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Workstations • Granite Rapids-WS • W890 Platform

Intel Xeon 600 for Workstations: Specs, W890 Platform, Lane Planning, and 3 Proven Build Blueprints (Feb 2026)

Intel’s Xeon 600 workstation family (Granite Rapids-WS) targets high-end creators, engineers, and AI builders with up to 86 P-cores, up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, 8-channel DDR5, and MRDIMM support on a new W890 platform. Last updated: February 2026

On this page

1. What “Xeon 600 workstation” actually is
2. What’s new: the workstation features that matter
3. Xeon 600 workstation spec table (key SKUs)
4. W890 platform: what builders should expect
5. PCIe lane calculator (plan multi-GPU + NVMe correctly)
6. 3 build blueprints (Creator / Engineering / Local AI)
7. FAQ
8. Sources

What “Xeon 600 workstation” actually is

Intel Xeon 600 Processors for Workstation (often described as Granite Rapids-WS) is Intel’s newest workstation CPU family paired with the Intel W890 chipset platform. Intel positions it as a “full stack update” for high-end client workstations with major gains in core count, PCIe connectivity, and memory speed. ^Intel

What’s new: the workstation features that matter

Up to 86 performance cores (P-cores)

The top end scales to 86 cores / 172 threads, aimed at throughput-heavy work like CPU rendering, simulation, and large builds. ^Intel

Up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes

For multi-GPU workstations and fast storage arrays, lane budget is everything. Intel highlights up to 128 CPU PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes for GPUs, SSDs, and high-speed networking. ^Intel

8-channel DDR5 (RDIMM) up to 6400 MT/s

Xeon 600 workstation supports up to eight channels of DDR5 RDIMM with official speeds up to 6400 MT/s. This is a major lever for memory-bound workloads. ^Intel

MRDIMM support up to 8000 MT/s

Intel also calls out DDR5 MRDIMM support with speeds up to 8000 MT/s, designed to raise effective bandwidth where memory becomes the limiter. ^Intel

Practical takeaway: Xeon 600 workstation is not just “more cores.” It’s a platform built for multi-GPU + high-speed storage + very high memory bandwidth/capacity—the usual bottlenecks that break mainstream desktop builds.

Xeon 600 workstation spec table (key SKUs)

The table below lists widely-circulated launch SKUs and the most decision-relevant specs for workstation buyers (cores/threads and base/boost clocks). ^{Tom’s Hardware}

Model	Cores / Threads	Base / Boost (GHz)	Best for
Xeon 698X	86 / 172	2.0 / 4.8	Max throughput (CPU rendering, simulation, compile farms)
Xeon 696X	64 / 128	2.4 / 4.8	High-end creator + engineering workstations; top boxed retail tier reported
Xeon 678X	48 / 96	2.4 / 4.9	Balanced multi-thread with strong boost for mixed workloads
Xeon 654	18 / 36	3.1 / 4.8	CAD + interactive engineering with respectable throughput
Xeon 634	12 / 24	(varies by SKU listing)	Entry workstation platform access; prioritize lanes/memory needs

Note: Platform-wide claims commonly cited for Xeon 600 workstation include 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, CXL 2.0 support, AMX with FP16, and up to 8 memory channels depending on SKU and board implementation. ^{Tom’s Hardware Intel}

W890 platform: what builders should expect

Xeon 600 workstation is built for the Intel W890 chipset platform. Expect workstation-grade boards optimized for slot wiring, power delivery, memory topology, and I/O expansion. Launch coverage also notes a broad SKU stack and a return to boxed retail CPUs for some models. ^{Tom’s Hardware}

Builder rule: The CPU may support 128 lanes, but your motherboard decides how those lanes get split. Always check slot wiring (x16/x8/x4), M.2 sharing, and whether adding NVMe disables certain slots.

PCIe lane calculator (plan multi-GPU + NVMe correctly)

Use this to estimate your lane budget. Typical assumptions: GPUs use x16 each; NVMe drives use x4 each; high-speed NICs can be x8 or x16. Real slot wiring depends on the motherboard.

GPUs x16 each x8 each

NVMe SSDs x4 each x2 each

Network cards x8 each x16 each x4 each

Other add-ins (total lanes) capture cards, HBAs, extra controllers, etc.

Total requested lanes —

Against 128-lane class platform —

Recommended headroom (10–20%) —

Why lane planning matters: Intel highlights up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes to support multi-GPU, SSDs, and network cards in workstation workflows. ^Intel

3 build blueprints (Creator / Engineering / Local AI)

Blueprint 1 — Creator workstation (3D, video, motion graphics)

• CPU target: 24–64 cores depending on render time vs interactivity (e.g., mid/high Xeon 600 SKUs)
• GPU: 1–2 pro-class or high-VRAM GPUs (timeline + effects + GPU render)
• Memory: 128–512GB DDR5 RDIMM; scale with scene complexity and cache needs
• Storage: 2–4× NVMe (OS/apps + scratch + project + cache); consider RAID/HBA only if workflow benefits
• Lane goal: 1–2 GPUs at x16 + multiple NVMe without slot sharing bottlenecks

Blueprint 2 — Engineering workstation (CAD, FEA/CFD, simulation)

• CPU target: high core count if solvers scale; otherwise prioritize higher boost for interactive CAD
• Memory: 256GB–1TB+ when models are memory-bound; 8-channel DDR5 helps throughput ^Intel
• GPU: certified workstation GPU for CAD viewport stability; add compute GPUs only if solver benefits
• Storage: NVMe scratch + fast project volume; add high-speed NIC (10/25/100GbE) if working off NAS/SAN
• Lane goal: keep GPU + NIC + NVMe simultaneously unconstrained

Blueprint 3 — Local AI workstation (multi-GPU training/inference)

• CPU target: enough cores to feed GPUs; the platform’s lanes and memory often matter more than peak boost
• GPU: 2–4 GPUs (VRAM is usually the limiter; plan power + cooling first)
• Memory: 256GB–1TB+; consider MRDIMM where supported to raise memory-bound performance ceilings ^Intel
• Storage: multiple NVMe for datasets + fast staging; avoid shared-lane surprises on the board
• Lane goal: reserve lanes for GPUs first, then NVMe, then networking—use the calculator above as a baseline

Choosing the right Xeon 600: If your workload is mostly interactive (CAD modeling, UI-heavy tasks), don’t buy cores you won’t use. If your workload queues long jobs (rendering, compiling, simulation), cores and memory bandwidth win.

FAQ

Is Intel Xeon 600 “for Workstations” a new platform?

Yes. Intel positions Xeon 600 for workstations as a high-end client workstation platform update built around the Intel W890 chipset. ^Intel

How many PCIe lanes does Xeon 600 workstation support?

Intel highlights up to 128 CPU PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes on the platform to support multi-GPU, SSDs, and network cards. ^Intel

What memory does Xeon 600 workstation support?

Intel states support for up to eight channels of DDR5 RDIMM with speeds up to 6400 MT/s, and also highlights DDR5 MRDIMM support up to 8000 MT/s for higher memory-bound performance. ^Intel

Which Xeon 600 workstation CPU is best for creators and engineers?

For mixed interactive + throughput work, mid-to-high SKUs (for example, 18–64 cores) typically balance boost clocks and multi-thread capacity. If your workflow is dominated by long renders or simulations, the highest-core SKUs are built for maximum throughput. ^{Tom’s Hardware}

Why do workstations care so much about PCIe lane planning?

Because GPUs, NVMe SSDs, and high-speed NICs can quickly exceed the lane budget once you scale beyond a “single-GPU desktop.” Even with a 128-lane-class CPU platform, the motherboard decides how lanes are wired and shared—so planning prevents hidden bottlenecks. ^Intel

Sources

• Intel Newsroom — “Intel Launches new Intel Xeon 600 Processors for Workstation” (Feb 2, 2026). https://newsroom.intel.com/…
• Tom’s Hardware — “Intel returns to boxed workstation CPUs with Xeon 600 …” (Feb 2, 2026). https://www.tomshardware.com/…