Intel Announces Xeon W-2200 and Core X-Series; Core-S Desktop Price Drop

Intel has announced their Xeon W-2200 lineup today, complimenting the early announcement of 10th Gen Core X-Series HEDT processors. For traditional desktop users there is also new pricing for Core-S processors as Intel continues to make strategic moves presumably in response to AMD’s recent Zen 2 desktop (and upcoming Threadripper) parts.

The 10th Gen Core X-Series

“For freelancers, prosumers and desktop enthusiasts who may not need commercial-grade features, Intel Core X-series processors provide the performance with the added flexibility of overclocking4 capabilities. These four new processors (i9-10980XE, i9-10940X, i9-10920X, and i9-10900X) are especially suited for advanced workflows that vary in need for photo/video editing, game development, and 3D animation. Additionally, they deliver enthusiast-ready enhanced features, like Intel Performance Maximizer that makes it easy to dynamically and reliably custom-tune the unlocked processors based on the X-series’ individual performance DNA.”

As we saw before, the HEDT (High-End DeskTop) lineup tops out with the Core i9-10980XE Extreme Edition processor, an 18-core/36-thread part that is capable of speeds of up to 4.7 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, and will cost about half of the previous generation’s Core i9-9980XE launch price.

Pricing is the big story with the Core X-Series, of course, as it launches at roughly half the cost of the previous generation’s HEDT parts. Referencing the chart above, the four announced processors are priced as follows (1K price, USD):

• Intel Core i9-10900X (10c/20t): $590
• Intel Core i9-10920X (12c/24t): $689
• Intel Core i9-10940X (14c/28t): $784
• Intel Core i9-10980XE (18c/36t): $979

We will need to wait until November to see these new parts for sale, and to see single-unit retail pricing. There is also no word on any 16-core/32-thread CPU in this new Core-X lineup, and while we could speculate that such a product may potentially become available once AMD’s 16-core Ryzen 9-3950X launches, Intel may be content with the price/performance offering with these announced configurations.

Xeon W-2200 Processors

Intel is taking a simplistic approach in differentiating their high-end CPU families, with above Core X-Series marketed towards freelancers and enthusiasts, and the new Xeon W lineup towards professional creators.

“For professional creators, the Intel Xeon W-2200 platform is the ultimate option. These eight new processors (W-2295, W-2275, W-2265, W-2255, W-2245, W-2235, W-2225, and W-2223) deliver outstanding performance and expanded platform capabilities for data science, visual effects, 3D rendering, complex 3D CAD, AI development and edge deployments. They can be used in configurable form-factors – from small desktop to towers – as well as include built-in platform security features and reliability, such as ECC support and Intel vPro, which creative professionals demand.”

Memory a key difference as usual with Xeon CPUs, with up to 1TB of DDR4-2933 ECC supported with Xeon W-2200 processors, while Core X-Series support up to 256GB of DDR4-2933 (without ECC).

The Xeon W processors also offer what Intel is calling Deep Learning Boost, which is the marketing name for VNNI (Vector Neural Network Instructions) powered by AVX-512 instructions.

Xeon and Core-X Performance Improvements

These new launches aren’t just about pricing, though when discussing performance with the Xeon W processors in particular Intel was clear that, while these new Xeon W-2200 CPUs offer improvements over the previous generation, they are specifically targeting the 3-year upgrade cycle for professional workstations – which will obviously see a much bigger leap.

Intel lists performance increases over a 3-year-old workstation as up to 97% faster for 4K video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro), 2x faster for 3D rendering (Autodesk Revit with V-Ray), and 2.1x faster for game development (Unreal Engine compile).

For their part the HEDT Core X-Series offer smaller advantages over a 3-year-old PC in Intel’s testing, with a 14% advantage with 3D animation rendering (Autodesk Maya 3DS Max), though Intel proudly shows a massive 2x gen-over-gen improvement in inference throughput, with up to 7.9x improvement over a 3-year-old system.

Core-S Desktop Processors: New Lower Prices

While not changing dramatically as with the pricing with the 10th Gen Core X-Series, Intel is lowering desktop pricing with their Core-S processor lineup.

“In addition to Intel Xeon W and X-series, Intel is also introducing new pricing to its Intel Core S-series processors without integrated graphics. Intel is committing to these processors in its long-term roadmap, which has given Intel the opportunity to reset where it fits in the portfolio and pricing. The new prices are effective starting today, with the 9th Gen Intel Core desktop processors currently in market.”

The prices on the slide above are for 1K units, and with retail pricing for these processors without integrated graphics we have already seen the Core i5-9400F, one of the better deals for a desktop CPU out there, selling consistently at $139.99 (well below the $182 recommended customer pricing). The new list price of $157 USD could potentially see the retail fall a bit more, and the pricing overall with this 9th Gen desktop lineup is more competitive.

Competition is always a good thing for consumers, and it appears that Intel has positioned itself to be far more competitive for the rest of 2019, particularly in the high-end desktop space within which AMD has provided a solid alternative with their Ryzen 3000 processors.