performance improvements over the previous generation. 

The corporation loftily concluded their launch: “The Xeon W desktop workstation processor family provides the high-end computing foundation that today’s professionals require for the future of computing.”

Other features include

• Up to 105 megabytes of L3 cache for increased performance and data management.
• Eight channels of DDR5 RDIMM memory support enable up to four terabytes of memory capacity and increased memory bandwidth for large data sets and memory-intensive workloads.
• ECC memory and RAS technologies support improved integrity of critical data and system reliability.
• Up to 112 CPU PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes on Xeon W-3400 processors and up to 64 CPU PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes on Xeon W-2400 processors for multi-GPUs, SSDs, and network cards.
• Integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6E.
• Comprehensive overclocking support for unlocked processors—including first-in-industry DDR5 XMP 3.0 RDIMM memory overclocking features.

Availability and price

The Intel Xeon W-3400 and W-2400 workstation processors are now available from industry partners, with system availability beginning this month. 

The recommended customer price for the Intel Xeon W Processor family starts at $359 (Xeon w3-2423) and scales up to $5,889 (Xeon w9-3495X).

For more information, please visit Intel’s website here.

What do you think of the new Intel Xeon W Sapphire Rapids workstation processors? How would you use the power on offer here? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!