Specifications of new generation Xeon W-2500 series processors exposed
With the unveiling of AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series processors, the competition in the High-End Desktop (HEDT) and workstation processor market is heating up. Intel is currently contending with these advancements using its existing Xeon W-3400/2400 series processors, which seem to be somewhat challenged, but with the anticipated release of a new generation of Xeon processors on December 14th this year, it suggests that preparations for the next-generation Xeon W are underway.
Leaked by @YuuKi-Ans, the specifications for the forthcoming Xeon W-2500 series processors have been revealed. It is noteworthy that they retain the ‘Sapphire Rapids’ codename, indicating no variance from the current Xeon W-2400 series, and are not derivatives of a new ‘Emerald Rapids’ architecture. They continue to utilize the ‘Golden Cove’ cores instead of transitioning to the ‘Raptor Cove’ with its larger L2 cache. The accompanying platform remains the existing W790 chipset, with seven models encompassing variants with 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, and 26 cores.
The flagship model, the Xeon w7-2595X, boasts 26 cores with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.8GHz and an L3 cache size of 48.75MB. In comparison to the current Xeon w7-2495, it has an additional two cores and a correspondingly larger cache size. Although the maximum turbo frequency remains unchanged, the base frequency has been raised by 300MHz, from 2.5GHz to 2.8GHz, and the Thermal Design Power (TDP) has increased from 225W to 250W.
The Xeon W-2500/2400 series processors share a similar market positioning with AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 7000 on the TRX50 platform, both supporting quad-channel DDR5 memory. Intel finds itself at a core count disadvantage, with the Xeon W-2500 scaling up to 26 cores, which still falls short when juxtaposed against the competition’s 64-core offerings. However, Intel’s edge lies in I/O capabilities, with the platform providing a total of 80 PCIe lanes, 64 of which are PCIe 5.0 lanes offered by the CPU itself, whereas AMD’s TRX50 platform offers 88 PCIe lanes but only 48 of them PCIe 5.0.
According to earlier rumors, the workstation-oriented Xeon W-3500/2500 series processors are expected to launch in early 2024, with a strong likelihood of making their debut at CES 2024.
