Intel Alder Lake-X HEDT CPUs get preliminary support within AIDA64

AIDA64 has recently added preliminary support to a brand new Intel CPU family known as the Alder Lake-X, which appears to be targeting the HEDT platform.

Intel Alder Lake-X, HEDT CPU family, gets preliminary support in AIDA64 software

It’s been a while since Intel updated its HEDT platform. The latest Cascade Lake-X 10th Gen lineup was launched way back in 2019. Meanwhile, AMD has offered its latest Zen 3 architecture on its Threadripper Pro 5000 lineup. Intel is expected to unveil its new HEDT series this year, which will be part of the Sapphire Rapids-X or Sapphire Rapids-AP family. Based on rumors, these processors will be very similar in design to Sapphire Rapids-SP server chips, which offer up to 56 cores and 112 threads.

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AIDA64 has added preliminary support to Intel’s upcoming Alder Lake-X HEDT CPUs.

But now a brand new family has emerged, and that’s Alder Lake-X. For desktops, Intel currently has Alder Lake-S on the LGA 1700 socket platform. Given that this lineup does not have Sapphire Rapids in its name, but Alder Lake, we may see a further iteration of the Alder Lake matrix for the HEDT segment, as the ‘X’ in the family name is for enthusiasts’ X-Series platforms. The existing Alder Lake-S ‘C0’ matrix has the max 8 + 8 configuration and offers 16 cores and 32 threads. Intel could either offer the chip in a single-matrix or a multi-die configuration, but supported by the advanced desktop platform.

This segmentation of Sapphire Rapids-X and Age Lake-X will sound familiar to the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X families, both of which co-existed on the same HEDT platforms, but the former contained multiple cores when it was derived from The Xeon server family, while the latter was derived from the regular desktop family. They were also supported by the same socket and platform, so Intel’s upcoming HEDT family will be supported by the next generation HEDT platform known as Fishhawk Falls.

In terms of platform, there is 8-channel (non-ECC) and 4-channel (EEC) DDR5 support, and the number of PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes will drop to 64. Prices will largely match the previous Core-X CPUs so we can expect around $ 500- $ 3000 US for these chips. From what we get, the new Intel HEDT family will look like this:

• Sapphire Rapids-AP (Xeon Class Workstation Replacement)
• Sapphire Rapids-X (High-end enthusiast class replacement)
• Age Lake-X (Mainstream Enthusiast Class Replacement)

Previous rumors have suggested that the Fishhawk HEDT family will be based on the W790 / C790 PCH, but given that there are at least two platforms in the works, there may be a much higher-than PCH SKU. As for the launch, there are rumors that Intel will launch their next generation HEDT CPU family in the 3rd quarter of 2022, around the same time as the 13th generation of the Raptor Lake CPU series. The platform will work aimed at both workstations and enthusiasts.

Intel HEDT Processor Families: