Xeon W9-3495X

The reviewer describes the 56-core processor as a monster that offers impressive performance. However, they note that the high power draw compared to AMD alternatives is a significant drawback, and that clock speeds are constrained by this power consumption. The development of the Sapphire Rapids platform was also highlighted as having suffered from significant delays.

The processor is awarded an editor's pick, assessed as a flagship-tier product with no notable weaknesses and recommended for its category. This editorial verdict is based on manufacturer specifications and public consensus rather than in-house benchmarks.

In an early preview, the reviewers found the 56-core processor to be 24% faster than previous generations in certain content creation tasks. They noted that while it performed exceptionally well in Cinebench, it still trailed behind AMD in other applications. The primary downsides identified were the exceptionally high power draw and the need for further software optimization.