Intel Xeon 'Sapphire Rapids' CPU delidded by OC and modder 'der8auer'

Intel's next-gen Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" CPU has been pulled apart, delidded by professional German overclocker and modder "Der8auer".

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The Intel Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" CPU was purchased from eBay, and once the overclocker had it in his hands he does what he does best: rip it apart. The sample was labeled "Xeon vPRO XCC QWP3" and is an unreleased server CPU that rocks up to 56 cores and 112 threads.

There's no way to know, as the Sapphire Rapids CPU can't be used because there's no way to buy a motherboard that works with the Intel Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" CPU, period. The sample was pulled apart, delidded, but we don't know the configuration of this chip in question. We can see that there are 4 compute dies on the chip, connected through EMIB technology which der8auer took some beautiful photos under a microscope.

The 4 compute dies should feature up to 16 cores each, which would -- under a full Sapphire Rapids chip -- offer 64 cores and 128 threads of CPU power. Intel is limiting the number of active cores on Sapphire Rapids CPUs in order to hit desirable yields, which is important -- but AMD is kicking Intel's ass in core counts and yields right now.

We will see Intel's next-gen Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" CPUs in the consumer world in the near future, with the new Sapphire Rapids-X platform dropping into the HEDT market later this year. We will see Intel launch both its new Sapphire Rapids CPUs as well as its next-gen Raptor Lake-based CPUs in the consumer side of things in 2H 2022.

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