Intel has started teasing a 28-core processor for PCs at Computex this week. The chipmaker briefly demonstrated the processor onstage today, promising that it will be available later this year. Intel isn’t revealing the mystery processor’s process technology or architecture, but a spokesperson did reveal it’s a single-socket processor with 28 cores running at 5GHz. Intel demonstrated a Cinebench score of 7,334, an impressive result for a single processor PC. Intel is promising to turn this processor into a real product, and if it manages to do so for workstations or even consumer PCs, it will put it way ahead of AMD in the multicore battle. AMD’s Threadripper chips include 16 cores and 32 threads, and Intel also has its own Core i9 Extreme with 18 cores. Intel’s 18-core chip is priced at $1,999, so it’s reasonable to assume a 28-core processor is going to be priced way beyond $2,000.<doc-sep>We tracked down Intel's demo system at the show to get a closer look at the new motherboard and system that supports the company's 28-core processor. We found that the company tested the processor with a hefty overclock that required a massive water chiller. Intel's Computex presentation surprisingly included the overclocked 28-core processor at an impressive 5.0 GHz, but as per usual for a tradeshow demo, the company didn't share many details. AMD released a new 32-core Threadripper 2 model here at Computex, and Intel's announcement that it will ship a 28-core model this year was clearly designed to steal some of AMD's thunder before its announcement. The center of the motherboard is dominated by the massive 3,647-pin LGA3647 socket, which is flanked by six DIMM slots on each side. These memory slots feed the six-core memory controller onboard the chip, which is largely thought to be a $10,000 Xeon Platinum Scalable 8180 server processor with an unlocked multiplier. The board has four eight-pin EPS power connectors. The processor requires a 1000W power supply to feed adequate power for overclocking. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 The motherboard features a 32-phase power delivery subsystem. A massive finned heatsink with four fans cools the VRMs. Image 1 of 14 Image 2 of 14 Image 3 of 14 Image 4 of 14 Image 5 of 14 Image 6 of 14 Image 7 of 14 Image 8 of 14 Image 9 of 14 Image 10 of 14 Image 11 of 14 Image 12 of 14 Image 13 of 14 Image 14 of 14 Intel's demo didn't tell the full story. Many in the press mistakenly assumed the new processor runs at 5.0 GHz at stock settings, but we carefully analyzed video from the event and spotted a few obvious signs that the processor was overclocked. Intel was apparently running some sort of closed-loop cooling that required insulating material around the tubing. This turns out to be a water chiller hidden under the table. As expected, all of the components are properly shielded to avoid excess condensation from the chilled liquid. Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 The one-horsepower Hailea HC-1000B is a beefy water chiller that can dissipate tremendous amounts of waste heat, but it also requires more than 1,000W for operation. We were originally going to witness the demo first hand, but there wasn't enough power handy to run both the chiller and the system simultaneously. Intel's new 28-core processor is likely similar to the Xeon Platinum 8180. This processor lands with a $10,000 MSRP for data center users, and given its target market, it doesn't come with an unlocked multiplier. Releasing an enterprise model with an unlocked multiplier to the general market is a tricky proposition for Intel, as data center and high performance computing users will jump on the unlocked models, thus plundering sales of high-margin Xeon models. As such, we can expect Intel will charge a hefty premium for its new 28-core models and employ some type of defeaturing, such as removing AVX-512, ECC, and multi-socket support to discourage the practice. Intel processors have much higher frequency headroom than AMD's processors, both at stock settings and after overclocking. The 5.0 GHz overclock makes Intel's new processor all the more impressive compared to AMD's relatively tame clock speeds. Intel's large monolithic die also features a cohesive mesh interconnect, while AMD's Threadripper processors have a distributed MCM design that connects multiple die via the Infinity Fabric. AMD's implementation can suffer from reduced performance in games and some applications, although the company does offer several parameters that users can tweak to reduce the impact. In either case, Intel's enthusiast-class processors generally lead competing AMD models in lightly threaded games and applications. Adding more multi-threaded heft with 28-core models will help Intel address one of its remaining weaknesses compared to Threadripper processors, but pricing will be a problem. In the end, the incredible requirements for overclocking the 28-core processor, which requires hefty power and cooling accomodations, make it clear that most enthusiasts won't be pushing the limits of Intel's 28-core processor any time soon.<doc-sep>Why it matters: Knowing full well that AMD would be showing a 32-core Threadripper CPU during Computex 2018, Intel created a diversion to steal some of AMD’s thunder a day early, showing unreal Cinebench numbers from a suspecting 28-core 5GHz CPU that is not a real product. After a busy week at Computex 2018, looking back we can say there weren’t many big announcements at the show but perhaps one of the most exciting reveals was the upcoming 32-core, 64-thread Threadripper 2nd-gen CPU that is scheduled for release in just a few months. But the day before AMD’s press event in Taipei, Intel came out on stage and showcased a suspicious 28-core CPU running at 5 GHz on all cores, which sent the internet into a flurry. It seemed like Intel was demoing a future product, they said so themselves, but later on we found that wasn’t the case. It’s worth talking about this CPU and Intel’s announcement because it shows the difference between Intel and AMD’s current high-end desktop strategies. One company is talking about actual consumer hardware, while the other is demonstrating ridiculous garbage that serves no purpose other than to generate headlines. So, let’s go back to the initial reveal of Intel’s 28-core 5GHz CPU. During their Computex 2018 keynote, they showed this massive CPU running at 5 GHz on all 28 cores, and they managed to get it running a Cinebench multi-threaded workload that produced an appropriately huge score. People went crazy over this and headlines were generated everywhere, which is exactly what Intel intended, knowing full-well that AMD would be overshadowing them the next day with a 32-core Threadripper. When this news hit, we were quite suspicious about how exactly Intel managed to get this 28-core CPU running all cores at 5 GHz. It couldn’t be a consumer product, and not something that would ever be reaching the market, at least at the frequencies Intel was running it at on stage. Intel did say the CPU shown was a prototype and would be released in Q4, but I’ll get to that later. After Intel’s demonstration, various outlets like Paul's Hardware went over to the Gigabyte suite and exposed the Intel test system shown on stage. And low and behold, the CPU in question is cooled using a massive air conditioner unit that’s bringing the liquid cooling system’s temperatures down to sub-ambient levels. That’s red flag number one. Then you look at the motherboard they are using. It’s a massive enterprise-class board using the LGA3647 socket, which is normally used for Intel’s top-end Xeon processors. And at the top of the board is an outrageous 28-phase (or thereabouts) VRM solution with a huge heatsink and additional cooling, clearly capable of delivering massive amounts of power to this prototype CPU. That’s red flag number two. Now when you join the dots together it becomes obvious this is just an existing top-end Xeon processor (like the $10,000 28-core Xeon Platinum 8180), chucked into a board capable of extreme power delivery, attached to exotic cooling, then overclocked to the absolute maximum. Presumably this Xeon chip was also binned to a ridiculous degree such that a 5 GHz all-core overclock could be achieved. In fact, later on Intel would confirm to AnandTech that the demonstration was using an overclocked CPU and was intended as an overclocking demo… not that the company mentioned that on stage. Update: An Intel spokesperson reached out and provided this statement: "The 28C demo at the keynote is a real product in development targeted at the high end prosumer and enthusiast audience. Intel continues to optimize design and process across its products, and the demo showcased an upcoming Intel product having the capability of 5.0 GHz overclocking across all 28 cores." Overclocking experiments using exotic cooling are awesome and something we see enthusiasts doing all the time, but it’s pretty disingenuous to say this CPU is coming to the market in Q4. There is absolutely no way we’re getting a 5 GHz 28-core CPU as either a desktop part or server part. Maybe we’ll get a 28-core CPU that hits 5 GHz as a single-core Turbo frequency, but 5 GHz all-core when the current flagship Xeon Platinum 8180 tops out at 3.2 GHz all-core? Yeah, that’s not happening. What Intel did at Computex is the equivalent of saying an i7-8700K is a 7 GHz CPU. Sure, it can hit 7 GHz as an overclocked part on extremely high-end motherboards with exotic cooling like LN2, but no consumer buying an 8700K is reaching 7 GHz in typical scenarios. They will be able to overclock it above Intel’s rated specifications, but not to the extremes possible with chillers bolted on to the CPU. This is in stark contrast to AMD’s announcement for Threadripper 2. Their 32-core CPU is a real product and it’s likely coming to market in August. It will be available for consumers, they will be able to put it in existing X399 boards, and they’ll be able to achieve the performance AMD showed on stage. AMD’s demo had the CPU clocked at a 3.0 GHz base and 3.4 GHz all-core boost, running on air cooling with the Wraith Ripper. That’s a reasonable configuration for enthusiast and workstation users of AMD’s Threadripper platform. The prototype 32-core CPU had a TDP of 250W, while Intel’s 5 GHz 28-core CPU could easily have been 500W or even 1 kW with the overclock they were using. It’s not even in the same ballpark: AMD’s Threadripper 2 launch was a reflection of reality; a real CPU with real specs that you will be able to purchase. Intel’s 5 GHz 28-core CPU showcase was pure fantasy. And basically, this is where things currently sit with Intel and AMD’s HEDT platforms. AMD had the capacity to push up to 32 cores with Threadripper 2 on the existing TR4 socket and X399 platform. After all, they already have 32-core Epyc CPUs on the market, so it wasn’t exactly difficult for them to bring that technology over to HEDT.<doc-sep>Intel certainly impressed us at Computex 2018 when it showed off a new processor that features an incredible 28 cores clocked at 5GHz – and now we’ve seen more details about this monster CPU. The vast majority of processors that most people use in their PCs feature four cores, so we always expected this 28-core CPU to be something that’s not aimed at the mainstream, but having seen some of the details – including a possible price – we’re now convinced that this CPU will be out of the reach of pretty much everyone. As Anandtech reports, the cooling system alone is suitably crazy. With so many cores running at such a high clock rate, it needs a beefy cooling solution to make sure it doesn’t overheat, and the demo machine on show was being cooled by a large water chiller that runs refrigerant into the machine. This cooler, a Hailea HC-1000B, requires 1,000W of power on its own, and pumps 1,500 to 4,000 liters of liquid that’s been chilled to 4C. Intel also confirmed to Anandtech that the CPU was overclocked at well (something that wasn’t mentioned when the CPU was revealed on stage). Power and motherboard The CPU was using a 1600W Corsair power supply unit, which costs around $500 (£370, AU$660), so you can already imagine that this isn't going to be an affordable setup, especially if you include running costs. Intel has said that it's working with both Asus and Gigabyte to create motherboards for the 28-core CPU, and according to Anandtech it was a Gigabyte motherboard the demo system was running on. Intel also confirmed that the 28-core processor is built on a 14nm node (rather than a 10nm one), which suggests it's based on Intel’s Skylake-X processors, like the 28-core Xeon Platinum 8176, rather than the upcoming Cascade Lake platform. Cost Here’s the biggie. It was never going to be a cheap CPU (Intel’s Core i9-7980XE 18-core CPU costs $1,999 (about £1,480, AU$2,510), but with speculation that it’s based on an Intel Xeon Platinum 8180, it’s unlikely that it will cost less than $10,000 (around £8,000, AU$13,000). Combined with the price of the motherboard and cooling system, Anandtech is touting a $100,000 cost for the whole system. That puts it firmly in enterprise territory, so don’t go expecting to see any 28-core consumer PCs any time soon.<doc-sep>
Intel made waves at Computex this week when it trotted out a single-socket, 28-core processor and demonstrated the beastly chip running through Cinebench R15 and posting a score north of 7,300 points. It was quite the impressive demo, and of course the prospect of a consumer chip with 28 cores and 56 threads is certainly exciting, bolstered by Intel pointing out it was running at a lofty 5GHz. Pretty amazing, right? Well sure, but we've since learned some interesting tidbits about the mystery consumer chip that has tempered (though not completely dissipated) our enthusiasm. For the demo, Intel used an existing 28-core Xeon processor based on the company's Skylake-X architecture . It's the same core used in the Xeon Platinum 8176 , which is also a 28-core/56-thread processor, but clocked at only 2.1GHz (base) to 3.8GHz (boost) with 38.5MB of L3 cache and a 165W TDP. That part has an MSRP of about $8,700, though a consumer variant would undoubtedly cost less. Image Source: Tom's Hardware So, how did Intel get from a high of 3.8GHz on its Xeon Platinum 8176 to 5GHz on the chip it showed off at Computex? With some very fancy cooling, that's how. So Intel swiftly came in this morning and removed the 28 core CPUs from both ASUS and GIGABYTE's systems. It sounded like they gave the companies 20 minutes to hand over the parts — Ian Cutress (@IanCutress) June 6, 2018 There were two demo systems running the 28-core CPU at Computex, one from Asus and another from Gigabyte. Both consisted of a socket LGA3647 motherboard, the same 3,647-pin enterprise socket for Xeon chips. Apparently Intel made quick work of plucking its CPUs from those systems after the demo, and as the rigs were being hauled away from the show floor, it was observed that Intel was using an industrial water chiller to keep things cool. It's been identified as a Hailea HC-1000B, a water chiller that can move up to 4,000 liters per hour and uses R124 refrigerant to keep the water at a chilly 4 degrees Celsius. There were two demo systems running the 28-core CPU at Computex, one from Asus and another from Gigabyte. Both consisted of a socket LGA3647 motherboard, the same 3,647-pin enterprise socket for Xeon chips. Apparently Intel made quick work of plucking its CPUs from those systems after the demo, and as the rigs were being hauled away from the show floor, it was observed that Intel was using an industrial water chiller to keep things cool. It's been identified as a Hailea HC-1000B, a water chiller that can move up to 4,000 liters per hour and uses R124 refrigerant to keep the water at a chilly 4 degrees Celsius. That is the kind of cooling that's necessary to run one of these monstrous chips at 5GHz. Whether the consumer version that Intel is planning to release can hit that kind of boost clock without extreme cooling remains to be seen, but what we saw wasn't that. On the topic of power consumption, the prevailing opinion is that running a 28-core/56-thread chip at 5GHz (or thereabouts) will require a massive increase in power. That could very well be the case, though it may not be a massive jump from today's flagship from Intel. Leading up to the Core i9-7980XE reviews, many people thought power was going to be insane, considering the 10-core Core i9-7900X's power consumption. All things being equal, Intel was bolting eight more cores onto the Core i9-7980XE, which in theory could have pushed power consumption up by 80 percent. However, things didn't turn out that way. So what does it all mean? We see three possibilities: Intel is going to use existing 28-core Skylake-X dies, tweak the power profile and boost clocks, and either bundle or require exotic cooling and power supplies. Intel has a new stepping of an existing 28-core design, perhaps using a tweaked manufacturing process, that it’s going to package up for the consumer market with an aggressive power profile to ensure it can boost to 5GHz. Or... Intel has a new chip, perhaps Cascade Lake-X that it’s confident will do what they showed on stage, so they made a public proclamation of a 28-core / 5GHz chip. This is the Threadripper 2's cooler, keep in mind that it can still be air-cooled which is impressive on its own. I'd probably recommend water cooling it though. Like with the full cover TR4 block and 360mm radiator.