Intel's 28-core Xeon W-3175X Can be Yours for Just $3,999

[R-T-B]

True. But in a lot of workloads it's till comparable performance for less than half the price. Also, with Rome coming, I don't see how this 28core can stay relevant for long.

All true, just pointing out the "nerfed" comment does have some light validity to it.

 

[TheGuruStud]

True. But in a lot of workloads it's till comparable performance for less than half the price. Also, with Rome coming, I don't see how this 28core can stay relevant for long.

That's why it's being marketed. LOOK AT US (and ignore AMD's slaugther machine coming very soon)! The chip has no business existing.

 

[R0H1T]

Tbf they had to do something to save face, they couldn't just not release this with that faked 28 cores @5GHz w/chiller demo, promising something similar (same?) to be released before the end of the year.

 

[IamEzio]

Couldn't they(intel) come up with something better than "14nm++"? just call it 14nm and don't try to brainwash the community that this is 'improved' process node (or is this to 'scam' the 'intellectual' rich investors to keep pouring money on this sinking ship?)

 

[R-T-B]

Couldn't they(intel) come up with something better than "14nm++"? just call it 14nm and don't try to brainwash the community that this is 'improved' process node (or is this to 'scam' the 'intellectual' rich investors to keep pouring money on this sinking ship?)

The node parameters are actually loosened/refined to allow better OCs, so it is technically a different process than 14+ or 14nm.

Don't believe me? Look at 6700k.

 

[Vayra86]

The price of being really desperate, I guess.

Well done Intel. Do we get a free water chiller?

Couldn't they(intel) come up with something better than "14nm++"? just call it 14nm and don't try to brainwash the community that this is 'improved' process node (or is this to 'scam' the 'intellectual' rich investors to keep pouring money on this sinking ship?)

They did make some changes, because if you look at power and clockability, there is a noticeable improvement between Kaby Lake's 7700K versus the 8700K (two extra cores and four threads for barely any loss in clocks, if any) versus the 9900K (same move forward). They run hot, yes. Efficiency went out the window for the most part, yes. But they do clock very reliably to a very tight range of speeds, with increasing core counts. And we've also seen proof now that it was never the TIM being a problem at all, they run hot under solder just as well and it doesn't provide higher clocks.

Quite simply they found ways to push Core to the edge on the same node, compare that to AMD's FX 9590 with its alarming TDP difference from the originals. I'll say I prefer the Intel approach, they can stick as many +'es on that node as they like. It results in a product that still leads the pack. Is it optimal? Maybe not, but I'm still waiting for AMD to break 4.5 Ghz.

 

[cdawall]

True. But in a lot of workloads it's till comparable performance for less than half the price. Also, with Rome coming, I don't see how this 28core can stay relevant for long.

And in other workloads it's worse than a base model ryzen.

It is nerfed. The memory controllers are not all active cores have to peg other cores to use the memory controller across the infinity fabric that is already being used to do everything.

As someone who owns one I can tell you it has some major issues. Even at 4.2 it still is not perfect. I am for sure upgrading to a 64c with the correctly done mcm when it releases.

 

[efikkan]

I don't think anyone expected this one to be a value option.
Still, W-3175X will perform on a level Threadripper can't come close to.

True. But in a lot of workloads it's till comparable performance for less than half the price. Also, with Rome coming, I don't see how this 28core can stay relevant for long.

My concern is whether this CPU is worth a new chipset and motherboard lineup so late in the cycle. I assume W-3175X will not be the only CPU on this family, but I do expect it to be short-lived, since Cooper Lake-SP will be released mid to late next year, and it will be based on the same chipset as the upcoming Ice Lake-SP (2020).

Comparable performance for less then half the price is not fair in generic performance. 2990WX is really a mixed bag. While it looks appealing on paper, the crippled cores really hampers certain workloads, and such latency problems are only going to grow when using 2-3 simultaneous loads as workstations typically do. When building workstations, the buyer should consider benchmarks relevant for their particular workload. Workstation performance is not as simple as e.g. gaming performance, just take a look at this benchmark of i9 7980XE vs Threadripper 2990WX with various workstation and server benchmarks. In some benchmarks the 18-core i9 crushes the 32-core Threadripper, and in others it's the opposite. The ideal choice for your workstation might not be the ideal for mine.