Besides Xeon processors that are officially mentioned on its website and price list, Intel has tens of ‘off roadmap’ server CPUs only available to select customers that have special requests. Recently journalists from ComputerBase discovered that Intel has Xeon Platinum 8284, the company’s fastest 28-core chip for multi-socket servers. The CPU runs 300 MHz faster than the ‘official’ Xeon Platinum 8280, but costs considerably more.

Intel’s Xeon Platinum 8284 packs 28 cores with Hyper-Threading that run at 3.0-4.0 GHz, feature a 38.5 MB cache, a six-channel memory controller supporting up to 1 TB of DDR4-2933 with ECC, 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and other capabilities found in codenamed Cascade Lake CPUs. Since the chip runs at 300 MHz higher base frequency when compared to the Xeon Platinum 8280, it has a 240 W TDP, up from 205 W. Meanwhile, Tcase of the CPU (the maximum allowed temperature on the IHS of the processor) was reduced to 65°C (down from 84°C), so the CPU requires a very sophisticated cooling system that can take away 240 W at the aforementioned temperature.

Being Intel’s fastest 28-core CPU for multi-socket servers, the Xeon Platinum 8284 processor costs $15,460 (recommended customer price for 1k unit order, RCP), whereas the Xeon Platinum 8280 that runs at a 300 MHz lower frequency, costs $10,009 for 1ku.

Intel Second Generation Xeon Scalable Family

(Cascade Lake) Cores Base

Freq Turbo

Freq L3

Cache TDP

(W) Optane Price

(1ku) Xeon Platinum 8200 8284 28 3.0 4.0 38.50 240 Yes $15460 8280 L 28 2.7 4.0 38.50 205 Yes $17906 8280 M 28 2.7 4.0 38.50 205 Yes $13012 8280 28 2.7 4.0 38.50 205 Yes $10009 8276 L 28 2.2 4.0 38.50 165 Yes $16616 8276 M 28 2.2 4.0 28.50 165 Yes $11722 8276 28 2.2 4.0 38.50 165 Yes $8719 8270 26 2.7 4.0 25.75 205 Yes $7405 8268 24 2.9 3.9 35.75 205 Yes $6302 8260 L 24 2.4 3.9 25.75 165 Yes $12599 8260 M 24 2.4 3.9 25.75 165 Yes $7705 8260 24 2.4 3.9 25.75 165 Yes $4702 8260 Y 24 2.4 3.9 35.75 165 Yes $5320 8256 4 3.8 3.9 16.50 105 Yes $7007 8253 L 16 2.2 3.0 35.75 165 Yes ? 8253 M 16 2.2 3.0 35.75 165 Yes ? 8253 16 2.2 3.0 35.75 165 Yes $3115

The Xeon Platinum 8284 is not mentioned in Intel’s pricelist, and not under Cascade Lake on Intel's ARK database, but it is searchable if you know the exact number. This typically means that the CPU is only available to select customers or even a customer. That said, it is possible that apart from higher clocks, this 'semi-custom' off-roadmap processor may come with features that go beyond that and this might explain the huge price difference when compared to the model 8280.

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Source: Intel’s ARK (via ComputerBase)