Recent leaks have unveiled intriguing details regarding Intel’s forthcoming Xeon 654 CPU, alongside preliminary specifications for the entire Granite Rapids workstation CPU family.
Introducing the Intel Xeon 654: An 18-Core Workstation CPU with Impressive Specs
The Intel Granite Rapids-WS workstation CPU series is anticipated to launch within the coming months, contingent upon a seamless rollout. Insights from previous reports indicate that this family will encompass two distinct segments: the mainstream lineup, designed to support 4-channel DDR5 memory, and the Expert series, which will enhance performance with 8-channel memory support. Notably, the mainstream segment will offer 80 PCIe Gen5 lanes, whereas the Expert series aims for a robust 128 PCIe Gen5 lanes.
Earlier leaks highlighted a high-performance WeU boasting 86 cores and 172 threads utilizing the W890 platform, which was identified as an engineering sample with a base clock of 2.10 GHz. Recently, new information has emerged about the Intel Xeon 654 CPU, revealing its performance data from the Geekbench 6 database.

The Intel Xeon 654 features a robust configuration with 18 cores, 36 threads, and a substantial cache capacity of 72 MB L3 cache and 36 MB L2 cache. During its benchmarking, it achieved clock speeds recorded at 4.60 GHz, although actual operational frequencies are expected to peak around 4.80 GHz. The performance metrics highlight single-core and multi-core scores of 2634 and 14, 743 respectively, noting that even the performance of the 12-core Threadripper 9000 series surpasses these numbers, primarily due to the engineering sample nature of the test environment.
In addition to the Xeon 654, further specifications about the Granite Rapids lineup have been disclosed by Momomo_US. This includes a list of several additional WeUs within the series, showcasing both their clock speeds and cache sizes. The pinnacle of this series appears to be the Xeon 698X, which boasts an impressive 86 cores and a massive 336 MB of cache.
- 698X: 2.00 GHz, 336M Cache
- 696X: 2.40 GHz, 336M Cache
- 678X: 2.40 GHz, 192M Cache
- 676X: 2.80 GHz, 144M Cache
- 674X: 3.00 GHz, 144M Cache
- 658X: 3.00 GHz, 144M Cache
- 656: 2.90 GHz, 72M Cache
- 654: 3.10 GHz, 72M Cache
- 638: 3.20 GHz, 72M Cache
- 636: 3.50 GHz, 48M Cache
- 634: 2.70 GHz, 48M Cache
It’s noteworthy that the inclusion of the “X”variants in this lineup indicates an enhanced potential for overclocking, catering to performance enthusiasts. While competitive pricing against AMD’s Threadripper 9000 series would be ideal, the final pricing structure remains at Intel’s discretion. Observers anticipate a potential launch window towards late Q4 2023 or during CES 2024 for the Granite Rapids workstation family.
Overview of Intel HEDT/Workstation Processor Families
| Intel HEDT Family | Granite Rapids | Sapphire Rapids Refresh | Sapphire Rapids | Cascade Lake | Skylake | More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | Intel 3 | 10nm ESF | 10nm ESF | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | Etc. |
| Flagship WeU | TBD | Xeon W9-3595X | Xeon W9-3495X | Core i9-10980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Etc. |
| Max Cores/Threads | 86/172? | 60/120 | 56/112 | 18/36 | 28/56 | Etc. |
| Clock Speeds | TBD | 4.8 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | Etc. |
| Max Cache | TBD | 105 MB L3 | 105 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | Etc. |
| Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU) | 128 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 44 Gen 3 | 44 Gen 3 | Etc. |
| Chipset Compatibility | W890 | W790 | W790 | X299 | C612E | Etc. |
| Socket Compatibility | LGA 4710? | LGA 4677 | LGA 4677 | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | Etc. |
| Memory Compatibility | DDR5-6000? | DDR5-4800 | DDR5-4800 | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | Etc. |
| Max TDP | 350W? | 350W | 350W | 165W | 255W | Etc. |
| Launch Year | 2025? | 2024 | 2023 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Etc. |
| Launch Price (Top WeU) | TBD | TBD | $5889 | $979 | ~$4000 | Etc. |
For more detailed insights and updates, click here for the source.
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