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Source: OC3D / PCWorldMark Campbell at OC3D | Posted: 10 October 2018 said:Intel confirms that their unlocked 28-core Xeon W-3175X processor will not be soldered
When Intel announced their 9th Generation of Core and Core-X series processors, the company made a point to list the inclusion of a Solder Thermal Interface Material STIM) for both of their new product lines. This change will allow their new processors to transfer heat away from their silicon in a more efficient matter, lowering load temperatures while increasing overclocking headroom, especially on their new X299 series products.
Things are a little different with their planned Xeon W-3175X processor, Intel's unlocked 28-core monstrosity that is set to offer server-grade features, an insane core count and overclockability in a single package.
After considering Intel's use of their Xeon brand name and the company's already expensive 18-core i9-9980XE, which $1,979 RCP for 1K orders, it is undeniable that Intel's Xeon W-3175X will be ludicrously expensive, but the product has one crucial flaw that is worth mentioning.
When speaking to Anand Srivatsa, the vice president of Intel's desktop, systems and channel group, PC World confirmed that the company's unlocked Xeon will not feature Soldered TIM, instead relying on Intel's existing polymer-based thermal interface material. Intel's overclocking-ready Xeon will use a thermally limiting thermal interface material, a product which has a higher core count than any other unlocked Intel processor and is, therefore, most likely to be thermally restricted when overclocked.
You can watch PC World's interview with Anand Srivatsa in the video below.
The reason behind Intel's decision to use polymer-based TIM is clear, as no other product in their LGA3647 product stack uses STIM, making its use unfeasible for a low-volume product like the Xeon W-3175X. Even so, this design decision makes it likely that pro overclockers will need likely need to delid their W-3175X processors to achieve peak performance, which something that nobody should have to do on a processor that will be worth multiple thousand dollars.
Intel's reasoning behind their Xeon W-3175X processor is simple, it's a statement that says that still sit at the peak of the processor market. It says loud and clear that they can do better than AMD, at least right now, releasing a processor that offers 28 cores on a single die while offering higher clock speeds out of the box than AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX and have direct access to six-channel memory channels. Intel doesn't intend to sell this processor in huge numbers; the Xeon W-3175X is a showpiece and little else.
