18 core unlocked CPU for haswell-EP?

Dual Haswel E Xeon with 36 cores total and 45mb L3cache each.... I think i jizzed my pants a little.
 
Did you guys catch the part about Broadwell 4 cores having pcie v.2 instead of v.3 so that if we want discrete graphics we have to go to Haswell - E? I think that is the real shocker of this article!
 
I cannot see intel selling unlocked xeons, it stops them selling faster, more expensive processors.

Also overclocking can lead to instability - that's the last thing you need on a mission critical rig
 
Well, this is all unsubstantiated speculation at this point, so don't go making plans based on one poorly written article. Was this translated from Russian through German or something?
 
I agree that there is a degree of speculation on articles about Haswell-E. On the other hand waiting 3 weeks for Computex is not unreasonable.

There may be a typo on 18-core, as Xeon E7 v2 parts top at 15-core today in a 3x5 design. What i can say is that prosumers are crazy about cheap quad opterons builds, myself included, so if Intel really want a piece of the bitmining money that flooded nerd wallets last months it better bring Haswell-E sooner and stronger than planned.

Broadwell is a low-mid end consumer part, another meh for below $300 market, par for the course since 2500k.
 
Exciting stuff, thanks for sharing. I hope this speculation pans out at Computex.
 
Oh my goodness.....oh please Lord let it be true....please, please oh please, oh PLEASE!!!!!!

If it's true, I'll be snapping up a bunch of these quicker than a ravenous Great White who happens upon a huge group of seals...:D:D


Droooooool.....
 
TheHobbyist said:
Did you guys catch the part about Broadwell 4 cores having pcie v.2 instead of v.3 so that if we want discrete graphics we have to go to Haswell - E? I think that is the real shocker of this article!
Click to expand...

PCIE v2 still has plenty of bandwidth for the low/mid range platforms, it's not really going to make a noticeable difference on any graphics setups you'd be running with that chip.

Personally, I wouldn't buy into a new platform that maxes out at 4 cores at this point anyway.
 
Nathan_P said:
I cannot see intel selling unlocked xeons, it stops them selling faster, more expensive processors.

Also overclocking can lead to instability - that's the last thing you need on a mission critical rig
Click to expand...

For the reasons you state I heavily doubt we will ever see another overclocking Xeon processor. No more awesome situations where people are still using x58 overclocked xeon hex-core processors from 5+ years ago. They are still rock solid performers today.
 
ssnyder28 said:
For the reasons you state I heavily doubt we will ever see another overclocking Xeon processor. No more awesome situations where people are still using x58 overclocked xeon hex-core processors from 5+ years ago. They are still rock solid performers today.
Click to expand...

My current desktop Xeon is an "overclocking Xeon processor". If this report is true, the new 18-core behemoth will piledrive all the existing hex cores and steal their lunch money...;)

They will truly be a sickening display of power....and I can't wait...:D:D
 
This is just especulation, but looking back to X79, you can drop an 8-15 core xeon on a consumer X79 mobo. There are even unlocked multiplier Xeons for X79.
So while the consumer i7 chip is "simply" an 8c part, it is not unreasonable to speculate that the X99 upgrade path will include Haswell-EP/EX Xeons.
 
Last edited:
geok1ng said:
This is just especulation, but looking back to X79, you can drop an 8-15 core xeon on a consumer X79 mobo. There are even unlocked multiplier Xeons for X79.
So while the consumer i7 chip is "simply" an 8c part, it is not unreasonable to speculate that the X99 upgrade path will include Haswell-EP/EX Xeons.
Click to expand...

The Ivy-EX/Haswell-EX Xeons are a different socket than either an X79 or X99 system, so an E7 Xeon will not work on any other board or socket. What is compatible though is the die itself. Intel will simply package the die in the corresponding socket type, in this case 2011-3 of Haswell-E/EP(Socket R3), instead of the 2011-1 socket of the EX chips(Socket R1).

Intel has done this trick with the Ivy-EP 12 core chips...all Ivy-EP 12 cores on the 2011-0(Socket R0) are Ivy-EX dies, that are packaged as 2011-1 (Socket R1) when they are sold as Xeon E7s

Same die as the EX chips, but different package...;) Intel could have re-packaged the full 15-core Ivy-EX die into a Socket R0 SKU if they wanted to. From what I've heard, a number of these 15-core chips were in fact made (and are fully unlocked), but are all internal Intel test chips. They would likely work fine on most X79 boards out there.

Intel has also done this in the past...the original Extreme Edition was a 2M Gallatin core from the Xeon MP line that was simply repackaged into a Socket 478 format (and this was done VERY quickly at the time). They could even have repackaged the 4M Gallatin into Socket 478 if they wanted to, but I guess the 2M was deemed sufficient.
 
JaiWebb said:
Even if this CPU were true Server boards never OC well.
Click to expand...

Server boards don't typically overclock at all. But, using these CPUs in a single CPU system or in an overclockable dual-CPU workstation board like the Asus Z9PE-D8 or SR-X (or rather their Haswell-EP equivalents) should overclock and perform quite well.

The old EVGA SR-2 also overclocked quite well with dual Westmere Xeons....;)
 
Last edited:
Not sure how I feel about DDR4 yet, worried that when I make the X99 upgrade I'm going to be paying big $$$ for the DDR4 but not getting any more performance than I could have with DDR3.
 
Tych-0 said:
Not sure how I feel about DDR4 yet, worried that when I make the X99 upgrade I'm going to be paying big $$$ for the DDR4 but not getting any more performance than I could have with DDR3.
Click to expand...

You're right about that...in fact it wouldn't surprise me to see a performance decrease with the intial DDR4 offerings (compared to equivalent DDR3), due to the increased latency. Remember DDR3-8500 when it first came out? Less than ideal to say the least compared to high flying DDR2, but later DDR4 memory should be better.

The potential of increased density with DDR4 will be good, as well as the performance potential of the processors using DDR4 will mitigate the initial cost sting a bit...;)
 
Looks like there is more evidence toward confirming the existence of the 18C variant of Haswell-EP...:)

http://www.chiphell.com/thread-1031200-1-1.html


And the existence of more SKUs in the stack, 10, 12 and 14 core versions, as well as the existence of a 16 core:

http://browser.primatelabs.com/user/84036980/geekbench2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors (Haswell-EP SKUs are at the bottom)

I did notice the absence of a "water-cooling optimized" SKU, but it's possible the specs of such a SKU are still not yet final. This may be due to the novelty of the concept for Intel, and it wouldn't surprise me if they gave it much more attention than a CPU that's been given a conventional TDP. To validate a CPU at a highly elevated TDP will doubtlessly require increased socket validation, VRM reference design verification and probably new binning guidelines for leakage and other parameters, so Intel may end surprise-launching it like the E7-8895 V2.

It may also end up being one of those incognito OEM chips as well...;)

Now the only lingering question is about whether or not they're unlocked...which will hopefully be answered soon...;)
 
Last edited:
Goodness gracious, what would you do with 72 threads, let alone 36 threads in a single socket? :p

Find out why the answer to life is 42? Or, solve the nth. place of pi? Simulate how your new drug stops Alzheimer's or Parkinson's? See how fast you can encode a raw movie to 4K, 60FPS?

Several simultaneous sessions of Battlefield 4 with quad-SLI or quad-Fire video cards, and 128GB of RAM running on Windows 2012? Many, many virtual machines running atop ESXi or Zen?
 
octoberasian said:
Goodness gracious, what would you do with 72 threads, let alone 36 threads in a single socket? :p

Find out why the answer to life is 42? Or, solve the nth. place of pi? Simulate how your new drug stops Alzheimer's or Parkinson's? See how fast you can encode a raw movie to 4K, 60FPS?

Several simultaneous sessions of Battlefield 4 with quad-SLI or quad-Fire video cards, and 128GB of RAM running on Windows 2012? Many, many virtual machines running atop ESXi or Zen?
Click to expand...

The answer is....anythng you want...and some stuff in the future that you don't know you want yet, but will...;)

It's not just the threads...just imagine those 72 threads going from a pedestrian stock 2.3Ghz at stock to humming at 4.5GHz under chilly water...or who know how high under LN2. If they are unlocked, performance is going to take a quantum leap. Even an overclock to 4.0GHz will increase the single-threaded performance enormously over stock (although the amount of the increase will depend on what the all core turbo speed is).

Excellent single-threaded performance+incredible multi-threaded performance=complete and total win...:)

You'll probably even get a Christmas card from your power company.:D But it'll be worth it to get that kind of performance...;)
 
ragecase said:
Do Want! Hope this comes up for sale.
Click to expand...

You and many other people. If this miracle comes to pass, I think that the unlocked nature of these CPUs will drive quite a few high end sales.

I also think that the 18-core CPU certainly confirms that Haswell-EX will have 20 cores...it's unlikely Intel would make fully functional examples of their largest and best die into a fully-fledged variant of a Xeon E5. The 18-core (and the 16-core version as well) is likely a harvested Haswell-EX die (from Haswell-EX wafers that are likely already in production as Intel builds inventory of Haswell-EX dies for the launch next year). I'd like to see a fully-fledged unlocked version (for a premium price), but considering the >$6000 price point that Intel wants for such a die as a Xeon E7, it's unlikely we'll see an E5 version anytime soon. However, if it means we get an unlocked 18-core, dual capable E5 Xeon CPU, that's OK with me...;)
 
Some new information on the top chip:

http://translate.google.ca/translat...97/&prev=/search?q=e5-2699v3&biw=1024&bih=649

Definitely not cheap...approx $3k Euro, which is roughly $4k US. The price quoted in the article includes a 22% VAT tax! :eek: The site is European, so the price is possibly somewhat inflated (even without the VAT) as compared to the like price in the US.

It also looks like it may be appearing very soon....the link quotes June 10th availability, which raises the distinct possibility of a Computex launch. Of course, anything on the page may end up being BS, but at least we have a SKU number (CM8064401739300) and possible price and availability.

What we still don't know for sure is if they're unlocked...keep praying...:D
 
Last edited:
Availability on June? Well, if the new Core i7 5690X will be available on 2nd June, then we'll also see the new Xeons.

But no motherboards have been announced yet. And fro Computex to the stores depending on the logistics can be up to 1 month of difference in time.
 
If intel release an unlocked chip with more than 8 cores, I'll eat my own hair.

It's not going to happen. It only means money lost for Intel. Unlocked chips compete with future chips, they also don't need to unlock these chips to sell them: Intel occupy the ONLY space in the high performance market.
 
KazeoHin said:
If intel release an unlocked chip with more than 8 cores, I'll eat my own hair.

It's not going to happen. It only means money lost for Intel. Unlocked chips compete with future chips, they also don't need to unlock these chips to sell them: Intel occupy the ONLY space in the high performance market.
Click to expand...

They may just sell quite a few more of them if they are unlocked. Compete with future chips? Hardly. If future high end Xeons are also unlocked, performance gains should be possible from them as well, and considering the advancements in both techology, process size and core count that the future chips will offer, there will still be considerable demand for them when they come out.

It's like saying people aren't going to buy an i7-5960X because the i7-3960X was unlocked...:rolleyes:

Intel may be the only real alternative in the performance market, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't make their product as widely appealing as possible. It's appropriate to allow segments of the market that can benefit from the additional performance than an unlocked chip offers to utilize it, especially after paying a considerable sum of money for one of these chips. Intel's in the business of making money, and they stand to make more of it if their products are better suited to the needs and desires of people who have the expertise to properly utilize one of these chips, people that have been prevented from doing so with Sandy-EP and ivy-EP.
 
Filiprino said:
Availability on June? Well, if the new Core i7 5690X will be available on 2nd June, then we'll also see the new Xeons.

But no motherboards have been announced yet. And fro Computex to the stores depending on the logistics can be up to 1 month of difference in time.
Click to expand...

It's not abnormal for Xeon boards, especially workstation and server boards, to be completely unknown until launch.

It's tough to say what'll happen at this point regarding availability...the Xeons may end up launching first. The restriction here won't be CPU/motherboard availability, but DDR4 availability, so whatever type of DDR4 that's ready or nearly ready (in this case Registered DDR4 seems the most likely candidate to be available), it's likely that'll be the CPU that launches first.

Even if availability is constrained for a month or two, it's no big deal. All I want to know is if the chips are unlocked. If they are, I'm buying some for myself (more than 1)...if not, I won't be buying any. The exact SKU(s) I buy will depend on what ends up launching. I'd love to see the rumored water-cooling SKU become reality...that thing'll be a sweet chip...;)
 
I am predicting that Intel will go with a 4/6/8 core CPU for the desktop market. Then around early to mid December, they will pop the 12 Core CPU on us like they did the 980x back in 2010. That is why I am going to hold out until then. :)
 
The Cobra said:
I am predicting that Intel will go with a 4/6/8 core CPU for the desktop market. Then around early to mid December, they will pop the 12 Core CPU on us like they did the 980x back in 2010. That is why I am going to hold out until then. :)
Click to expand...

Will the 8 core and 12 core be the same socket (compatible)?

Just wondering....
 
The Cobra said:
I am predicting that Intel will go with a 4/6/8 core CPU for the desktop market. Then around early to mid December, they will pop the 12 Core CPU on us like they did the 980x back in 2010. That is why I am going to hold out until then. :)
Click to expand...

There will be no 4 core Haswell-E desktop CPU...there is a neutered 6-core with 24 lanes at the low end, a regular 6-core with 40 lanes at the mid-range and an 8-core, 40 lane top chip.

http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/201243/intel-core-i7-haswell-e-processor-lineup-detailed.html

The Haswell-EP chips are socket compatible with the desktop chips, so if the top Xeons do end up being unlocked, you'll be able to install one into a Haswell-E desktop board and overclock it (as long as the cooling used is up to snuff). The top i7 will look like a sick joke compared to an unlocked 18-core Xeon...but will lighten the wallet a bit more...;)
 
Last edited:
If that 5820K is just a hair under $400 ($380 to $399) or less than $450 and has Hyperthreading, call me sold. 12 threads for $400 to $450 is considerably cheap if it hits that price range.

And, if that 18-core Haswell-EP Xeon holds the range of between $3000 to $4000 in the US, it'd be a lot cheaper than the 15-core Ivy Bridge Xeon E7, which is expected to cost more than $5000.
 
octoberasian said:
If that 5820K is just a hair under $400 ($380 to $399) or less than $450 and has Hyperthreading, call me sold. 12 threads for $400 to $450 is considerably cheap if it hits that price range.

And, if that 18-core Haswell-EP Xeon holds the range of between $3000 to $4000 in the US, it'd be a lot cheaper than the 15-core Ivy Bridge Xeon E7, which is expected to cost more than $5000.
Click to expand...

Agreed on both points. IMHO, the i7-5820K also puts significant pressure on the i7-4970K, which is significantly inferior in most ways. I think Intel's strategy is to move most discrete GPU-loving enthusiasts to the Haswell-E platform, which seems to jive with the rumor about the lower tiers of Broadwell having only PCI-E 2.0, rather than 3.0.

Even if the 18-core Haswell-EP ends up being a full $4k US, it's still a decent deal for what you're getting, especially if it ends up being unlocked. The ability to have 18-cores in a single CPU system is extraordinary. Also, it allows Intel to run some Haswell-EX wafers to build a stock of dies to prepare for its launch next year and make some money doing so (and giving us a very nice new shiny toy to play with).;)
 
lutjens said:
Agreed on both points. IMHO, the i7-5820K also puts significant pressure on the i7-4970K, which is significantly inferior in most ways. I think Intel's strategy is to move most discrete GPU-loving enthusiasts to the Haswell-E platform, which seems to jive with the rumor about the lower tiers of Broadwell having only PCI-E 2.0, rather than 3.0.

Even if the 18-core Haswell-EP ends up being a full $4k US, it's still a decent deal for what you're getting, especially if it ends up being unlocked. The ability to have 18-cores in a single CPU system is extraordinary. Also, it allows Intel to run some Haswell-EX wafers to build a stock of dies to prepare for its launch next year and make some money doing so (and giving us a very nice new shiny toy to play with).;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, if the 4790K is pushing $380 to $390 in some places [in Europe] and if the 5820K comes in between $400 to $450, it'd probably make better sense to get the 5820K even if it was sold for $399. So, it definitely does put pressure on the 4790K Haswell refresh.

The fact it'll have DDR4 memory controller on it (with hopefully 4 or even 8 channels) versus DDR3 for the 4790K, it seems more future-proof than the 4790K. The lack of the upcoming PCI-Express 4.0 is not a factor given PCI-E 3.0 is still plenty enough for now.

These processors-- both the Haswell-EP and Haswell-E-- are expected sometime this Summer or Fall, right? I think around or near Computex if I recall. DDR4 memory is expected to hit retail this Summer or Fall as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top