Intel was previously rumored to start mass production of their Broadwell-E processors in Q1 2016 but now a report from BenchLife seems to point out that Intel will also launch their flagship processors during the same quarter. The Broadwell-E platform which comprises of X99 based motherboards and Broadwell architecture based 8 to 6 core processors will be the latest addition to Intel's HEDT (High-End Desktop) lineup.
Intel Broadwell-E HEDT Platform Scheduled for Q1 2016 Launch
The schedule for Broadwell-E reveals that ES sampling of the processors will commence in Q4 2015 followed by QS sampling that will mark the transition to final software optimization in late December 2015 - Early January 2016. The mass production of these processors will start in February-March 2016 which indicates that we might see an announcement from Intel at CeBIT 2016 in March '16. It is not known whether Intel will actually launch these processors at the same day but the source indicates that the chips are indeed heading for a Q1 2016 time frame as far as launch is concerned. The news seems to hold some credibility since Intel has already confirmed to launch their Broadwell-EP Xeon E5-2600 V4 processors in Q4 2015. These new processors will feature up to 22 cores, 44 threads and have compatibility on the existing Brickland platform that is based around the C610 series chipset.
The Broadwell-E will be the main HEDT platform for 2016 while Skylake-E will be pushed to 2017 and the main stream platform will see Kaby Lake family around Q3 2016. Intel has already announced the delay of their new 10nm node to 2017, hence Cannonlake has been repositioned for a future launch. The Broadwell-E processors will have full support on the existing X99 platform that consists of LGA 2011-3 socket based motherboards and DDR4 memory compatibility.
Image Credits: VR-Zone
There are no confirmed SKU names at the moment but details from previous reports confirm that Intel will have 8 and 6 core SKUs. This means that we will see a similar launch lineup as Haswell-E with a single X SKU featuring 8 Cores and two K SKUs featuring 6 cores. The Extreme Edition processor will have 20 MB L3 cache, full support of the latest overclocking features found on Intel processors and support for DDR4-2400 memory. These processors will have up to 40 PCI-Express lanes and capable of two full x16 and a single x8 PCI-Express slot. The maximum TDP of these chips will be 140W which is same as the Core i7-5960X and we will see small bumps in the clock frequencies along with IPC improvements that Broadwell received. Since Broadwell-E still packs an older architecture to Skylake, we will see FIVR (Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator) on these chips. Prices will remain at $999 US for the flagship, around $500 US for the mid-tier chip and around $400 US for the entry level chip.
Intel HEDT Family Lineup:
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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