List of Intel's Xeon E 'Rocket Lake' CPUs Leaks

An alleged list of Intel's Xeon E-series 'Rocket Lake' processors for multipurpose single-socket (1S) servers has been published by a leaker with a rather good reputation. The new processors with up to eight cores and Intel's Xe-LP graphics (select SKUs only) will be a part of Intel's codenamed Tatlow platform for entry-level servers as well as embedded applications. The chips feature different core counts and relatively moderate clocks. 

Intel has not updated its Xeon E lineup since Q2 2019 when it launched its Xeon E-2200-series processors based on the Coffee Lake microarchitecture, perhaps because the Comet Lake design did not really bring many advantages to the targeted applications. By contrast, the new Xeon E-2300-series CPUs are powered by the Cypress Cove microarchitecture, have a built-in GPU featuring the Xe-LP architecture (select units), AVX-512 support, 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, and DDR4-3200 support. Such CPUs offer significantly higher general-purpose performance, faster PCIe support, and improved media processing capabilities (there is a catch about media processing capabilities though) when compared to previous-generation Xeon E-2200-series CPUs. 

The list of Intel's Xeon E-2300-series 'Rocket Lake' CPUs published by hardware detective @momomo_us includes 10 models with a 65W, 80W, and 95W thermal design power (TDP) that are compatible with LGA1200 motherboards esigned for the Tatlow platform. Keep in mind that the list comes from an unofficial source, so we cannot verify its legitimacy. Meanwhile, Intel's Tatlow platform is probably several weeks away from its formal announcement, so at this point leaked specifications are usually correct.

Intel Xeon E-2300-Series 'Rocket Lake' CPUs

The Xeon E-2300-series family includes three eight-core, three six-core, and four quad-core processors in the lineup. It is noteworthy that eight-core and six-core CPUs have rather moderate clocks when compared to Intel's Xeon W-1300 chips, which is logical as Intel is somewhat restrained with cooling capabilities of entry-level servers as well as intention of server makers to ensure maximum longevity and reliability of such machines in all possible environments. 

Six chips from Intel's E-2300-series CPUs feature a built-in Xe-LP GPU, though configuration of these GPUs is unknown (it is safe to say that we are talking about GPUs with up to 32 EUs, or up to UHD Graphics P750). Previously Intel integrated its P-series GPUs into Xeon E processors, which basically means driver certifications for more than 15 popular CAD and professional graphics programs, which is important for remote entry-level workstations and VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) applications in general.  

As for media capabilities, Intel's Rocket Lake processors features a 12-bit end-to-end video pipeline that supports 4K/8Kp60 playback with Dolby Vision HDR and hardware decoding of HEVC and AV1 codecs. Meanwhile, the number of video decoders and encoders inside Rocket Lake's Xe-LP implementation is lower when compared to the number of such units inside Tiger Lake's Xe-LP implementation. Therefore, while Intel formally positions its Tatlow platform for tier 2/3 CSPs (content service providers), it remains to be seen how competitive this platform will be when compared to Intel's other solutions. 

Speaking of Intel's Tatlow in general, we should note that motherboards for Intel's Xeon E-2300-series processors are set to have up to four DIMM slots, up to three PCIe slots, up to two M.2 slots, and up to eight SATA ports. Tatlow is intended for multipurpose servers for small businesses (SMBs) or government/enterprise clients (i.e., it can support appropriate security features), and CSP machines that do not need high-performance media processing capabilities integrated into its CPU.  

Intel did not comment on the story since it contains information about unannounced products.