In case you fancy somewhat mild, safe-for-work CPU pr0n then overclocking maestro, Roman ‘der8auer’ Hartung, has acquired their fingers on an Intel Sapphire Rapids workstation processor and is beginning to put it by means of its paces.
This fast video (opens in new tab) begins with an intro to the brand new high-end desktop chip operating in Intel’s overclocking labs, performing some Geekbench testing at 4.2GHz on all the chip’s 56 Efficiency-cores. It is operating on a improvement platform, so not a retail setup, however nonetheless der8auer is ready to present the system smashing the present file for Geekbench 5, set by an AMD Threadripper Professional 5995WX.
That file sits at 48,025 (opens in new tab) factors, whereas the Sapphire Fast chip is proven delivering a rating of 53,817. Although it took quite a lot of energy to get there. Though the Intel Xeon W9 3495X monster CPU is barely operating at 1v, the video reveals energy spikes for all the system typically getting near the 1,100W level. Hell, the damned factor’s idling at 364W.
The true geeky pleasure I derive from the little addendum to the video, nevertheless, is the place der8auer really has the ultimate chip of their hand, at dwelling in Germany, and chucks this mass of computational silicon on the extra acquainted Cinebench R23 benchmark.
Watching all 56 cores and 112 threads of peak Intel Efficiency-core processing energy chewing by means of the admittedly bland render scene is one thing that I nonetheless can not assist however get pleasure from. What can I say? I am a PC part nerd. I have been sat within the workplace watching that very same benchmark quite a bit just lately, as I put one other unreleased high-end gaming CPU by means of its paces.
Der8auer hasn’t had an opportunity to overclock the chip themself but, and so the Cinebench run is the 56-core processor going by means of the benchmark at its inventory 2.9GHz clock pace. However they do word that, whereas the Efficiency-cores are nominally the identical as these in a Core i9 12900K (opens in new tab), they’ve one slight distinction: every comes with its personal built-in voltage regulator.
Meaning, theoretically, you possibly can set a person voltage for every discrete core, permitting for some ludicrously fine-tuned overclocking.
I am by no means going to get my fingers on a chip of the scale of the Sapphire Rapids CPU—and truthfully I do not know if my fats little fingers may even grip a processor of that scale—however then I additionally do not know if I’d belief myself with a computing platform that prices at the least $10,000.
I’ve acquired sure… let’s consider by accident damaging tendencies in terms of expertise. I imply, that is not an amazing search for somebody who makes a dwelling from testing {hardware}, however them’s the breaks. If one thing can survive my benchmarking attentions it is clearly fairly nicely made at the least.
The precise W9 3495X processor, the 56-core Intel chip in query, prices round $6,000 by itself. Then you have to consider a possible four-figure motherboard, an honest cooling answer, one hell of an influence provide, and an octa-channel DDR5 S-DIMM reminiscence equipment. The prices are large.
And, y’know, unlikely to truly make one iota of distinction in terms of one thing so technologically facile as gaming on a workstation setup.
Nonetheless, it is good to see these myriad threads chomping by means of a benchmark like so many Sapphire Rapids pac-men. We simply will not point out the truth that the platform has launched a couple of 12 months later than it was meant to.
Oops.