The title for Intel’s X299 platform successor has been leaked, with Z399 motherboards set to hold the torch for Intel’s HEDT (high-end desktop) platform with a refreshed technology of Skylake-X CPUs. The title wasn’t Intel’s first alternative, nonetheless. Following X299 final 12 months, X399 would’ve been the perfect title for the next-gen HEDT chips, however the place have I heard that earlier than?
The purple workforce swooped in and claimed the X399 nomenclature for its personal TR4 socket Threadripper-compatible motherboards again in August 2017. These motherboards additionally serve AMD’s just lately launched Threadripper 2 CPUs, too. Annoying Intel initially, the transfer additionally allowed AMD to piggyback the branding of its largest competitor, and, doubtlessly, additionally inflicting some useless buyer confusion.
Instead of ditching the entire naming scheme, nonetheless, Intel has saved to numerical increments between generations – albeit with the prefix beforehand reserved for the perfect boards within the mainstream Core lineup. The Z399 motherboard will due to this fact be the successor to the X299 ‘Basin Falls’ HEDT platform, though not a lot else is for certain about this new technology.
The new naming conference comes from an unnamed PC producer near PC Builders’ Club, who confirmed the title to the outlet. The Z399 title looks like a logical step for Intel after being Punk’d by AMD, nonetheless, these processors, that had been as soon as alluded to as Cascade Lake-X, are actually trying extra prone to be a Skylake-X refresh as a substitute.
Just what this refresh will entail isn’t but clear, however Intel has its work reduce out going towards AMD’s Threadripper chips within the the HEDT house. Intel’s Skylake-X chips can be found with as much as 18-cores, with the i9 7980XE taking the highest spot for roughly $2000. AMD, alternatively, has the 32-core Threadripper 2990WX, retailing for round $1,750.
Back at Computex Intel wheeled out a server chip that it was touting for launch earlier than the top of the 12 months. This 28-core CPU would due to this fact be the top-chip to anticipate from Intel’s upcoming HEDT platform, nonetheless, Intel is probably not in the perfect place proper now to ship on that promise.
Intel’s presently struggling a substantial 14nm shortage. The firm’s interim CEO, Bob Swan, confirmed the scarcity in an open letter final week, and the corporate is investing billions to begin ramping up its provide chain – particularly focusing on high-performance Core and Xeon segments. The reason behind the shortfall has been nearly totally attributed to the delays within the 10nm nodes by third-parties, though Intel itself attribute it to PC TAM development.
Intel is on the verge of lastly banishing all 22nm chipsets from its lineup. The X299 and Z370 chipsets are a few of few remaining bastions of 22nm nonetheless standing. Intel is predicted to launch the Z390 chipset this month to take a seat alongside the Intel i9 9900K and i7 9700K, primarily based on the 14nm course of, and X299 seems to be subsequent in line for an improve. Supply troubles could throw a spanner within the works, nonetheless, and has triggered some points up to now for chipset manufacturing when H310 was reportedly placed on maintain to ease capability issues.
The way forward for Intel’s HEDT platform continues to be unclear, however we are going to certainly be listening to extra about Intel’s Skylake-X refresh very quickly if the This autumn launch window is to be believed.
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