New details regarding Intel’s upcoming W890 workstation platform have surfaced, indicating a significant push by the company to reclaim ground in the high-end desktop (HEDT) and professional workstation segment, currently dominated by AMD’s Threadripper. The W890 platform is designed to house the next generation of Granite Rapids-WS Xeon processors.
This new platform introduces the Socket E2 design, featuring 4,710 LGA pins and built to accommodate CPUs with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of up to 350 watts. It represents a substantial generational leap in both core count and system connectivity over the current W790 generation.
The core of the performance boost comes from the anticipated Granite Rapids-WS processors, which are rumored to feature up to 86 cores and 172 threads. This high core count, combined with reported single-core boost speeds approaching 4.8 GHz, is poised to offer compelling performance for heavy parallel workloads like rendering and simulation.
A key focus of the W890 platform is its enhanced memory subsystem. It will support both standard DDR5 DIMMs and Registered DDR5 (RDIMM) modules in quad-channel configurations. Systems will be capable of addressing a massive capacity of up to 2 terabytes of memory per processor socket, with RDIMMs validated for speeds reaching 5,200 MT/s.
Furthermore, Intel is reportedly implementing a dual-tier configuration for maximum workstation flexibility. The Expert-class W890 configurations will unlock a formidable 112 PCIe lanes (a combination of PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0), providing substantial bandwidth for multi-GPU setups, high-performance storage arrays, and expansion cards. A more cost-effective Mainstream tier will offer 80 PCIe 5.0 lanes.
Beyond raw throughput, the W890 chipset includes server-grade features like an ASPEED AST2600 BMC for remote management, alongside standard connectivity like multiple USB 3.2 and 2.0 ports, SATA III interfaces, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet controller.
The leaked specifications clearly position the W890 and Granite Rapids-WS family as Intel’s determined answer to AMD’s formidable Threadripper ecosystem. While AMD maintains an edge in maximum core count, Intel is countering with aggressive memory speeds and a highly flexible, feature-rich platform optimized for demanding professional computing.
Sources:
- TechPowerUp: https://www.techpowerup.com/343200/intel-w890-workstation-platform-details-leak-ahead-of-granite-rapids-ws-launch
- Wccftech: https://wccftech.com/intel-w890-platform-details-leak-granite-rapids-workstation-cpus-350w-tdp-2-tb-quad-channel-ddr5-rdimm-memory/
- TechRadar: https://www.techradar.com/pro/did-intels-next-big-thing-in-workstations-just-leak-ahead-of-granite-rapids-launch-report-claims-this-is-whats-next-from-troubled-chipmaker
- TweakTown: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/109013/intel-w890-platform-leak-granite-rapids-cpu-will-compete-against-amd-ryzen-threadripper-9000/index.html
- Guru3D: https://www.guru3d.com/story/w890-chipset-spotted-with-granite-rapidsws-workstation-cpu-to-rival-threadripper/