AIDA64 has recently added preliminary support for a brand new Intel CPU family known as Alder Lake-X which seems to be aiming at the HEDT platform.
Intel Alder Lake-X, HEDT CPU Family, Gets Preliminary Support Within AIDA64 Software
It's been some time since Intel updated its HEDT platform. The last Cascade Lake-X 10th Gen lineup was launched all the way back in 2019. Meanwhile, AMD has offered its latest Zen 3 architecture on its Threadripper Pro 5000 lineup. Intel is expected to unveil its new HEDT lineup this year which will be part of the Sapphire Rapids-X or Sapphire Rapids-AP family. Based on rumors, these processors will be very similar in design to the Sapphire Rapids-SP server chips which offer up to 56 cores and 112 threads.
But now there's a brand new family that has shown up and this is Alder Lake-X. For Desktops, Intel currently has Alder Lake-S on the LGA 1700 socketed platform. Considering that this lineup doesn't have Sapphire Rapids in its name but Alder Lake, we might see a further iteration of the Alder Lake die for the HEDT segment since the 'X' in the family name is for enthusiast's X-Series platforms. The existing Alder Lake-S 'C0' die has the max 8+8 configuration, offering 16 cores and 32 threads. Intel could either offer the chip in a single-die or a multi-die configuration but supported by the high-end desktop platform.
This segmentation of Sapphire Rapids-X and Alder Lake-X will sound familiar to the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X families which both co-existed on the same HEDT platforms but the former featured more cores since it was derived from the Xeon server family while the latter was derived from the mainstream desktop family. They were also supported by the same socket and platform so Intel's upcoming HEDT family will be supported by the next-gen HEDT platform known as Fishhawk Falls.
As for the platform, there are 8-Channel (non-ECC) and 4-Channel (EEC) DDR5 support & the number of PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes will drop to 64. The prices will be largely similar to the previous Core-X CPUs so we can expect around $500-$3000 US for these chips. From what we are getting, the new Intel HEDT family is going to look like the following:
- Sapphire Rapids-AP (Xeon Class Workstation Replacement)
- Sapphire Rapids-X (High-End Enthusiast Class Replacement)
- Alder Lake-X (Mainstream Enthusiast Class Replacement)
Earlier rumors have suggested that the Fishhawk HEDT family will be based around the W790/C790 PCH but given that there are at least two platforms in the works, there might be a much higher-end PCH SKU. As for the launch, Intel has been rumored to launch their next-gen HEDT CPU family in Q3 2022, around the same time as the 13th Generation Raptor Lake CPU lineup. The platform will work cater to both workstations and enthusiasts.
Intel HEDT/Workstation Processor Families:
| Intel HEDT Family | Granite Rapids | Sapphire Rapids Refresh | Sapphire Rapids | Cascade Lake | Skylake | Skylake | Skylake | Broadwell | Haswell | Ivy Bridge | Sandy Bridge | Gulftown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | Intel 3 | 10nm ESF | 10nm ESF | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm | 22nm | 22nm | 32nm | 32nm |
| Flagship SKU | TBD | Xeon W9-3595X Xeon W7-2595X | Xeon W9-3495X Xeon W7-2495X | Core i9-10980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Core i9-9980XE | Core i9-7980XE | Core i7-6950X | Core i7-5960X | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-3960X | Core i7-980X |
| Max Cores/Threads | 86/172? | 60/120 26/52 | 56/112 24/48 | 18/36 | 28/56 | 18/36 | 18/36 | 10/20 | 8/16 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/12 |
| Clock Speeds | TBD | 4.8 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | 3.00/4.50 GHz | 2.60/4.20 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.60/4.00 GHz | 3.30/3.90 GHz | 3.33/3,60 GHz |
| Max Cache | TBD | 105 MB L3 | 105 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 25 MB L3 | 20 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 |
| Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU) | 128 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 112 Gen 5 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen2 | 32 Gen2 |
| Chipset Compatiblity | W890 | W790 | W790 | X299 | C612E | X299 | X299 | X99 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X58 Chipset |
| Socket Compatiblity | LGA 4710? | LGA 4677 | LGA 4677 | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011 | LGA 1366 |
| Memory Compatiblity | DDR5-6000? | DDR5-4800 | DDR5-4800 | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2800 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2133 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1066 |
| Max TDP | 350W? | 350W | 350W | 165W | 255W | 165W | 165W | 140W | 140W | 130W | 130W | 130W |
| Launch | 2025? | 2024 | 2023 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2018 | Q3 2017 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2014 | Q3 2013 | Q4 2011 | Q1 2010 |
| Launch Price (Top SKU) | TBD | TBD | $5889 | $979 US | ~$4000 US | $1979 US | $1999 US | $1700 US | $1059 US | $999 US | $999 US | $999 US |
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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