Intel’s arrival of its 12th generation Core processors represents one of the most significant events, with much broader implications than it seems at first glance, in the evolution of workstation processors for CAD and other enterprise computing segments. The undeniable generational increase from 11 to 12 belies the importance of the Alder Lake update not only in technology, but also in Intel’s change in terms of features, branding and market positioning.
Judging this CPU generation is rarely limited to the same evaluation above of how much incremental functionality it can produce compared to its predecessor. Rather, it’s worth contemplating how the functionality can now scale for your highly threaded workloads and how the Core logo has been replaced in particular to better suit high-demand, high-reliability professional programs like CAD.
A new hybrid architecture that allows traditional configuration of other CPU SKUs for other applications
As explained in detail in a previous column here, Alder Lake’s hybrid multicore architecture will help unify core processor generation for a wide variety of functions and degrees of strength in Intel’s portfolio. A single processor is based on a combination of heterogeneous cores, one targeted in functionality (a P core) and the other in power (an E core). Intel can now shape a CPU product for low-force mobile programs and a time for high-functionality, force-intensive work, leveraging the same architectural foundation. Opt a little more for E cores for sockets that need to restrict watts and more P cores when performance is the most sensible priority.
What can CAD users expect?
In its marketing guarantee, Intel promised an overall CPI improvement of 19% across all workloads, a figure value that precisely matches the figure announced for Intel’s previous Rocket Lake S microarchitecture, as well as AMD’s Ryzen 5000 family, introduced last year. I point out that these numbers should be taken with tweezers for two reasons. First, while suppliers rarely deliberately deceive, they will of course wish to highlight their strengths, infrequently highlighting benchmarks that, while legitimate, tend to show their most productive results, while giving less flattering scores. Second, functionality varies greatly by workload, and a user is unlikely to stress your formula in exactly the same way as any benchmark. And third, that user’s formula would likely see bottlenecks in other spaces, such as memory, storage, or graphics, that vendor testing particularly avoids.
To mitigate, though of course not, those functionality caveats, I ran my own tests on an Alder Lake processor, focusing in particular on workloads not unusual for professional IT use, especially for CAD.
This month, we’re going to compare the 12th Gen Core i9-12900K processor of the HP Z2 mini workstation with its predecessor, the Rocket Lake i9-11900K and the Xeon W-2265. Watch the next month to learn more about this mini form factor. Image source: HP.
HP Z2 Mini Workstation as an Alder Lake Test System
Fortunately, HP has had a recently updated G9 edition of its small but high-performance Z2 Mini workstation. next month’s column for a deeper look at what the Z2 Mini can offer for those looking to reduce the clutter of its formula but need to stick to a constant workstation with online power on a mobile.
This month, however, I’m going to focus on Alder Lake, taking the opportunity to compare the Z2 Mini’s 12th gen Core i9-12900K processor. The high-end 12th Gen Core i9-12900K processor implements a balanced combination of P cores and E cores, 8 of each. Well placed to expand the existing costs of high-performance desktop/desktop systems (gaming PCs and workstations, basically), the i9-12900K is by no means a niche SKU, however, it would be a bit north of the workstation market. And in this place, it turns out to serve buyers who in the past could only opt for a low-end Xeon W processor and a high-end 11th generation Core processor (the Rocket Lake generation in the past covered here).
So how does the new Alder Lake Core i9-12900K compare to its predecessor, the Rocket Lake i9-11900K, and the (now aged) Xeon W-2265, with 12 cores, perhaps the maximum comparison applicable to the Xeon W range?Below are check the effects of SPECworkstation’s highly CAD- and multithreaded (MT) product progression verification suite, which runs on comparablely supplied workstations (i. e. a very fast GPU and similar garage disks). as well as necessarily the I/O subsystems themselves, the scores deserve to primarily reflect the limitations of CPU functionality, more than any other link in the system functionality chain.
SPECworkstation Product Scores and Progression: Alder Lake 8 8C Core i9-12900K and 12C Xeon W-2265, standardized for the 11th Generation Core i9-11900K. Click the symbol to enlarge.
Standardized for the slowest platform running MT workloads, the 8C Core i9-11900K, 12th Gen Core Alder Lake not only crushed Rocket Lake’s MT functionality by 62% in total, but outperformed the Xeon W-2265 by 41%. Both numbers far exceed the 19% nominal CPI advised through Intel’s marketing, this is understandable, as IPC expansion relates to a single thread, and here SPECworkstation runs heavy workloads on TM, exploiting more cores on Alder Lake.
Apples and (especially) apples
The specifications of this trio of processors pose an apparent problem, which is whether we make fair comparisons by running TM workloads like the SPECworkstation product and progression testing. (8C), while the Xeon W-2265 is a 12C model, and the 12th gen Core i9-12900K offers 16 cores. Compared to the 11th generation 8C, this is and is not the case. more core capabilities, so it has the apparent merit in multi-threaded workloads. But from the market perspective, either is at the same point with similar pricing, so the 12th gen Core i9-12900K is the best comparison to its predecessor Core i9-11900K, which accurately illustrates the benefits the next generation can offer at the same point in the market.
The comparison of the 12C Xeon W-2265 is a bit more complicated. Yes, it also has fewer cores than the 16C i9-12900K, but due to the hybrid architecture brought in Alder Lake, this would possibly be an advantage, as the W-2265’s 12 cores were necessarily P cores (they weren’t called that at the time) compared to just 8 in Alder Lake. Meanwhile, the latter provides more global cores, albeit to some extent slower. Given all this, it might be fairer to compare an obsolete 12C with the new 8P 8C hybrid model, the audience of the effects deserves to take into account the differences.
Also, while at the time of writing, the Xeon W-2265 still comes on vfinishor’s Xeon-centric single-socket workstations, it’s now older and later this year (probably) will be replaced via Sapphire Rapids with the Xeon brand. Sapphire Rapids will leverage the same base of P and E cores as Alder Lake, but in a yet-to-be-determined combination, as well as increased memory. In other words, a Sapphire Rapids Xeon W, coming out before the end of the year, is expected to outperform the Xeon W-2200 series across an even wider margin than our 12th gen Core i9-12900K tested here.
Comparing functionality to an unmarried (1T) thread is simpler, with no need for disclaimers related to the number of P cores compared to the number of E cores. In the case of Alder Lake, an unmarried high-demand thread will likely be maxed out to a P-kernel. It is none other than that of the 11th generation Rocket Lake or the Xeon W-2265, whose two cores were first designed for functionality (although they were not designated as such at the time). And we’re expecting the successor to the Xeon W-2200 series, Sapphire Rapids, features 1T functionality comparable to that of our 12th generation i9-12900K.
Unfortunately, SPECworkstation doesn’t offer a 1T test lately, so as I did in the past, I turned to Cinebench R20 (a render reference) and PassMark’s PerformanceTest 10. 2, which includes CPU tests that can be forced to run on a single No wonder the 12th gen Core i9-12900K outperformed the old Xeon W, with an average of 54%, while it recorded scores 29% higher than those of Rocket Lake. The 29% at Q1 is a more appropriate comparison with an improvement in CPI, even surpassing Intel’s marketing figure. The graph below shows the normalized scores on our trio’s slowest 1T processor, the Xeon W-2265.
Single-threaded reference results: Alder Lake Core i9-12900K and 11th Gen Core i9-11900K, standardized for 12C Xeon W-2265. Click the symbol to enlarge.
Performance scaling adjustments with the new hybrid architecture
Beyond simply comparing the functionality gains for a SKU in a generation running a certain number of threads, it’s worth looking at how Alder Lake adapts functionality based on the number of cores and threads. For what? Because with this hybrid architecture, any incremental threads added to the workload may not necessarily get the same functionality processing as the previous thread. In fact, at some point, an Alder Lake will run out of P hearts to use and be forced to enlist. And hearts instead. And since electronic cores, through design, may not offer the same functionality, we’re now going to see a scale of functionality to reduce yields as the number of cores increases.
This habit is illustrated quite well by employing the ability of FunctionTest 10. 2 to repeat checks with upstream threads, starting with one up to the specified number. an increasing number of threads on the i9-12900K compared to the older Xeon W-2265. It is vital to note that what is represented is the multiple of SKU functionality with respect to the number of threads given compared to its own 1T functionality for how much it scales, which is why you can start at the same price of 1. As more and more threads are introduced into the Xeon W-2265, the functionality evolves quite linearly, while the 12th gen Core features the expected dual consistent consonality. to 8 threads, corresponding to the number of P cores available, the functionality increases linearly, but the next gains consistent with the core are significantly reduced, since the E cores are inscribed to increase l threads later.
How functionality settings are based on the number of threads for the 8 8C Core i9-12900K to the 12C Xeon W-2265 (PerformanceTest 10. 2 floating-point test).
Alder Lake on fixed/desktop workstations This is just the beginning, as Alder Lake for cellular workstations is an even more impactful change
Leveraging the same unifying, hybrid architectural foundation as its desktop-focused siblings, Alder Lake for mobile had already launched, called Alder Lake-H and using the same 12th generation Core brand. The -H suffix highlights references aimed at high-performance cellular applications. , such as mobile workstations for CAD, long set at a popular de facto value of forty-five watts of enveloping force. These forty-five watts are a point at which the CPU vendor and the formula vendor can agree to provide the most productive performance, without the need for cooling responses from the store and decimate battery life to unacceptable points.
Given this, with the release of Alder Lake-H, I assumed we had noticed the extension of Alder Lake processors that will be used in cellular workstations. This assumption is incorrect, as Intel has just announced some other product point for high performance. Mobile processors: Alder Lake-HX. Given this, the force evolves linearly with the frequency and square of the voltage, this budget of forty-five W of Alder Lake-H up to 55 W of the -HX can theoretically be spent on more cores operating at the same voltage and frequency or the same cores operating with faster clocks.
Intel’s Alder Lake-HX processor delivers significant power (55W), which translates into higher performance than the available mobile workstation.
What has Intel done with the largest budget of strength?Well, first of all, it stole a few more watts from the -H series by reducing the capacity, and force input, from the integrated GPU -HX. This was a very sensible decision, as a cellular workstation with optimal functionality, it will most likely be combined with a discrete GPU, thus freeing up more watts for the processor.
From there, Intel focused on building the MT functionality of the -HX with more cores, especially more P cores. The Alder Lake-H Core i7 45W SKUs already rely more on E cores, with 8 implemented alongside 4-6 in the i7 family, which is moderate when you consider the much lower force allocation compared to the typical budget of a 125W desktop. Taking advantage of the additional strength available, the -HX i7 and i9 families retain 8 E cores, but increase the number of P cores from a maximum of 6 to a maximum of 8. Not only are P cores faster and more thread-consistent, but they stay in the brain that P cores are dual-threaded simultaneous Hyconsistent withThreading, so an 8P/8E 16C-HX processor can run 24 threads simultaneously, while a 6P/8E-H SKU can only handle 20 threads.
In terms of clock frequency, Intel maintained the same maximum turbo frequency for the -HX as for the -H series, at five (i9) and 4. 8 (i7), while slightly reducing the base frequencies. It should be remembered that even though heavy MT processing tends to stick to the base frequency, 1T execution can be maintained at higher Turbo rates.
A 12th generation Core 55 W-HX pattern at forty-five parts W-H. Data Source: Intel. Click to enlarge.
In this context, the new 55W point will allow cellular workstations to further close the functionality gap compared to grid-powered desktop-connected workstations for MT workloads such as rendering and simulations. But if your most sensible preference is 1T processing, a common thing in modeling and interactive graphics, the -H series will work just as well as the -HX series.
Expect virtually all workstation vendors to adopt 12th Gen Core-HX parts in their performance-oriented (vs. mobility) cellular models. HP has already announced its Fury-branded cell line with maximum performance.
Xeon is a niche of use in workstations. . . and Intel agrees with that
I didn’t expect that. Intel has long insisted in its market placement position that a device had to play with a Xeon processor to actually be called a workstation. Neither I nor the market agree with that, and the latter has spoken out pushing Core into a dominant position in the market. market lately. In the past, it has enjoyed varying degrees of good fortune by partnering with OEMs to increase Xeon’s share of the workstation market. However, due to the immediate rise of Entry 1S elegance systems and the fact that OEMs are being offered Core-branded processors in Entry 1S and even Premium 1S workstations, Core has made a strong comeback in the penetration of the workstation platform. It now accounts for a significant majority in desktop devices compared to Xeon, and almost has the cellular space.
But instead of fighting for Xeon’s position as the selection’s workstation processor, it now turns out that Intel has made the decision to replace it. in core brand processors with the arrival of the 12th generation Alder Lake.
Beyond its dual-socket support, which is only applicable to the highest levels of the workstation market, the merit of Xeon’s feature over Core has been mostly limited to a very high number of cores (beyond the general public), more memory channels (four instead of Core’s two), and ECC reminiscence. These features have been deliberately and in particular kept as Xeon exclusives to entice CAD users to transfer from Core to Xeon. However, from 2022 with the 12th generation core, one of them is no longer exclusive, as ECC help will now be available in Core.
Ultimately, and ironically, it is Intel itself that is holding back this project to identify Xeon as the de facto choice for workstation buyers. Cores, probably well suited for the top finish of the CAD workstation market, Xeon may not be as attractive to buyers as it would have been in the past.
There is no doubt that the arrival of Intel’s 12th generation core marks a starting point for Intel, which is reflected in several possible strategic options and will, in fact, be reinforced with the arrival of Sapphire Rapids Xeon later this year. The new hybrid architecture was first introduced at Alder Lake not only delivers the same previous functionality enhancements from one generation to the next, but unifies the company’s generation foundation into cellular and consistent platforms. building functionality that a cellular workstation can achieve much more. And with ECC now available under the Core brand, and providing a big jump in the number of cores available from 8C to 16C, enough to satisfy the vast majority. of CAD users: Intel is now content to make Core the de facto processor for client CAD workstation computing.
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