Intel Unveils Detailed Turbo Frequencies for Granite Rapids-WS Xeon 600 Series Workstation CPUs

In February, Intel refreshed its high-end desktop (HEDT) lineup with the introduction of the Granite Rapids-WS Xeon 600 Series processors, designed specifically for professional workstations. The company has now released comprehensive data on turbo frequencies for these CPUs, offering valuable insights into how each core performs under various workloads, including SSE, AVX2, AVX-512, and AMX instruction sets.

Granite Rapids-WS Xeon 698X: Flagship Performance and Overclocking

Leading the Granite Rapids-WS family is the Xeon 698X, a powerhouse processor featuring 86 cores and 172 threads, supported by a massive 336 MB of L3 cache. The Xeon 698X operates at a 2.0 GHz base clock and can reach up to 4.8 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0, or 4.6 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0. Notably, this CPU is fully unlocked, enabling overclocking—a feature that remains uncommon in the Xeon workstation segment.

Turbo Frequencies Across Workloads

Intel’s newly published tables reveal how the Xeon 698X and its siblings adjust their frequencies depending on the workload:

  • Non-AVX Workloads: The Xeon 698X can boost up to 4.8 GHz, with the lowest-performing core (core 86) maintaining 3.0 GHz.
  • AVX2 Workloads: When running AVX2 instructions, the base frequency drops to 1.7 GHz, and the slowest core boosts to 2.9 GHz across all 86 cores. This reduction is due to the increased power and thermal demands of AVX2 processing.
  • AVX-512 Workloads: For AVX-512, the base clock decreases further to 1.3 GHz, with a maximum turbo frequency of 2.5 GHz across all cores.
  • AMX Workloads: The most demanding scenario is with AMX (Advanced Matrix Extensions) enabled. Here, the base frequency is limited to 1.1 GHz, and the maximum turbo frequency across all cores is 2.0 GHz. This significant reduction reflects the heavy computational load of matrix and vector instructions.

These frequency adjustments are essential for maintaining system stability and thermal efficiency during sustained, intensive workloads. The detailed turbo tables provide professionals and system integrators with the information needed to optimize performance for specific applications, whether in scientific computing, AI, or content creation.

Granite Rapids-WS: Tailored Performance for Demanding Workloads

The Granite Rapids-WS Xeon 600 Series demonstrates Intel’s commitment to delivering scalable performance for modern workstation environments. By publishing detailed turbo frequency data, Intel empowers users to make informed decisions about workload management and system configuration. As vector and matrix workloads become increasingly prevalent in professional applications, understanding these frequency behaviors is crucial for maximizing both performance and reliability.