Danny Weber
18:23 03-02-2026
© A. Krivonosov
Intel unveils Xeon 600 series with up to 86 cores, targeting AI and professional workloads. Features include overclocking, PCIe 5.0, and improved performance for rendering and machine learning.
After a long hiatus, Intel has finally unveiled its new generation of workstation processors—the Xeon 600 series. Codenamed Granite Rapids-WS, this lineup targets single-socket systems and is designed to replace the Xeon W-2500 and W-3500 models based on Sapphire Rapids.
The new Xeon chips focus squarely on scalability and raw computing power. The series comprises 11 models, all built exclusively with high-performance P-cores (Redwood Cove), with no energy-efficient E-cores in sight. The flagship is the Xeon 698X, which packs 86 cores and 172 threads, along with a hefty 336 MB of L3 cache. It has a base clock of 2.0 GHz and can boost up to 4.8 GHz using Turbo Boost Max 3.0. Intel highlights that the Xeon 698X is fully unlocked for overclocking—a rare feature for server and workstation-grade Xeon processors. This makes it particularly appealing to enthusiasts and professionals who value hands-on performance tuning.
The Xeon 600 processors pair with the Intel W890 chipset. The platform supports up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes directly from the CPU, eight channels of DDR5-6400 RDIMM memory, and up to 4 TB of RAM. It also includes support for CXL 2.0, updated platform features, and expanded capabilities for multi-GPU and storage array configurations.
On the computational front, Intel is betting on AI and professional workloads. The Xeon 600 series supports vPro Enterprise and Intel Deep Learning Boost technologies, including VNNI, AVX-512, and AMX, targeting machine learning, rendering, and complex mathematical tasks. According to Intel, the new generation delivers a 9% improvement in single-threaded performance and a 61% boost in multi-threaded performance compared to the Xeon W-3500 and W-2500. Against desktop CPUs like the Core Ultra 5 245K, Xeon lags in single-threaded scenarios but significantly outperforms them in 3D rendering, photorealistic scenes, and linear algebra—as expected for workstation-class hardware.
Pricing for the Xeon 600 series starts at $499 for the 12-core Xeon 634 and goes up to $7,699 for the flagship Xeon 698X. Some models will be available at retail, while others will be exclusive to OEM workstation manufacturers.