Intel Fishhawk Falls series getting a Refresh
Intel documents suggest the company might already be considering a refresh of the existing HEDT platform.
While perhaps not entirely unexpected, Intel is gearing up for another product refresh. Intel is now preparing to update its client and high-end segments with Raptor Lake Refresh and, according to a recent leak, Fishhawk Falls Refresh as well. It’s important to clarify that Fishhawk Falls Refresh (FHR-R) is not the codename for the CPU series, which is known as Xeon W, but rather the platform upon which these CPUs are built.
Fishhawk Falls Refresh (FHR-R) has not been previously mentioned, but it is evidently revealed in Intel documents related to Virtual Raid on CPU (VROC). These Fishhawk Falls Refresh documents were initially created in May of this year, and the latest revision, labeled as version 002, was updated just last month.
Fishhawk Falls Refresh, Source: Intel
As previous rumors have hinted, Intel is planning to refresh its Sapphire Rapids HEDT CPUs under the Xeon 2500 and Xeon 3500 series, likely starting sometime in the coming year. While the new CPU series hasn’t been a subject of extensive speculation yet, Chinese media ECSM mentioned the launch date in conjunction with upcoming updates for Raptor Lake and Meteor Lake, scheduled for later in 2024.
The initial report suggested that the W3500/2500 series would maintain compatibility with existing W790 motherboards. However, new information suggests that board partners will introduce updated designs specifically tailored for the new series, similar to what we’re currently witnessing with the Z790 refresh.
The Sapphire Rapids W-Series CPUs feature a core count ranging from just 6 all the way up to 56 cores and TDPs spanning from 110W up to 350W. Intel’s HEDT platform has somewhat lost its appeal to enthusiasts, as the company has introduced 24-core consumer SKUs that are often better suited for gaming. Unlike the past Core-X series, the current HEDT lineup caters more towards workstations, which demand more memory channels, PCIe lanes, and even more cores compared to the mainstream client line. However, this increased performance comes with a significant price increase, with the top-tier SKU (W9-3495X) reaching up to $5,889 USD. Intel hasn’t entirely neglected its enthusiast consumers, though, as it provides X-SKUs with overclocking support.
| Intel Xeon Sapphire Rapids Workstation SKUs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz.com | Cores/Threads | Base Clock | Max Boost Clock | L3 Cache | TDP | MSRP |
| Intel Xeon W-3300 Series (8-channel DDR5-4800, 128x PCIe Lanes) | ||||||
| Xeon W9-3495X | ||||||
| Xeon W9-3475X | ||||||
| Xeon W7-3465X | ||||||
| Xeon W7-3455 | ||||||
| Xeon W7-3445 | ||||||
| Xeon W5-3435X | ||||||
| Xeon W5-3425 | ||||||
| Intel Xeon W-2400 Series (4-channel DDR5-4800/4400*, 64x PCIe Lanes) | ||||||
| Xeon W7-2495X | ||||||
| Xeon W7-2475X | ||||||
| Xeon W5-2465X | ||||||
| Xeon W5-2455X | ||||||
| Xeon W5-2445 | ||||||
| Xeon W5-2435* | ||||||
| Xeon W3-2425* | ||||||
| Xeon W3-2423* | ||||||
Source: Intel (PDF) via KOMACHI_ENSAKA
