Exciting times lie ahead for workstation enthusiasts as Intel’s newest Xeon 654 CPU has surfaced, offering a sneak peek into the upcoming Granite Rapids Workstation lineup. This new chip promises to shake up the market with its robust specifications, providing cutting-edge technology for demanding computing tasks.
Unveiling the Intel Xeon 654
The Intel Granite Rapids-WS family is gearing up for a launch, bringing two distinct segments: the mainstream family, supporting 4-channel DDR5 memory, and the Expert family, boasting 8-channel memory support. Notably, the mainstream segment includes 80 PCIe Gen5 lanes, while the Expert line features a substantial 128 PCIe Gen5 lanes. Earlier glimpses revealed a top-tier model with 86 cores and 172 threads on the W890 platform. Now, another significant addition, the Intel Xeon 654, has been spotted in the Geekbench 6 database.
Tested on a reference GNR-WS platform equipped with 32 GB of DDR5 memory, the Xeon 654 showcases 18 cores, 36 threads, an impressive 72 MB of L3 cache, and 36 MB of L2 cache. According to the Geekbench data, it operates at a clock speed of 4.60 GHz, with boosts up to 4.80 GHz. While its single-core score stands at 2634 and multi-core at 14,743, these results are expected to improve, considering the current testing is on an engineering sample platform.
Expanding the Granite Rapids Family
More insights into the Granite Rapids series have surfaced, revealing a variety of SKUs with varying clock speeds and cache sizes. The Xeon 698X emerges as the peak model, equipped with 86 cores and a hefty 336 MB of cache. Enthusiasts can look forward to the overclocking capabilities embedded within the “X” series variants. The pricing strategy remains under wraps but is anticipated to be competitive against the likes of the Threadripper 9000 series. Expectations are set for a launch in late Q4 or during CES 2026.
Intel HEDT/Workstation Processor Families:
| Intel HEDT Family | Granite Rapids | Sapphire Rapids Refresh | Sapphire Rapids | Cascade Lake | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake | Broadwell | Haswell | Ivy Bridge | Sandy Bridge | Gulftown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | Intel 3 | 10nm ESF | 10nm ESF | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm | 22nm | 22nm | 32nm | 32nm |
| Flagship SKU | TBD | Xeon W9-3595X Xeon W7-2595X |
Xeon W9-3495X Xeon W7-2495X |
Core i9-10980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Core i9-9980XE | Core i9-7980XE | Core i7-6950X | Core i7-5960X | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-3960X | Core i7-980X |
| Max Cores/Threads | 86/172? | 60/120 26/52 |
56/112 24/48 |
18/36 | 28/56 | 18/36 | 18/36 | 10/20 | 8/16 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/12 |
| Clock Speeds | TBD | 4.8 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | 3.00/4.50 GHz | 2.60/4.20 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.60/4.00 GHz | 3.30/3.90 GHz | 3.33/3,60 GHz |
| Max Cache | TBD | 105 MB L3 | 105 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 25 MB L3 | 20 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 |
| Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU) | 128 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen2 | 32 Gen2 |
| Chipset Compatiblity | W890 | W790 | W790 | X299 | C612E | X299 | X299 | X99 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X58 Chipset |
| Socket Compatiblity | LGA 4710? | LGA 4677 | LGA 4677 | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011 | LGA 1366 |
| Memory Compatiblity | DDR5-6000? | DDR5-4800 | DDR5-4800 | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2800 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2133 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1066 |
| Max TDP | 350W? | 350W | 350W | 165W | 255W | 165W | 165W | 140W | 140W | 130W | 130W | 130W |
| Launch | 2025? | 2024 | 2023 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2018 | Q3 2017 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2014 | Q3 2013 | Q4 2011 | Q1 2010 |
| Launch Price (Top SKU) | TBD | TBD | $5889 | $979 US | ~$4000 US | $1979 US | $1999 US | $1700 US | $1059 US | $999 US | $999 US | $999 US |