Next week marks one year since the launch of the Xeon 6900P series Granite Rapids server processors. Given the occasion and a new server in the lab, here is a look at how Intel’s Granite Rapids top-end Xeon 6980P server processors are performing one year after the original introduction with a production-grade server platform as well as incorporating all of the Linux software improvements over the past year.
Last year on 24 September there were launch-day Intel Xeon 6980P benchmarks on Phoronix as well as various follow-up articles like looking at the DDR5-6400 vs. MRDIMM-8800 performance, single vs. dual socket CPU performance, and other detailed benchmark articles. But weeks later was the end of it. Unfortunately, my Intel AvenueCity reference server supplied by Intel had died. It wasn’t too surprising as when being briefed on the reference server there was a list of caveats and precautions around swapping CPUs and RAM and other warnings not typical of prior Intel reference platforms used as review servers. This was the roughest Intel reference server I’ve ever encountered as a review platform in two decades of testing at Phoronix. From the other reviewers that received AvenueCity as well for review, they ultimately failed or became undependable since as well.
The failed reference server paired with the staffing changes and budget challenges at Intel led to no quick resolution to the situation. Trying to find a Xeon 6900P replacement motherboard in the retail channel has been a months long process especially any that would fit in my tight budget constraints. And so it was largely then waiting on more Xeon 6900P server platforms to enter the retail space or new review samples so I could resume my Granite Rapids Linux testing. Giga Computing thankfully has come to the rescue and has graciously supplied a Xeon 6900P barebones server platform: the R284-A92-AAL. The Gigabyte / Giga Computing R284-A92-AAL supports two Xeon 6900 series processors, 12 channel DDR5-RDIMM or MRDIMMs, 24 x 2.5-inch Gen5 NVMe / SATA / SAS hot-swap bays, dual M.2 slots with PCIe Gen5 x4 interfaces, two dual-slot PCIe Gen5 FHHL x16 slots, two single-slot PCIe Gen5 FHHL x16 slots, and 1+1 2700W 80 PLUS Titanium redundant power supplies.
The R284-A92-AAL is a very capable platform Intel Xeon 6900 series processors. I will have a full review on the Giga Computing R284-A92-AAL 2U rack server in the coming weeks on Phoronix. Thanks to Giga Computing for supplying this review server and allowing it to be used for some long-term benchmark articles on Phoronix. There will be fresh benchmarks to come over the weeks/months ahead looking at Granite Rapids with up-to-date Linux kernels / compilers and more, revisiting MRDIMM vs. DDR5-6400 memory performance, revisiting AMX performance with Granite Rapids, GCC vs. Clang compiler performance on Granite Rapids, and a variety of other benchmarks including some that I have been waiting nearly one year to carry out.
For the first of these new Granite Rapids benchmark articles is looking at how well the performance is looking now on this Giga Computing R284-A92-AAL platform compared to my original launch-day results for the Xeon 6980P 2S processors from the AvenueCity reference server. Beyond going from a reference server to a validated platform available in retail channels, the very latest Linux software is now at play too. Ubuntu Server 25.10 with the Linux 6.17 kernel and GCC 15.2 compiler and other updated components. A 1:1 software comparison looking at how the Linux kernel upgrades have impacted Intel Xeon 6 performance will be coming in a separate article at Phoronix.
For this testing the same two Intel Xeon 6980P processors, 12 x 64GB MRDIMM-8800 memory, and KIOXIA KCD8XPUG1T92 CD8P-R PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSD were used both for the original Granite Rapids AP benchmarks and for this Giga Computing server testing.
For the launch-day testing last year Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with the Linux 6.10 kernel and GCC 13.2 compiler and other stock Ubuntu 24.04 components were used. For this fresh testing of Granite Rapids a daily snapshot of Ubuntu 25.10 was used with the Linux 6.17 kernel, GCC 15.2 compiler, and other updated software. That includes newer Granite Rapids CPU microcode and other changes too from over the past year.
Thanks again to Giga Computing for supplying this new 2U Xeon 6900 series server platform for making this new Granite Rapids Linux testing possible.
