Intel announced its 11-model Xeon 600 workstation family on February 2, 2026, and said processors would be available through system builders and as individual boxed CPUs beginning in late March 2026. Five models are designated for boxed retail: the Xeon 696X, 678X, 676X, 658X and 654. The lineup spans 12 to 86 cores and requires an FCLGA4710 motherboard with Intel’s W890 workstation chipset.
Xeon 600 models, specifications and Intel prices
Intel’s product catalog lists 11 Xeon 600 workstation processors for Q1 2026. The table gives each model’s core count, cache, thermal design power (TDP), Intel recommended customer price (RCP) and whether Intel identifies it as a boxed retail part. RCP is Intel’s recommended price, not a promise of the price or stock at a particular retailer.
| Model | Cores | Cache | TDP | Intel RCP | Boxed retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xeon 698X | 86 | 336 MB | 350 W | $7,699 | No |
| Xeon 696X | 64 | 336 MB | 350 W | $5,599 | Yes |
| Xeon 678X | 48 | 192 MB | 300 W | $3,749 | Yes |
| Xeon 676X | 32 | 144 MB | 275 W | $2,499 | Yes |
| Xeon 674X | 28 | 144 MB | 270 W | $2,199 | No |
| Xeon 658X | 24 | 144 MB | 250 W | $1,699 | Yes |
| Xeon 656 | 20 | 72 MB | 210 W | $1,399 | No |
| Xeon 654 | 18 | 72 MB | 200 W | $1,199 | Yes |
| Xeon 638 | 16 | 72 MB | 180 W | $899 | No |
| Xeon 636 | 12 | 72 MB | 170 W | $639 | No |
| Xeon 634 | 12 | 72 MB | 150 W | $499 | No |
Across the family, Intel lists maximum turbo frequencies from 4.6 to 4.9 GHz; the available specifications here do not establish a per-model turbo figure. Likewise, core count alone does not predict application speed: software scaling, memory demands and the system configuration all matter.
How to choose a Xeon 600 model
Start with the workload and platform requirements, not the model number. More cores can help when professional software efficiently distributes work across threads; they also come with higher platform cost and, in the upper models, substantially higher TDP. These workload-fit observations are inferences from Intel’s published specifications, not independent benchmark results.
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- Dell T7810 Precision Tower Workstation
- 2x Intel Xeon E5-2690 v4 14-Core/28 Threads 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo)
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- Add your own Hard Drives/ SSDs
- Add your own Operating System
Rendering, simulation and large compilations
For highly parallel rendering, simulation or compilation, compare the 698X, 696X, 678X and 676X by budget, application scaling and cooling capacity. The 698X has the family’s highest listed core count at 86, while the 696X has 64 cores and is one of the boxed-retail models. A 48-core 678X or 32-core 676X may be a more restrained choice if the workload benefits from many cores but does not justify the top models’ cost and power envelope.
Multi-GPU and AI development
For a system with several accelerators, plan around the W890 platform’s lane budget, board slot layout, power delivery and physical card spacing. Intel positions the family for AI development with Intel AMX in every CPU core and AVX-512, and describes support for up to eight PCIe 5.0 GPUs. That platform claim does not mean every motherboard can accommodate eight cards; confirm the board’s actual slots, lane allocation, firmware support and chassis configuration.
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- HP Z620 Workstation / 2x E5-2670 16-Cores Total
- 96GB RAM / No Hard Drives
- Quadro 600
- No Operating System
Workstations with moderate parallel workloads
The 658X, 656, 654, 638, 636 and 634 offer 24 or fewer cores. They may suit workflows that need workstation-class memory or expansion without prioritizing the highest core counts. The 654 is the least expensive boxed model in Intel’s list, at a $1,199 RCP; the still lower-priced 638, 636 and 634 are listed as non-boxed models for OEM or system-integrator channels.
W890 platform, memory and expansion
Xeon 600 processors use the FCLGA4710 socket and Intel’s W890 workstation chipset. Intel specifies a platform supporting up to 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, eight memory channels, up to 4 TB of memory and CXL 2.0. Memory data rates are specified up to DDR5-6400, or up to 8,000 MT/s with MRDIMM. These are platform ceilings; the supported capacity, speed and module types for a particular build depend on the motherboard and its validated configuration.
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- Dell T7810 Precision Tower Workstation
- 2x Intel Xeon E5-2670 v3 12-Core 2.3GHz (3.1GHz Turbo)
- 128GB Memory DDR4
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- No Operating System
- Motherboard: Choose a W890 board with an FCLGA4710 socket, and check its supported processor list, BIOS requirements, memory qualification list (QVL), slot layout and power delivery.
- Memory: Confirm the board supports the intended DDR5 or MRDIMM type, capacity and population plan. Eight channels provide bandwidth potential only when the memory configuration populates channels as the board and system vendor recommend.
- Expansion: Count the PCIe lanes and slots required by GPUs, storage and networking devices. The platform’s maximum lane count does not guarantee all devices can run at full bandwidth simultaneously on every board.
- Cooling and power: Match the CPU’s TDP, from 150 W to 350 W, to a compatible thermal solution, case airflow and board power design. TDP is a cooling-design consideration, not a complete measurement of system power consumption.
For boxed processors, Intel says the package includes carriers for attachment to LGA4710 thermal solutions. Check that the cooler and carrier are compatible with the exact socket and board before purchase; a cooler that fits a familiar desktop socket should not be assumed to fit this workstation platform.
Availability and boxed models
Intel announced the family on February 2, 2026, and said availability through OEM and system-integrator partners, as well as boxed individual processors, would begin in late March 2026. The five boxed SKUs in Intel’s announcement are the 696X, 678X, 676X, 658X and 654. That announced start date does not establish current inventory or actual selling prices at individual sellers, so confirm stock, warranty terms and final pricing with the retailer or system builder.
Rank #4
- System: PCSP Z440 Workstation Tower Desktop PC
- Processor: Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 6-Core 3.5GHz (3.8GHz Turbo)
- Memory: 64GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Graphics Card: Quadro K620 2GB (Display Port + DVI)
What Intel’s performance claims do—and do not—show
Intel claims the Xeon 698X delivers up to 9% higher single-thread performance and up to 61% higher multi-thread performance than the Xeon w9-3595X in Cinebench 2026. Intel also reports workload-specific gains versus the prior generation of up to 29% for visualization, 30% for CFD solving and 27% for FEA solve times. Intel qualifies these results as configuration-dependent and says results may vary. They are vendor-reported comparisons, not independent testing, and should not be treated as guaranteed gains in a particular application or workstation.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- System: PCSP Z2 G4 Workstation Tower
- Processor: Intel Xeon E-2124G 4-Core 2.4GHz
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- Storage: 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Processor Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics P630 (2x Display Ports)
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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