Intel launches new Xeon W-2200 HEDT CPUs based on Cascade Lake-X

After AMD unveiled its plans for its upcoming EPYC server and HEDT CPUs, Intel has shown its hand as well. Announced earlier this week, the Intel Xeon W-2200 processor family is Intel’s latest solution for HEDT needs.

According to Intel, the Xeon W-2200 CPUs will offer up to 4.8 GHz clock speeds (Turbo Boost) and up to 18 Hyper-Threaded, AVX 512-enabled cores per die. Additionally, Xeon W-2200 is loaded with new features, including support for up to 1 TB of DDR4-2933 ECC RAM, 2.5G Ethernet i225 support, and compatibility for WiFi 6 AX200. The new chips will also support up to 48 PCIe lanes, Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU), Thunderbolt 3, Intel Optane (905p), and Intel vPro.

Per Intel, the new Xeon W-2200 silicon should hit up to 2x faster 3D architecture rendering performance, up to 2.1x faster compile times, and up to 1.97x faster 4K video editing.

Perhaps most importantly, Intel is pricing Xeon W-2200 up to 50% lower than the previous generation Xeon processors. The new pricing structure seems like a response to AMD, whose ROME EPYC HEDT CPUs have decimated Intel’s Xeon series in price-per-dollar comparisons.

The new Intel Xeon W-2200 CPUs will be available sometime in November.