Testing and Performance
The TLDR from our unboxing is that Intel has delivered a stack of 4th Gen Xeons in server and pre-built workstations and has now added the DIY workstation parts we have on review today. In a sense you could argue these are HEDT (High End Desktop) parts, however that argument only flies if you also consider AMD Threadripper Pro to be HEDT. To our way of thinking these are professional workstation parts that cost far more than any enthusiast might consider paying.
Test System:
Processor: 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable W9-3475X and W9-3495X
Motherboard: ASRock W790 WS BIOS 3.1
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH U14-S DX-4677
Thermal compound: Arctic MX-4
Memory: 64GB Kingston Fury Renegade Pro DDR5-6000MT ECC
Graphics card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4080 Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6X
Power supply: Seasonic Vertex GX-1200
SSD: 1TB PNY XLR8 Gaming M.2 NVMe
OS: Windows 11
Custom Loop Cooling:
Pump/reservoir: EK Quantum Inertia D5 and EK XRES 140
CPU block: EK-Pro CPU WB 4677 Ni+Acetal
Radiator: EK Quantum Surface P360M
Fans: 3x Phanteks T30
Coolant: Alphacool Ocool Tec Protect Ultra Clear
In our performance and testing we have used some of the latest desktop CPUs as a point of reference, along with a recent round-up of AMD Threadripper Pro.
To read more about AMD Ryzen 9 7950X go HERE and for Ryzen 9 7950X3D go HERE.
Our most recent coverage of Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake is HERE
These photos of our test bench are purely for eye candy. Damn, this hardware looks purposeful.