Article New Intel 28 core unlocked Fire breathing monster review !

[Markfw]

Here: https://www.anandtech.com/show/13748/the-intel-xeon-w-3175x-review-28-unlocked-cores-2999-usd

A 32 phase power with 6 CPU power plugs, and 2 24 pin power plugs just for the motherboard. At 4.4 ghz with a custom water setup, it consumes 510 watts just for the CPU !

And yes, the CPU alone is $2999. The motherboard is estimated at $1500. And a quote from the conclusion:

"On the power side of the equation, again the W-3175X comes in like a wrecking ball, and this baby is on fire. While this chip has a 255W TDP, the turbo max power value is 510W – we don’t hit that at ‘stock’ frequency, which is more around the 300W mark, but we can really crank out the power when we start overclocking.

This processor has a regular all-core frequency of 3.8 GHz, with AVX2 at 3.2 GHz and AVX-512 at 2.8 GHz. In our testing, just by adjusting multipliers, we achieved an all-core turbo of 4.4 GHz and an AVX2 turbo of 4.0 GHz, with the systems drawing 520W and 450W respectively. At these frequencies, our CPU was reporting temperatures in excess of 110ºC! This processor is actually rated with a thermal shutoff at 120ºC, well above the 105ºC we see with regular desktop processors, which shows that perhaps Intel had to bin these chips enough that the high temperature profile was required."

 

[aigomorla]

can someone show a benchmark of this monster which shows an advantage of monolithic design?
workstation benchmark please, not server

Workstation = a smaller grade server.

W = Workstation chips... typically that denotion is given to a Xeon which cant be paired.
The W tag was handed out probably during bloomfield days when the W3500 series first hit the market to work on X58's Before that they were all X labeled cpu's, and even had its own socket... 775 vs 771.

They were kinda pointless IMO as the regular i7-900 series all supported ECC out of the box anyhow.



So someone please kindly tell me a scenario exactly where you would need a single 28 monolith core?
Tell me what programmer is smart enough to code 28 paralell codes into a single operation.
A SINGLE operation... not multipul operations which extend to 28 threads... excuse me... i mean 56 threads. Then tell me how this would be better then an ARM which can have 100's of cores doing just that at a much higher performance / watt / price.

Now tell me how this thing is better then something per say a dual socket Platnium Xeon, with unlocked multipliers.

Now you got 2 smaller cores which is completely managable in the cooling end, you also definitely dont need new JDEC requirements on motherboards, nor do you require the 2 x 1000W PSU's required to power the kraken.

*sigh*

You honestly know why intel didnt do the skulltrail route?
Because they called AMD TR a glue'd die.... and didnt want to one down them with 2 cpu's on 2 sockets.
Its really a childish game of i got this... well i have that... and intel finally said, we got this times infinity...


Really someone try to convince me a single 28 core is better then 2 x 14 cores. I even bet you 2 x 14 cores would most likely overclock way better and way easier...

Its far easier overclocking something like a (i9-7940x to 5ghz) x 2 then 1 W-3175X to 5ghz.

Heck.. my i9-7920X abit cherry picked does 5ghz on 12cores @ 1.2vcore, which only has 140W TDP and is one of the reasons i downgraded from my 165W TDP i9-7960X which couldn't even break 4.8ghz without dumping 1.4 +

 

[DisarmedDespot]

This thing's a dismal failure.

It has no use case (outside of the most niche of niches) to justify its development, hence Intel going so far as to fund motherboard makers to produce only enough for 1500 CPUs.

Its only purpose was to be a halo product, and they blew it with the whole 'forgetting' to mention it was both OC'd and using exotic cooling. Just look at the thread, it's a joke. If they had been honest, said its honest clocks and honestly called the 5ghz demo an example of what it can do with exotic non- LN cooling, it would've actually been a halo product worth discussing. As-is, it's a joke.

 

[TheGiant]

How many threads can your CFD software spawn to solve the problems assigned?

I don't really know where is the limit. I have some stuff of my own done in fortran and the commercial papers say the curve bends at ~60 Threads
but if I could choose, I prefer 50% per thread performance uplift with 16C rather than 32C with the same per thread performance

current situation on the market
TR- unlocked, but 256GB of ECC RAM ? no and the same 4CH RAM
EPYC and xeon- better bandwitch mainly, but the uplift is not worth the price, even the EPYC 7371 EPYC has low frequency uplift to be selling argument and when it comes to AVX which is heavily used in numerical math it is just slower except pure mem bandwitch scenarios

the BDW xeon (2690V4) is too good atm and the second machine is simply not there

this 28C monster is ideal because its unlocked!- if intel releases a 16C unlocked xeon W, the power wont be such a problem and the frequency can go up to 4,7-4,8 GHz which finally is much better than the BDW xeon with 6CH and avx512
current skylake x can go to that frequency, but don't support ecc and more than 128GB ram with 4CH-no thanks

so atm nothing on the market lol, but if AMD get that EPYC 16/24C 7nm with 8CH ram up to the performance of current skylake -x at 4,5GHz, I am buying that one

 

[Kocicak]

this 28C monster is ideal because its unlocked

You already proved your statement to be incorrect in the very statement. If you unlock "the monster" it will "explode" (or the motherboard it is on). This monster can work only if it is locked in some reasonable power limit. Making this thing ovecklockable makes no sense at all.

 

[IEC]

Looks like what Intel initially told AnandTech was either incorrect or has since been revised:
Intel 28-Core Xeon W-3175X Spotted at Retail in Japan: $3880

So, if you are willing to pay top dollar you may have a chance to grab a chip at retail after all.

 

[ericlp]

In my view this was never meant for retail. As far as I know ... you can't even purchase a Motherboard for the CPU yet... You're probably be looking at at least 5 grand in just the CPU/MB/Water Chiller & Cooler (if you can even find one). Plus... NOT only that... If that wasn't bad enough... Intel is only making a limited # of these chips ... So it was never for Mainstream retail and why would anyone like ASUS or MSI be interested in investing that kinda money for a narrow market? So... As far as I can tell this is just marketing ploy by Intel. Hopefully they will have a "real" retail chip as.. for 5K bucks you can buy 2 2990WX (64 cores / 128 threads) ...

 

[Markfw]

In my view this was never meant for retail. As far as I know ... you can't even purchase a Motherboard for the CPU yet... You're probably be looking at at least 5 grand in just the CPU/MB/Water Chiller & Cooler (if you can even find one). Plus... NOT only that... If that wasn't bad enough... Intel is only making a limited # of these chips ... So it was never for Mainstream retail and why would anyone like ASUS or MSI be interested in investing that kinda money for a narrow market? So... As far as I can tell this is just marketing ploy by Intel. Hopefully they will have a "real" retail chip as.. for 5K bucks you can buy 2 2990WX (64 cores / 128 threads) ...

Al,ost 3 2990wx = $5190

 

[ericlp]

3 ... Even better!! 96 cores / 192 threads! But, that's obviously just the CPU, not counting Motherboard and cooling options. Still.. A lot of power!

 

[Markfw]

3 ... Even better!! 96 cores / 192 threads! But, that's obviously just the CPU, not counting Motherboard and cooling options. Still.. A lot of power!

You can cool it with air, my 2970wx uses it. So motherboard+air cooling~400 + 1730= 2130 + 32 gig ram=$2500 or 2 of everything for $5000

 

[Kocicak]

Unboxing of the processor:

 

[cytg111]

380W at stock with Povray but only 330W once mildly overclocked.?

https://www.anandtech.com/show/13748/the-intel-xeon-w-3175x-review-28-unlocked-cores-2999-usd/3

Seems the sweetspot is 8 cores at 488$ .

 

[Atari2600]

How many threads can your CFD software spawn to solve the problems assigned?

That is very dependant on so many factors as to be impossible to name to a single number.

- size of mesh - bigger = more scaleable.
- complexity of numerical approach - more complex = more scaleable
- speed of communications between threads on hardware - faster = more scaleable
- amount of elements on each partition boundary - less = more scaleable
- and of course, the efficiency of the code itself.

oh, and if you are using a commercial package, like say Fluent or CFX, then per-thread performance is king as you pay hideous amounts for more licenses/thread packs. Whereas if you are using OpenFOAM (or similar or in-house), then there is no licensing cost to additional threads.

For example, now this is old information, the last time we used Fluent, the annual cost of a rented license that would run on 8 threads was around £30k +VAT. Outright buying the same was around £60k + VAT and then about £5k maintenance /year. That kind of software cost puts a £10k workstation into perspective.

 

[Kaido]

Mark make sure you add this to your amazon cart if and when you do buy one.

IMO this chip and board is beyond rediculous to the point of childish.
"Lets beat AMD by not only cores, but more stuff required to power the eye of sauron."

Add an extra 24pin.... throw in 4 more 8-pins... lets load it with vregs until the board can no longer support the PCB traces... ahhh... yes... my precious....



At this point, id rather have another skulltrail with 2 cpu's and less board requirements, with the possibility of more cores / thread + overclocking.

2 x 14 core CPU's with overclocking on a SK3 board, would not require anywhere near the same amount as a single 28core..

You see, Childish!... sigh ....

Once in awhile I'll build a server for virtualization or some dedicated parallel-processing-intensive project like for DCC rendering or whatever, where tons of cores are needed...assuming they don't need super-high-frequency stuff like a 3 or 4ghz setup, you can buy used 22-core Xeons for like $1,700 these days:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...-LGA-2011-3-2-2GHz-22-Core-SR2J0/351996572963

Works great with a $500 Asus motherboard:

https://www.amazon.com/Z10PE-D16-WS-LGA2011-v3-CrossFireX-Motherboard/dp/B00QC5DZEU

That's a dually board, so you can get 44-cores & 88-threads with two of those Xeon chips! Only downside is how long it takes to memtest a terabyte of memory

 

[Markfw]

Once in awhile I'll build a server for virtualization or some dedicated parallel-processing-intensive project like for DCC rendering or whatever, where tons of cores are needed...assuming they don't need super-high-frequency stuff like a 3 or 4ghz setup, you can buy used 22-core Xeons for like $1,700 these days:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...-LGA-2011-3-2-2GHz-22-Core-SR2J0/351996572963

Works great with a $500 Asus motherboard:

https://www.amazon.com/Z10PE-D16-WS-LGA2011-v3-CrossFireX-Motherboard/dp/B00QC5DZEU

That's a dually board, so you can get 44-cores & 88-threads with two of those Xeon chips! Only downside is how long it takes to memtest a terabyte of memory

You can buy a NEW 24 core AMD Treadripper for $1200 and a $300 motherboard, And it runs STOCK 3550, so why bother with used thats more exspensive and slower ????

 

[H T C]

You can buy a NEW 24 core AMD Treadripper for $1200 and a $300 motherboard, And it runs STOCK 3550, so why bother with used thats more exspensive and slower ????

To be fair, the dude did say that was a dual CPU board so the AMD equivalent would be the 24c / 48t Epyc 7401 / 7451 server CPUs.

It all depends on the intended use, plus he also said:

assuming they don't need super-high-frequency stuff like a 3 or 4ghz setup

 

[ZGR]

Is this the last flaship 14nm CPU from Intel?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Is this the last flaship 14nm CPU from Intel?

Depends on whether they launch the rumoured 10c/20t Comet Lake CPU on Z390. That would technically be their flagship, at least on their standard consumer socket. It wouldn't dethrone the W-3175X per se (different market segments) but it would still be an Intel flagship CPU.

 

[lobz]

You can buy a NEW 24 core AMD Treadripper for $1200 and a $300 motherboard, And it runs STOCK 3550, so why bother with used thats more exspensive and slower ????

I admire your patience to ask these questions wholeheartedly. But deep down you must know these things happen out of sheer ignorance. It will take at least another 2-3 years to change and AMD must remain competitive the whole time.

 

[Atari2600]

I admire your patience to ask these questions wholeheartedly. But deep down you must know these things happen out of sheer ignorance. It will take at least another 2-3 years to change and AMD must remain competitive the whole time.

Well, to be fair Kaido did go on to mention mem testing 1TB of DRAM. You ain't getting that on a TR4 platform. Whether that is bluster or real is beside the point - Threadripper is not always the solution to all needs.

 

[TheGiant]

Well, to be fair Kaido did go on to mention mem testing 1TB of DRAM. You ain't getting that on a TR4 platform. Whether that is bluster or real is beside the point - Threadripper is not always the solution to all needs.

Well you have a bunch of 32C 32GB RAM cinebench runners here /sarcasm off
for 1TB RAM build you won't discuss 1900 vs 3000 USD CPU price
Atari you are doing CFDs? care to share any details?

 

[lobz]

Well, to be fair Kaido did go on to mention mem testing 1TB of DRAM. You ain't getting that on a TR4 platform. Whether that is bluster or real is beside the point - Threadripper is not always the solution to all needs.

That's true. Althought it's the fault of the mobo makers, TR supports theoretically more RAM than $10,000 Xeons

 

[Atari2600]

Well you have a bunch of 32C 32GB RAM cinebench runners here /sarcasm off
for 1TB RAM build you won't discuss 1900 vs 3000 USD CPU price

How much would DDR3 be these days?

Atari you are doing CFDs? care to share any details?

Not been doing any in anger in years unfortunately - moved from fluids to stress eek - and now software. Anything now CFD wise is just tinkering - but if we were ever needed to do some again workwise, then I'd love it!

 

[TheGiant]

How much would DDR3 be these days?



Not been doing any in anger in years unfortunately - moved from fluids to stress eek - and now software. Anything now CFD wise is just tinkering - but if we were ever needed to do some again workwise, then I'd love it!

https://www.aventissystems.com/product-p/410699.htm first google for DD3

DDR4 2400 ofc https://www.computermemoryoutlet.co...tion-dimm-288-pin-12v-rank-4-memory/11537627/

ofc for CFD mem bandwitch is very or most important, maybe more than per thread performance of modern CPUs

by the TB I am saying that those TR owners are mostly DC users or the benchmark runners here

for workstation I can't remember a workload that satisfies 32C and 32GB RAM is enough except some outliers....with the real system usage, not just running benches..

 

[Atari2600]

Agreed on memory speed - AMD's Barcelona actually was substantially quicker than top of the line Clovertown and even Harpertown for CFD - simply due to the memory bandwidth available.

I don't envisage anyone running worthwhile CFD on 1TB of memory on an old Xeon - the job would take too long, so assumed Kaido was interested in databases, virtualisations or maybe FEM scratch area.


1GB per partition was the lower limit of scalability when running around 8 threads incompressible single-species RANS. That may have changed, but I don't see 32 threads being efficient at only 1GB per partition.

 

[wahdangun]

https://www.aventissystems.com/product-p/410699.htm first google for DD3

DDR4 2400 ofc https://www.computermemoryoutlet.co...tion-dimm-288-pin-12v-rank-4-memory/11537627/

ofc for CFD mem bandwitch is very or most important, maybe more than per thread performance of modern CPUs

by the TB I am saying that those TR owners are mostly DC users or the benchmark runners here

for workstation I can don't remember a workload that satisfies 32C and 32GB RAM is enough except some outliers....with the real system usage, not just running benches..

You can always high clocked epyc, it can turbo to 3,8 GHz.