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Intel Debuts New Xeon-W Chips Possibly Destined for iMac Pro

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Apr 12, 2001
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Intel today introduced its new Xeon-W workstation-class processors at the IFA trade show in Berlin, and the new chips line up nicely with the processor capabilities we're expecting to see in the iMac Pro.

The new chips, which use an LGA2066 socket and Skylake-SP architecture, come in 8, 10, and 18 core configurations with Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz, 48 PCI Express 3.0 lanes, and support for up to 512GB of DDR4-2666 ECC memory.

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Click to enlarge​

Apple has said the iMac Pro will feature Intel's Xeon processors, with 8, 10, and 18 core chips available as optional configurations with up to 42MB cache and maximum Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz.

Specifically, Apple could be planning to use the 8-core 3.7GHz Xeon W-2145, the 10-core 3.3GHz Xeon W-2155, and the 18-core 2.3GHz Xeon W-2195. Pricing on the chips starts at $1,113, but a price is not yet listed for the high-end 18-core processors.

intelxeonwprocessors2-800x399.jpg

According to Intel, the Xeon-W chips offer a 1.87x boost in performance compared to a 4-year old workstation with an Intel Xeon E5-1680 v2 Romley processor, like the 2013 8-core Mac Pro, and up to 1.38x higher performance compared to previous-generation Xeon E5-1680 v4 chips.

intelxeonwprocessors3-800x377.jpg

Intel plans to release its high-end 18-core chips in the fourth quarter of 2017, which also lines up with the target release date of the iMac Pro. The other chips may see earlier release dates.

Though Xeon-W chips do appear to work for the iMac Pro, there is still some question as to whether they're the chips Apple plans to use. A June report from Pike's Universum suggested Apple would use Intel's server-grade Purley processors with an LGA3647 socket rather than the desktop-class LGA2066 socket.

That information was based on firmware files found in the macOS High Sierra beta, but it's possible it was inaccurate. Intel announced some Purley chips in July, but that announcement did not include chips that would be appropriate for the iMac Pro.

Along with Xeon processors, the iMac Pro will include Radeon Pro Vega graphics, up to 4TB of solid state storage space, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, up to 128GB of ECC RAM, and a redesigned thermal architecture to support those components.

Rumors based on firmware findings suggest the iMac Pro could also include a Secure Enclave with an ARM coprocessor like the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, but it's unclear at this time what that functionality will be used for as Apple has made no mention of Touch ID support.

The iMac Pro is positioned as a workstation class machine aimed at pro users with demanding workflows, and it's priced accordingly. When it launches in December, pricing for the iMac Pro will start at $4,999.

Article Link: Intel Debuts New Xeon-W Chips Possibly Destined for iMac Pro
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/29/intel-debuts-new-xeon-w-chips/
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BGarza

BGarza

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May 11, 2016
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Does anyone else find it silly that they aren't marketing the Mac Pro to include a touchbar keyboard?

Also, for that amount of money, they should include 2 hdmi inputs on the back of the monitor. I can't be the only one who finds it crazy redundant to buy another monitor to occasionally play a PS3, when a perfectly good screen is already in the room. Just saying...
 
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bollman

bollman

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The 3.7GHz 8 core is 39.6 "total GHz" and the 18 core 2.3GHz is 41.4 "total GHz".
Assuming the cores are equally performing per GHz, it's a pretty hefty premium to be paid for a 5% increase in performance, assuming your work is appropriate for parallelization. If not, the 18 core will be a huge disappointment at an insane price.
Sure, the Turbo Boost puts them at almost the same speed (4.5 vs 4.3) but usually the number of cores available decrease with speed and since both CPUs are rated TDP 140W, I'm assuming they have equal number of cores available at Turbo Boost speed.
 
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elmaco

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Jun 5, 2012
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Nice.

When Dell will have a Skylake model with dual CPUs, I will get an 18 core for work.
 
RuffDraft

RuffDraft

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Sep 16, 2012
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bollman said:
The 3.7GHz 8 core is 39.6 "total GHz" and the 18 core 2.3GHz is 41.4 "total GHz".
Assuming the cores are equally performing per GHz, it's a pretty hefty premium to be paid for a 5% increase in performance, assuming your work is appropriate for parallelization. If not, the 18 core will be a huge disappointment at an insane price.
Sure, the Turbo Boost puts them at almost the same speed (4.5 vs 4.3) but usually the number of cores available decrease with speed and since both CPUs are rated TDP 140W, I'm assuming they have equal number of cores available at Turbo Boost speed.
Click to expand...

Given the consensus of the iMac, I'm going to stick to the 8-core. Hoping it'll run cooler than the greater number of cores, is that accurate?

December can't come soon enough. My workflow is so slow, but I don't want to get anything other than the iMac Pro.

Most likely up it to 64GB RAM and leave everything else as it is. Not sure I will up the VRAM like I would usually. 8GB seems plenty and I imagine the 16GB VRAM will be a lot more... hoping Apple releases prices and pre-order soon... obviously it'll be more like December... 4 months to go...
 
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Joe The Dragon

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Jul 26, 2006
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$600+ to get more then quad + HT???

AMD FOR the WIN starts at 8 core / 16 with more then X2 the pci-e lanes and 8 ram channels
[doublepost=1504036839][/doublepost]$600+ to get more then quad + HT???

AMD FOR the WIN starts at 8 core / 16 with more then X2 the pci-e lanes.
elmaco said:
Nice.

When Dell will have a Skylake model with dual CPUs, I will get an 18 core for work.
Click to expand...
AMD can do with 1 socket that you need 2 for on intel.
 
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tipoo

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Jan 5, 2017
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Joe The Dragon said:
$600+ to get more then quad + HT???

AMD FOR the WIN starts at 8 core / 16 with more then X2 the pci-e lanes and 8 ram channels
[doublepost=1504036839][/doublepost]$600+ to get more then quad + HT???

AMD FOR the WIN starts at 8 core / 16 with more then X2 the pci-e lanes.

AMD can do with 1 socket that you need 2 for on intel.
Click to expand...



AMD has half the AVX width of a consumer Kaby Lake part, let alone dual AVX-512 FMAs like these. I'm not sure you're sure what you're comparing.

Certainly for consumer use, AMD offers more cores and that's awesome. But if you can use AVX-512, nothing compares to Xeons with it.

I do think a Threadripper Mac Pro would be interesting, don't get me wrong. But the comparison with AVX 512 Xeons isn't direct.
 
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