ASRock, with the help of legendary overclocker Splave have used their new W790 WS to take Intel's Sapphire Rapids based Xeon w7-2495X as high as 5.3 GHz to grab a pile of first place global performance scores on HWBOT. In total they've secured 14 global records in the 24-core category, and 18 more records in the w7-2495X hardware category. What is perhaps slightly more impressive is that they managed to exceed the officially supported DDR5-4800 by 2000 MT/s, achieving a frequency of 3400 MHz (6800 MT/s) with a CAS Latency of 32. The results were all produced with a custom water cooled configuration, with many benchmarks needing below 5 GHz clocks to remain stable enough for validation, so there is certainly room for higher scores under more exotic cooling solutions.

One of the more interesting details presented in the screenshots of certain benchmark results such as Y-Cruncher and Cinebench R15 is the gargantuan power draw exhibited by the w7-2495X. With a rated Vcore of 1.22v the 24-core sucks down over 500 W. We have already seen the 56-core w9-3495X pull a full kilowatt in early overclocking sessions, so the power draw here is not entirely without merit. Needless to say while Intel is finally offering a compelling HEDT lineup of unlocked processors, you may not necessarily be able to squeeze much out of them before tripping your breakers. As for ASRock's records it's still early days for the new Xeon W lineup and there will be a revolving door of world record holders before the final ounce of performance is squeezed from these chips.

Leading memory provider Team Group today has announced a breakthrough in specs for its newest DDR5 ECC R-DIMM memory module, which has an increased clock rate of 5,600 MHz, meeting the JEDEC standard for high-performance specifications. In addition, the company has collaborated with well-known motherboard manufacturer ASRock to complete compatibility testing on HEDT platforms equipped with Intel 4th Gen Xeon processors, codenamed Sapphire Rapids, and W790 motherboards. The memory module not only fully supports XMP 3.0, it is also the overclocking DDR5 ECC R-DIMM memory in the market today with a highest clock rate of 6,800 MHz.

Sapphire Rapids is Intel's first server processor to support DDR5 ECC R-DIMM memory. When it's paired with the next-generation W790 workstation motherboard, users can adjust the CPU's overclocking settings in BIOS and enable the clock speed adjustment feature of DDR5 ECC R-DIMM memory. Having undergone strict compatibility and stability testing, the JEDEC-compliant, high-frequency memory comes in both 16 GB and 32 GB capacity variants to meet the demand for workstation upgrades. The memory is also available in 6,400 MHz and 6,800 MHz models with XMP 3.0 support, providing next-gen HEDT platforms with cutting-edge performance.

Thanks to the attribution of Puget Systems, we have a preview of Intel's latest Xeon W-3400 and Xeon W-2400 workstation processors based on Sapphire Rapids core technology. Delivering up to 56 cores and 112 threads, these CPUs are paired with up to eight TeraBytes of eight-channel DDR5-4800 memory. For expansion, they offer up to 112 PCIe 5.0 lanes come with up to 350 Watt TDP; some models are unlocked for overclocking. This interesting HEDT family for workstation usage comes at a premium with an MSRP of $5,889 for the top-end SKU, and motherboard prices are also on the pricey side. However, all of this should come as no surprise given the expected performance professionals expect from these chips. Puget Systems has published test results that include: Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Unreal Engine, Cinebench R23.2, Blender, and V-Ray. Note that Puget Systems said that: "While this post has been an interesting preview of the new Xeon processors, there is still a TON of testing we want to do. The optimizations Intel is working on is of course at the top, but there are several other topics we are highly interested in." So we expect better numbers in the future.Below, you can see the comparison with AMD's competing Threadripper Pro HEDT SKUs, along with power usage using different Windows OS power profiles:

ENERMAX, an industry-leading force dedicated to design extreme performance computer power supplies and cooling solutions, announces that its overclocking-graded AIO CPU cooler, LIQTECH TR4 II series, is now ready for Intel LGA4677 Xeon platform! The CPU mounting kits inside of the new version of LIQTECH TR4 II are designed for Intel Sapphire Rapid-based W-3400 and W-2400 series Xeon processors with socket LGA4677, and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors with socket sWRX8 / sTRX4/ TR4, as well as AMD socket SP3 for AMD EPYC processors.

Awarded as the BEST AIO CPU Cooler in European Hardware Awards, the LIQTECH TR4 II series is the world's first AIO CPU cooler tailored to provide 100% full coverage of the integrated heatspreader (IHS) of both AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO and upcoming Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids processors with unparalleled cooling results. The unbeatable cooling capacity (500 W TDP) makes it the best cooling solution for both Intel Xeon W-3400 and W-2400 series processor (LGA4677) and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO processors designed for workstations and high-end desktops (HEDTs).

Intel today revealed that it will launch its Xeon W "Sapphire Rapids-WS" processors for workstations and high-end desktops (HEDTs) at a launch event dated February 15, 2023. The series is expected to consist of two distinct classes of processors, the Xeon W-2400 series, and the Xeon W-3400 series, which are rumored to be available from different dates within Q1-2023. The W-3400 series and W-2400 series could be differentiated with platform I/O and core-counts. The W-3400 series is expected to put out the full PCIe Gen 5 112-lane I/O of the "Sapphire Rapids" MCM, while the W-2400 series has a narrower 64-lane PCIe Gen 5 interface. The two could also differ in DDR5 memory channels (8 for the W-3400 series vs. 4 for the W-2400 series), and hence maximum memory supported (4 TB vs. 2 TB, respectively), although both support ECC. Intel W790 is expected to be the common chipset for both.

AMD won't release its Ryzen Threadripper 7000WX "Storm Peak" workstation processors any time before September 2023, suggests a reliable source with AMD leaks. The push to Q3 probably has to do with giving AMD enough "Zen 4" CCD volumes to ship high-margin EPYC "Genoa" server processors first, before the company can turn its attention to the HEDT and workstation markets.

While all indications are that AMD give the "Zen 4" Threadripper a similar treatment this generation as it did with the "Zen 3," by confining it to the workstation segment with only Threadripper 7000WX SKUs that could be OEM-exclusives before crawling their way to the retail market; the source has an interesting theory, that the company could even target the client HEDT market with these chips. The company will also adequately segment the Threadripper 7000WX SKUs apart from EPYC "Genoa" processors.

Intel is planning to refresh its desktop processor product stack with new "Raptor Lake Refresh" SKUs in Q3-2023, according to a leaked roadmap. At this point it's unclear if these are just new SKUs within the 13th Gen Core desktop product stack, or if they'll form the 14th Gen Core family, much in the same way as "Coffee Lake Refresh" formed the 9th Gen Core, replacing the 8th Gen Core "Coffee Lake." At this point we don't know what constitutes "Raptor Lake Refresh," but it provides Intel's product managers with the opportunity to increase CPU core-counts across the product stack without needing a new silicon (the Raptor Lake silicon has 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores), slightly higher clock-speeds, and other improvements. We don't know if this will herald a new CPU socket or platform at this point, either.

The most interesting item in this leaked roadmap slide has to be the reference to the "mainstream workstation" segment, with products in the 250 W TDP bracket. The so-called "Sapphire Rapids 64L" could be a cut-down version of the "Sapphire Rapids" enterprise processor on a new socket, backed by the Intel W790 chipset. The "64L" part of the codename could be a reference to its PCIe Gen 5 lane count of 64, which is less than the 112 available to the full "Sapphire Rapids" silicon in its W-3400 product-stack. It's unclear if these processors feature a Core X branding like their predecessors from the "Cascade Lake-X" family, or Xeon W. Besides fewer PCIe lanes, Intel could also segment these chips with fewer DDR5 memory channels, though both the PCIe and DDR5 connectivity will be much wider than those of the "Raptor Lake-S" mainstream desktop processors.

Intel is planning a January 2023 market debut of its 4th Gen Xeon Scalable "Sapphire Rapids" server processors, which will be followed rather quickly by the launch of Xeon W-3400 and W-2400 processors targeting a segment of the market that spans HEDTs and workstations. According to information scored by leaf_hobby, a reliable source with Intel roadmap leaks; the company is planning a February 2023 announcement of these processors, followed by availability of the W-2400 in March, and W-3400 in April.

Intel could extensively market the various hardware-accelerators on the "Sapphire Rapids" MCM to the workstation crowd, where they might help users overcome the rather low CPU core-count of these processors compared their upcoming AMD Threadripper 7000 series counterparts. "Sapphire Rapids" tops out at 60-core/120-thread per socket, whereas the SP5-based Threadripper 7000 is expected to offer 96-core/192-thread. Both platforms offer the latest I/O, including PCIe Gen 5, CXL, and ECC DDR5 memory.

Intel's Sapphire Rapids CPUs are designed to represent the company's finest work for the server/enterprise and high-end desktop processor (HEDT) sector. According to Wccftech, we have an idea of the launch date and availability of the HEDT Sapphire Rapids Workstation counterparts, codenamed Fishhawk Falls. The Intel Sapphire Rapids-WS CPU and W790 motherboard unveil should happen on the 7th week of 2023, which means the 12th Feb - 18th Feb launch window. For availability, April of 2023 is scheduled to meet the needs of the upcoming HEDT clients. With a declining HEDT market, Intel is in no rush to deliver the CPUs, with priority being the server Sapphire Rapids designs.

As a reminder, the HEDT models should come with up to 56 cores and 112 threads, 105 MB of L3 cache, 350 W TDP, and 112 PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes. For memory, the platform support 8-channel DDR5-4400 (1DPC) / DDR5-4800 (2DPC) configurations with a capacity of up to 4 TB.

AMD will build "Zen 4" based Ryzen Threadripper processors in an attempt to meet competition from Intel, which is rumored to launch HEDT processors of its own based on "Sapphire Rapids." While Intel's chip tops out at 60-core/120-thread and has a constellation of task-specific hardware-accelerators, AMD will arm its processors with raw CPU core-count, going as high up as 96-core/192-thread. The company has assigned the codename "Storm Peak" for these chips.

The Ryzen Threadripper 7000-series "Storm Peak" processor engineering samples surfaced on the Einstein@Home user database. As many as three OPNs have surfaced, "AMD Eng Sample: 100-000000884-21_N" and "AMD Eng Sample: 100-000000884-20_Y," which are 96-core/192-thread; and the "AMD Eng Sample: 100-000000454-20_Y," which is 64-core/128-thread. "Storm Peak" is likely just a variation of EPYC "Genoa," geared for higher frequencies.

Intel expanded its Arc "Alchemist" desktop graphics card series with the entry-level Arc A310. This GPU has specs that enable Intel's AIB partners to build low-profile graphics cards that are possibly even single-slot, or conventional sized with fanless cooling. The A310 is being pushed as a slight upgrade over the iGPU, and an alternative to cards such as the AMD Radeon RX 6400. Its target user would want to build a 4K or 8K HTPC, or even be a workstation/HEDT user with a processor that lacks integrated graphics, and wants to use a couple of high-resolution monitors. There is no reference board design, but we expect it to look similar to the Arc Pro A40 in dimensions (pictured below), except with full-size DP and HDMI in place of those mDP connectors, and a full-height bracket out of the box.

The A310 is carved out of the 6 nm "ACM-G11" silicon by enabling 6 out of 8 Xe Cores (that's 96 out of 128 EUs, or 768 out of 1,024 unified shaders). You also get 96 XMX units that accelerate AI; and 6 ray tracing units. The GPU runs at 2.00 GHz, compared to 2.10 GHz on the A380. The memory sub-system has been narrowed by a third—you get 4 GB of 15.5 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 64-bit wide memory interface. In comparison, the A380 has 6 GB of memory across a 96-bit memory bus. The card features a PCI-Express 4.0 x8 host interface, and with its typical power expected to be well under the 75 W-mark, most custom cards could lack any power connectors.

Yesterday Intel announced its 13th generation Raptor Lake processor lineup. The top-of-the-line model, Core i9-13900KS, features eight P-cores and 16 E-cores for a total of 24 cores in the SoC. However, that may not represent the maximum for Raptor Lake, as there appears to be another segment equipped with a Raptor Lake processor with 34 cores. According to findings of Tom's Hardware, the Intel Innovation event in San Jose had a surprise for everyone, as there was a booth to display Raptor Lake silicon wafers. After closer examination, the wafer had cutouts for dies that contained as many as 34 cores.

With all cores being the same size, it is assumed that those are P-cores interconnected on a mesh, unlike the traditional ring bus that the rest of Raptor Lake processors use. On the back of the wafer was a label stating, "Raptor Lake-S, 34 core". This suggests that the CPU is perhaps a part of the HEDT offerings that Intel will soon update with the 13th generation designs and that the company showcased a production wafer for those SKUs. We expect to hear more about this unknown 34-core configuration sometime in the future as the new Intel Core generation begins its rollout.

An AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX 64-core/128-thread workstation processor was overclocked to 5.15 GHz all-core by Taiwanese overclocker TSAIK, under extreme cooling, and it [predictably] crushed the Cinebench R23 world-record. The chip scored a godlike 116142 points in the multi-threaded benchmark, ahead of the previous record-holder—105170 points scored on a Threadripper 3990X, by Splave.

The 5995WX, as we mentioned, was subjected to extreme cooling, using liquid-nitrogen. using a Bitspower-made evaporator. The chip was supported by 128 GB of octal-channel DDR4-3200 memory, and an MSI PRO WS WRX80 motherboard. Windows 10 21H2 was the OS of choice. Threadrippers will continue to dominate multi-threaded CPU benchmark leaderboards until Intel can put up a fight with an HEDT variant of its upcoming "Sapphire Rapids" processor.

Intel's upcoming Sapphire Rapids processors will not only be present in the server sector but will also span the high-end desktop (HEDT) platform. Today, according to the findings of a Twitter user, @InstLatX64, we have an appearance of Intel's upcoming Sapphire Rapids HEDT SKU in Kernel.org boot logs. Named Intel Xeon W9-3495, this model features 56 cores and 112 threads. While there is no specific information about base and boost frequencies, we know that the SKU supports AVX-512 and AMX instructions. This is a welcome addition, as we have seen Intel disable AVX-512 on consumer chips altogether.

With a high core count and additional instructions for Deep Learning, this CPU will power workstations sometimes in the future. With the late arrival of Sapphire Rapids for servers, a HEDT variant should follow.

Last week, AMD announced that its Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5900WX-series of processors were going to be available from more OEMs, with an eventual retail version of the three models going to be available. Now the company has shared the retail pricing for the new workstation processors and it would appear that AMD's HEDT platform has become unobtanium for most consumers, after having been one of the cheapest platforms out there only a couple of generations ago. According to Tom's Hardware, whom AMD shared the pricing with, the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5965WX, the 24 core, 48 thread entry level model, will start at US$2,399, which is more than a 32 core, 64 thread Threadripper 3970X, which has a retail price of US$1,999.

A step up is the 32 core, 64 thread Threadripper Pro 5975WX for US$3,299 and at the top of the stacks, sits the 64 core, 128 thread Threadripper Pro 5995WX for the hefty price of US$6,499. All three models have 128 PCIe lanes and a 280 W TDP. AMD seems to have decided to cash in on its core and thread advantage over Intel, as Intel's highest-end workstation chip is the Xeon W-3375, with 38 cores and 76 threads, which comes in at US$4,499, but only has half the PCIe lane count and a much smaller cache. That said, Intel is expected to launch its 4th generation of Xeon W processors, codenamed Sapphire Rapids later this year, which is expected to feature a 56 core, 112 thread SKU, which should bring some competition to AMD in this market segment.

Intel's high-end desktop (HEDT), usually reserved for workstation and enterprise applications, is due for an update, and the company is readying an entire family of updated products. Today, we found a leak of what appears to be an Intel Sapphire Rapids design made for desktops. Called Xeon W5-3433, the CPU appears in the SiSoftware Sandra benchmark database. It carries a configuration of 16 cores and 32 threads and is equipped with 32 MB of L2 cache and 45 MB of L3 cache. Having 2 MB of L2 cache per core suggests that the design is not an Alder Lake variation. This specific SKU is clocked at 1.99 GHz, meaning an early engineering sample.

The Sapphire Rapids HEDT platform is codenamed FishHawk Falls. Intel is supposed to offer Alder Lake-X processors with higher core counts and the FishHawk Falls. Both will be running on the same W790 chipset; however, the Sapphire Rapids implementation will carry more cores in a Xeon package designed for professionals. There was an Ice Lake-X Xeon processor called Xeon W-3335 with 16 cores and 32 threads, meaning that the leaked Xeon W5-3433 is its direct successor.

Enthused with its IPC leadership, Intel is possibly planning a return to the high-end desktop (HEDT) market segment, with the "Alder Lake-X" line of processors, according to a Tom's Hardware report citing a curious-looking addition to an AIDA64 beta change-log. The exact nature of "Alder Lake-X" (ADL-X) still remains a mystery—one theory holds that ADL-X could be a consumer variant of the "Sapphire Rapids" microarchitecture, much like how the 10th Gen Core "Cascade Lake-X" was to "Cascade Lake," a server processor microarchitecture. Given that Intel is calling it "Alder Lake-X" and not "Sapphire Rapids-X," it could even be a whole new client-specific silicon. What's the difference between the two? It's all in the cores.

While both "Alder Lake" and "Sapphire Rapids" come with "Golden Cove" performance cores (P-cores), they use variants of it. Alder Lake has the client-specific variant with 1.25 MB L2 cache, a lighter client-relevant ISA, and other optimizations that enable it to run at higher clock speeds. Sapphire Rapids, on the other hand, will use a server-specific variant of "Golden Cove" that's optimized for the Mesh interconnect, has 2 MB of L2 cache, a server/HPC-relevant ISA, and a propensity to run at lower clock speeds, to support the silicon's overall TDP and high CPU core-count.

Intel is reportedly disabling the rudimentary AVX-512 instruction-set support on its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors using a firmware/ME update, reports Igor's Lab. Intel does not advertise AVX-512 for Alder Lake, even though the instruction-set was much publicized for a couple of its past-generation client-segment chips, namely 11th Gen Rocket Lake, and 10th Gen Cascade Lake-X HEDT processors. The company will likely make AVX-512 a feature that sets apart its next-gen HEDT processors derived from Sapphire Rapids, its upcoming enterprise microarchitecture.

AVX-512 is technically not advertised for Alder Lake, but software that calls for these instructions can utilize them on certain 12th Gen Core processors, when paired with older versions of the Intel ME firmware. The ME version Intel releases to OEMs and motherboard vendors alongside its upcoming 65 W Core desktop processors, and the Alder Lake-P mobile processors, will prevent AVX-512 from being exposed to the software. Intel's reason to deprecate what little client-relevant AVX-512 instructions it had for Core processors, could have do with energy efficiency, as much as lukewarm reception from client software developers. The instruction is more relevant to the HPC and cloud-computing markets.Many Thanks to TheoneandonlyMrK for the tip.

Launch of AMD's upcoming Ryzen Threadripper 5000 series high-end desktop (HEDT) and Threadripper WX workstation processors, is rumored to have been delayed to 2022, according to Greymon55, a reliable source with AMD leaks. Codenamed "Chagall," these processors are compatible with existing sTRX4 and sWRX8 motherboards, based on the AMD TRX40 and AMD WRX80 chipsets, respectively. What's new, is the "Zen 3" microarchitecture.

It remains to be seen if the delay is the result of a last-minute decision by AMD to go with the newer "Zen 3" CCD that comes with 3D Vertical Cache technology, over the conventional "Zen 3" CCD; or some other reason. A 2022 launch would mean that Threadripper 5000 series will be launching around the time when Intel has desktop platforms with DDR5 memory and PCI-Express Gen 5. Threadripper 5000 chips with quad-channel DDR4 memory (four 64-bit wide channels) will be seen offering only comparable memory bandwidth to "Alder Lake" systems with overclocked DDR5 memory (four 40-bit wide channels). AMD is likely to prioritize its next "big" socket for the enterprise segment with EPYC "Genoa," as the company could find itself embattled with Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" processors that come with next-gen I/O.

The Chinese source who published the first images of the Intel LGA1700 socket and Z690 chipset has now revealed some new information regarding the upcoming Alder Lake, Sapphire Rapids-X, and Raptor Lake products. The rumor claims that Intel will launch the W790 Workstation HEDT chipset in Q3 2022 alongside the 13th Generation Sapphire Rapids-X desktop series. This would be the first new HEDT launch from Intel in over 3 years with the previous 10th Gen Cascade Lake processors launching back in April 2019.

The rumor also states that Intel will launch the 13th Generation Raptor Lake desktop processors at the same time as their Sapphire Rapids-X HEDT lineup. There is also a note about Intel releasing the entire 600-series motherboard lineup in 2021 which is contrary to previous rumors which stated that Intel would only make the Z690 chipset available this year. This would be followed by a complete launch of all 12 Generation Alder Lake desktop processors and not just the overclockable K-series. This is the first time we have heard these rumors so while they come from a semi-reliable leaker we would recommend taking them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

AMD is looking to launch a substantial lineup of HEDT and workstation processors before the end of 2021, based on its latest "Zen 3" microarchitecture. These processors are categorized in two distinct lines—the Ryzen Threadripper 5000X targeting HEDTs, and the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX targeting workstations. Both are based on different sockets, sTRX4 and sWRX8, respectively, with the latter featuring 8-channel DDR4 memory, compared to the former's 4-channel. Two Ryzen Threadripper Pro 5000WX series chips surfaced on the Milky Way@Home distributed computing database, the 5945WX and 5995WX.

The application identifies the 5945WX as a 12-core/24-thread processor, while the 5995WX is the top-dog 64-core/128-thread part. AMD maintains lower core-count Threadrippers to target the section of the market that seeks I/O capabilities over core-counts (memory bandwidth, a large number of PCIe lanes supporting NVMe RAID or multiple AIC compute accelerators, etc,). The lower core counts also come with higher CPU clock-speeds, benefiting less-parallelized applications. At this point it's not known if the Threadripper 5000 family features the conventional "Zen 3" CCD chiplet, or the new "Zen 3+" chiplets with 64 MB 3D Vertical Cache (3DV cache), but the company is planning to monetize the new chiplet across its EPYC enterprise line as the additional cache benefits certain applications with large streaming data-sets. It's conceivable that the Threadripper Pro series could benefit from 3DV cache, too.

AMD is preparing to launch the Ryzen Threadripper 5000 "Chagall" HEDT processors in August 2021, according to a MoePC report, confirming a rumor from April 2021. These chips will arrive in core-counts of up to 64, spanning two CPU socket types—sTRX4 (Ryzen Threadripper) and sWRX8 (Ryzen Threadripper PRO), and compatible with existing motherboards that run Ryzen 3000 Threadrippers, requiring a UEFI firmware update. Nearly every retail sTRX4 motherboard we've come across features USB BIOS Flashback, letting you update the firmware of an off-the-shelf motherboard without needing to install a compatible processor.

What's new with the Ryzen Threadripper 5000 is the new "Zen 3" CCDs, which place all 8 CPU cores of the die into a single CCX, sharing a unified 32 MB L3 cache. The I/O is identical to the previous generation, with the sTRX4 chips featuring quad-channel DDR4 interface, and sWRX8 ones featuring 8-channel, both with ECC; and up to 88 PCI-Express Gen 4 lanes. AMD also slightly increased the xGMI2 bandwidth to 18 GT/s, from 16 GT/s on the Ryzen Threadripper 3000 series.Many Thanks to DeathtoGnomes for the tip.

ASUS and MSI have each put out lists of their motherboards and compatible processors that meet the Windows 11 requirement of a TPM 2.0 spec-compliant trusted platform module, without needing an add-on TPM. ASUS says that its motherboards dating back to the Intel 300-series, and AMD 300-series, and processors compatible with them, meet the requirement, which would mean Intel "Coffee Lake" and forward; and AMD "Zen" and forward. MSI, on the other hand, extends support all the way back to Intel 100-series (when paired with "Kaby Lake" or forward); and AMD 300-series ("Zen" and forward).

For HEDT platforms, both companies support TPM 2.0 on Intel X299, AMD X399, and AMD TRX40. Server- and workstation chipsets from processor generations corresponding to these platforms, will also support Windows 11. Intel and AMD began integrating a firmware TPM with these platforms that met TPM 2.0 specification. Older platforms will require an add-on TPM, which scalpers are selling for upward or $100 these days (normally under $20). The firmware TPM, although present, is usually disabled, and needs to be enabled in the UEFI setup program. In addition, the firmware must be configured for UEFI boot, with Secure Boot enabled, to meet Windows 11 requirements.

We haven't seen any new prosumer HEDT processors since AMD launched their Ryzen Threadripper 3000 lineup in early 2020. Intel has had a very weak HEDT offering over the past few years with their 14 nm Cascade Lake processors and X299 chipset where the flagship Core i9-10980XE offered just 18 cores. Intel appears to be preparing to launch an updated HEDT offering in Q2 2022 with 10 nm Sapphire Rapids processors and a new W790 chipset. The new W790 chipset may launch alongside Raptor Lake which is expected to support the Z790 chipset. We still have a while until these products launch with Intel not yet having released their Alder Lake predecessors while AMD is expected to announce Threadripper 5000 in the coming months.

AMD is preparing to switch things up a bit with its upcoming AM5 platform. The new platform is said to bring significant changes to the design of the socket and the CPU package, where we will see some new design choices and decisions. For starters, all of the processors made for the AM5 platform will come in a land grid array (LGA) configuration, very similar to that of Intel. Thanks to the rendering of ExecutableFix, we got to see exactly how will the new LGA design look like. And today, we get to see more details of the AMD's upcoming Raphael processor's integrated heat spreader (IHS) design.

The IHS serves the purpose of spreading the heat away from the die and dissipating it efficiently. However, IHS designs can sometimes be very interesting. According to this rendering from ExecutableFix, AMD's upcoming Raphael design, based on Zen 4 core, will feature a unique IHS design, which can be seen below.