Workstation Sustains 5.0GHz Clock Across Six Cores

BOXX Technologies just introduced the APEXX Special Edition (SE). Available in limited quantities, the APEXX SE is built around an Intel Core i7-8086K Limited Edition (LE) six-core processor that BOXX reports it has “professionally overclocked” to reach and maintain a 5.0GHz clock frequency across all of its cores. This, BOXX says, makes the APEXX SE the fastest workstation featuring a professionally overclocked Intel Core i7-8086K LE CPU.

The BOXX APEXX SE (Special Edition) is powered by a six-core, 4.0GHz Intel Core i7-8086K Limited Edition processor that’s capable of delivering up to 5.0GHz single-core turbo frequency. BOXX reports that it has “professionally overclocked” the Core i7-8086K CPU to reach and maintain that 5.0GHz clock frequency performance across all six cores. Image courtesy of BOXX Technologies.

Complementing the overclocked Intel processor, BOXX adds, are cooling, graphics and other technologies that make this desktop workstation “ideal” for such applications as SOLIDWORKS, 3ds Max and Adobe Creative Cloud as well as other demanding, professional-level CAD, 3D modeling, content creation and animation applications including CATIA, Inventor and Solid Edge.

The Intel Core i7-8086K LE represents that company’s 8th generation of its Core i7 processor series. It bears the “8086” designation in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the first Intel x86 series processor, the 8086. Although the 1978 original 16-bit 8086 microprocessor ran at 5MHz (0.005GHz), Intel reports that the Core i7-8086K LE is its first six-core processor with a 4.0GHz base frequency out of the box as well as is its first processor to deliver up to 5.0GHz single-core turbo frequency. This new CPU also offers 12 threads, 12MB cache, integrated graphics and a 64-bit instruction set.

“The APEXX SE workstation extends far beyond the celebration of the 8086 anniversary,” said Shoaib Mohammad, BOXX VP of Marketing and Business Development, in the unveiling announcement. “By integrating this special technology, we’re providing our customers with a unique opportunity to accelerate their workflows with historic Intel processing power they can’t get from the multinational, commodity PC manufacturers.”

Click on the image for an interactive tour of some of the APEXX SE’s key components. Image courtesy of BOXX Technologies.

The fully configurable APEXX SE can be equipped with as many as three NVIDIA Quadro or AMD Radeon Pro high-level graphics cards. It features solid-state drives (SSDs) and can accommodate up to 64GB of 2600MHz DDR4 (double data rate fourth-generation synchronous dynamic random-access memory) memory. Its closed-loop, liquid cooling technology sustains the 5GHz frequency across all cores as well as quiet operation and stable performance in the most demanding situations, BOXX explains.

The APEXX SE comes in a compact, metallic blue chassis measuring 6.84x15.28x17.8 in. (WxHxD; 17x38.8x45.2 cm). It’s outfitted with eight USB 3.1 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet connectors as well as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0. A variety of SATA hard and SSD drives are available.

“Lightly threaded 3D content creation tools are limited by the frequency of the processor, so a faster clock speed means more creating and less waiting,” added BOXX’s Shoaib Mohammad in his press statement. “Our focus is trained on providing the best high-performance solutions for our customers and APEXX SE embodies that commitment.”

To commemorate the June 1978 release of its first 8086 processor (left), Intel has launched the Intel Core i7-8086K Limited Edition processor (right) The original 8086 offered a 5MHz (0.005GHz) maximum clock frequency. The six-core Core i7-8086K processor, Intel says, is its first processor to deliver up to 5.0GHz single-core turbo frequency. Image courtesy of Intel Corp.

In support of that assertion, BOXX shared some internal benchmarks with DE. The APEXX SE showed an overall performance gain of 12.15% executing common SOLIDWORKS tasks compared with an APEXX E2 workstation equipped with the same Core i7 processor that serves as the basis for the overclocked special edition. Other performance deltas include improvements of 10.49% and 11.24% for simulation and rendering performance, respectively.

A recommended basic configuration of the APEXX SE equipped with the Intel Core i7-8086K LE processor, 16GB DDR4-2666 memory, a 5GB NVIDIA Quadro P2000 graphics processing unit, a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD and Microsoft Windows 10 Professional is priced at $4,081. Pricing includes a three-year warranty.

For further information and customization options available for the APEXX SE, click here.

Watch a brief introduction to the APEXX SE.

Download the APEXX SE spec sheet.

See why DE‘s Editors selected the BOXX APEXX Special Edition workstation as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.