LostCircuits rarely posts articles, but when they do, they usually have a very comprehensive article. Their latest content is about an 8-way monster from Intel and they have a pretty good look at this system. Expand to read the conclusion...Final Thoughts
Eight cores on two processor packages or four dies and all of that in a single system. Needless to say that all components are standard shelf parts that can be purchased at any major computer part retailer. So what in the world has happened to good old computing as in emails and typewriter substitute?
The answer to that question is actually relatively simple, we are living more and more in the digital age, where content creation is taken for granted, whether it is good or bad content, doesn’t even matter, it is essentially the fact that it is available and, because of the ease of its creation, it becomes disposable. As somewhat of an oldtimer in the computing scene, it is hard to appreciate the fact that there is no more collection of files, everything is available somewhere somehow and even if the quality is a tad degraded, who cares, it is like reading a paperback instead of a hard-cover. Well, that gets a bit off topic but really what it comes down to is how fast can we create disposable digital media and does it matter whether we have to do it over again? With the system at hand, the answer is a clear no, just power it up, pay the electric bill and let her rip. In so far, the “Octopussy” system we reviewed here is possibly the penultimate cruncher for DVDs, MP3s and whatnot.
On the other side of the fence are the designers, using the same tools to create a digital reality in the first place in the form of CGIs. Time is money in that business and that alone justifies the use of extended numbers of cores, as long as the software supports them. Then there are the “other” designers, those who are running simulations of hardware designs, whether it is silicon or plastic or metal works or the simulation of thermals in complex designs of hybrid materials. Even though we did not run any of these simulations as benchmarks, this field is huge since machines are getting ever more complex and efficient at any task and it is a matter of time until the last human “idiot savant” who has a “feeling” for one or the other technology will have to submit to the growing power of electronic data crunching. The “Octopussy” is just another milestone on that path.
All of this said and done, during the time we were working on this article, an important decision was made at Intel to no longer really support the FBDIMM architecture except for use in ultra high-end servers. Power issues were the primarily cited factor in this decision. For my own part, I probably won’t miss them but if history has taught me something, it’ll be another 5 years and then we will see the next iteration of the same concept. This is not meant to say that the FBDIMM is fundamentally bad, it is just not good enough from a power and cost perspective to compete in a market where pennies on any item are escalated to multimillion $ cost over head or savings in the grand picture.
To finally come to the end of this article, it’s been fun working with this “Octopussy” and see what she can do. And that’s still what it all comes down to.
A friend sent me the link from Geek.com BLURB post about the new processor from Intel, Intel® Xeon® 3230 that overclocks well. Not that I am surpised about it, but I thought the comments are really informative. Check it out...BLURB
Let's skip past all the niceties and just cut to the chase on this one. Intel is prepping a Barcelona response, and it looks to be amazing. The processor is a Xeon 3230, which is of the 65 nm Clovertown variety. It is officially spec'd to see 2.66GHz with a 1.066GHz FSB, up one step from the 2.4GHz Xeon 3220. However, the tester of this quad-core machine was able to get it to boot into Windows at 3.4GHz with a 1.67GHz FSB. It would POST at 3.8GHz with a 1.7GHz FSB, using memory timings of 3-3-3-5 on DDR2 800 at 2.25V. No kidding! SiSoft's Sandra saw a memory benchmark int he 8.7GB/s range.
Imagine a quad-core machine with such high overclocking potential on unreleased silicon--especially in the Xeon lineup. Quite an impressive demonstration of manufacturing prowess.
Read more and see a CPU-Z screen shot at The Inquirer, and post your thoughts below.
It's a slow news day today so I am just sharing a preview done by XBitLabs on the "V8" platform (isn't it annoying that AMD have a "FASN8"). Anyway, XBitLabs are impressed with the performance. But if you are a regular FanBoy TechWeb visitor, you'll know that I have done a quick benching of this system for quite some time already. I first post about Clovertown 2xQuad-Core (total of 8 cores) here and posted initial benchmark here. Expand to read the article from XBitLabs...Conclusion
Our experience with Intel V8 platform made an unforgettable impression. The obtained benchmark results are so high that we do not hesitate to call it the today’s world’s fastest system for multi-threaded work. This desktop and workstation platform with two quad-core Xeon processors demonstrates unattainable performance in all SMP optimized applications.
However, everything we have just said is true mostly because there are no other eight-core systems in the market today that could compete with Intel V8. Therefore, when the new AMD FASN8 with quad-core CPUs on K10 micro-architecture comes out, situation may change. Especially, since Intel V8 has a few disadvantages originating from its server roots.
First of all, the FB DDR2 memory subsystem in the eight-core monster from Intel is implemented in not the most optimal way. Its latency is too high, which affects the system performance in some widespread applications. Secondly, i5000X based workstation mainboards used for Intel V8 systems cannot suit enthusiasts in the best possible way. They have a lot of functions that no enthusiasts will ever use, but at the same time offer nothing for processor overclocking. And thirdly, Intel V8 platform limits the user’s ability to create a high-performance video subsystem. There are very few mainboards on i5000X chipset that offer slots for two graphics cards, but even they do not allow to use SLI and Crossfire configurations in full power, only as PCI Express x16 + PCI Express x4.
That is why before we make any final conclusions about the future of Intel V8 platform as a great eight-core solution for enthusiasts, we would like to wait a little bit until we get a chance to test the AMD FASN8 platform featuring two next-generation quad-core processors. New Phenom FX CPUs (known under Agena FX codename) are expected to arrive in Q3 2007, so there is not much waiting left. Besides, from what we know already we can say that AMD Quad FX as well as the upcoming FASN8 will be more enthusiast-friendly judging by their features.
Anyway, we will be able to dot all i’s only when we get our hands on the new competitor in this segment, and right now Intel V8 deserves the laurels of an ultimate leader.
I saw this posted over at XS and I figure it's worth letting you guys know as well. This Intel® Core™-based Intel® Xeon® X3200 series processors are really great quad core processors, and in my experience and testing, they are a lot better than Intel® Core™ 2 Quad in terms of voltage and temperature. If you haven't seen it yet, you may want to check out my Article: The Little Intel® Xeon® X3210 that could!. Expand to read more...The Xeon DP X3210 s775 is emerging and available at some places for awesome prices. Remember: Q6600 price cuts aren't too far off
EU:
http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/150359/Intel-Xeon-X3210-(S775-4x-2.13GHz-8MB-1066MHz-FSB-Boxed)-prijzen.html
http://geizhals.at/eu/a238093.html
US
http://www.google.com/products?q=X3210&btnG=Search+Products&scoring=p&sa=N&start=10
This is just so awesome, an embedded quad core, wow, just wow. Intel released the official info today and touted their latest Quad Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5300 series of processor. Imagine having a small powerful box with such amazing computing power, right under your fingertips. These processors ran with 1333MHz FSB, sporting the full 8MB of L2 cache. There will be two flavors of the chip, one is the Intel® Xeon® processor 5335 (2.0GHz) and the other is the Intel® Xeon® processor 5345 (2.33GHz). Check it out...Intel Marks 30 Years In Embedded Computing With Quad-Core Processor Launch
Orange County Choppers* Bring Embedded Technology to Intel-Themed Motorcycle
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE, San Jose, Calif., April 3, 2007 – Commemorating 30 years of delivering products and technology to the embedded computing market, Intel Corporation today introduced the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5300 series with extended life cycle support, the first to bring Intel architecture-based quad-core performance to the embedded segment.
The quad-core embedded processors are among the 11 quad-core products Intel has brought to market in less than 6 months. Intel also introduced the new Intel® IP Network Server NSC2U. Both new products utilize Intel's latest advanced hardware technologies, including Intel® Virtualization Technology and Intel® I/O Acceleration Technology.
Additionally, Intel marked the launch here today with the unveiling of an Intel-themed embedded technology-based motorcycle by Orange County Choppers.
"The breakthrough performance and power efficiency that characterize the industry's first quad-core processors for embedded are as unmistakable as the raw power of the four cylinders of the Intel Chopper's quad engine," said Doug Davis, vice president and general manager of Intel's Embedded and Communications Group. "This 250-horsepower chopper – designed using quad-core Intel computers – is more than just a mechanical powerhouse; it's also a marvel of embedded technology with an ultra-mobile PC powering fingerprint recognition for security and a digital dashboard with ignition control, digital gauges, cameras that replace rear-view mirrors, integrated audio and video systems, GPS navigation and wireless connectivity."
The custom-built motorcycle, launched simultaneously in the Internet-based virtual world of Second Life, celebrates 30 years of Intel's innovation and technology leadership in advancing embedded computing. In 1976, before the advent of the personal computer, Intel entered the embedded market and provided extended life cycle support for technologies, silicon and platforms that drive this industry. Intel embedded technology can be found today in automobiles, airplanes, ATMs, information kiosks, telecommunications infrastructure and network storage systems, as well as factory and medical equipment.
Intel engaged with Black Diamond Advanced Technology*, a leader in the development of ultra-mobile computing systems, to integrate the motorcycle's computerized controls and features that protect the computing system from moisture, dirt, shock and vibration and offer a computerized dashboard capable of being detached and used as a mobile PC.
"As Intel celebrates 30 years of innovation, we’ve created the most powerful and technologically advanced bike we've ever made to showcase the many ways the world benefits from Intel embedded technology," said Orange County Choppers' Paul Teutul Sr. "In fact, we were amazed to discover how much Intel technology we have in our own shop. Beyond the Intel- powered PCs and servers, we have Intel processors embedded in many of the machines and devices that help us with every build."
New Intel Products for Embedded Computing
With dual-processing capabilities providing up to eight high-performance cores per platform, the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series is available in 2.0 GHz (E5335) and 2.33 GHz (E5345) speeds. These processors are ideal for intense computing and I/O intensive workloads within high-end communications and enterprise systems, including rack-mount (1U/2U) and blade servers, NAS and SAN systems, and medical imaging equipment.
The Intel IP Network Server NSC2U, powered by two 5300 series processors, enables high I/O throughput and performance capabilities suited for a variety of network-centric applications, from security intrusion prevention to telecommunications services-over-IP (SoIP), including IMS, IPTV and Video on Demand (VoD). The NSC2U server features a ruggedized chassis, compact form factor and extended lifecycle support for the components.
The Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors E5335 and E5345 are available today starting at $690. The Intel IP Network Server NSC2U is targeted for July 2007 availability.
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Dang, I can't believe I mixed posting the Tech Link and Press Release. I guess that's what happens when you're excited with a new toy. I just got my new Globe* Visibility line activated which I used to post. Anyway, check out this Press Release and sorry for the error I posted yesterday afternoon.TYAN® ADDS QUAD CORE SUPPORT TO INTEL® SERVER / WORKSTATION SOLUTIONS FOR PERFORMANCE INCREASE, MORE EFFICIENCY
Quad Core Support adds Higher Speeds and
Performance to TYAN Motherboards with Intel® Chipsets
FREMONT, CA, November 14th, 2006 - At the advent of this year's Supercomputing 2006 event, TYAN Computer Corp., the world's leading whitebox server platform provider, announced support for the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5300 series on Tempest S5380, S5370, S5372 server motherboards and Tempest S2696, S2692 workstation motherboards.
A wide range of applications stand to benefit from the addition of Intel quad-core processor support, such as high-performance computing (HPC), digital content creation, film and media entertainment development, CAD systems, as well as bio-sciences and financial systems.
TYAN's Tempest S5380, S5370, and S5372 offer rich feature sets including support for the Intel® Xeon® 5000, 5100, and 5300 series processors, PCI Express and PCI-X, multiple gigabit network ports, SAS and SATA2 RAID options, and remote management support. The Tempest S2696 and S2692 provide additional workstation solutions to TYAN's line-up, offering multiple PCI Express slots, built-in audio and FireWire, as well as SAS and SATA2 options.
"The addition of Intel quad-core processor support to TYAN's server/workstation product family provides customers with a wide range of benefits including substantial increases in speed, performance, energy efficiency and versatility," stated Danny Hsu, Vice-President of Sales/Marketing at TYAN. "General-purpose servers and workstation customers will also enjoy up to a 50% performance jump over today's dual-core 2P Intel Xeon processor-based platforms, as well as additional virtualization headroom."
"The addition of motherboards based on Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series will provide TYAN's customers with a high-performance solution that provides superior processing power in the same power envelope of existing dual-core solutions," said Boyd Davis, general manager of Intel's server platforms group marketing.
The TYAN Tempest S5380, S5370, S5372, S2696, S2692 with Intel quad-core processor support have been sampling to select SI customers, and will reach mass availability in late Q4 of this year.
Hmm, lately I have been posting server platform than I used to. In any case, if you are interested with server platforms, you may want to check this out. Expand for more...Conclusion so far
Yes, our testing is not done. We still have to test other databases, and we are running benchmarks with Bea's JVM while you are reading this. Those benchmarks will be presented in our Clovertown - Intel's new quad core server CPU - review. In this review we focused a little more on the actual servers. So what can we conclude so far?
The Xeon 7140MP "Tulsa" is nothing less than a massive improvement over the previous Xeon 7041: it consumes less, performs a lot better (see the SPEC int/fp numbers) and is much less expensive. The new Xeon MP needs fewer optimizations than the Opteron to perform well in Java applications. Or if we look at our preliminary Bea Webrockit numbers, it performs better than the quad Opteron with a highly optimized JVM in applications with a big memory footprint (like SPECjbb2005) thanks to its massive L3 cache. In applications where the large L3 cache doesn't play a big role, the relatively poor server performance of the "NetBurst" architecture becomes visible again: our MySQL benchmark runs a lot better on the AMD Opteron and Intel's newest Core architecture Xeons. Power consumption is still rather high though, and the HP Opteron server consumed over 230W less.
In a nutshell, the new Xeon MP will have a hard time convincing people who are leaning towards an Opteron server or want the best performance/watt. But on the other hand, the decent performance and superior RAS features will keep the customers who desire high availability in the Intel camp, while the previous Xeon MP was such a poor performer that many people had no other choice than the AMD Opteron in the quad socket market.
When "High-end RAS" is less important, the excellent performance of the Xeon 5160 based Supermicro 6015 server shows how much potential the Xeon DP "Clovertown" has. Clovertown is nothing more than two Xeon DP 51xx on one chip, but it could give our quad monsters a hard time. You will find out more very soon....
I am not in the mood today, but that doesn't mean I am not going to post some really juicy bits. FCG grab hold of a really neat toy, a server CPU but base on Socket T/LGA775 so it fits nicely on regular desktop board.If you haven't heard by now, Intel will be releasing a Socket T (LGA775) quad-core Xeon during Q1 2007. This chip will be identical to the Kentsfield, save the name string, and the dual processor (DP) ready Clovertown except for one small difference. Binning. Expect the Xeon flavored "Kentsfields" to run cooler and with less voltage than their desktop system brotheren.
Here's the expected lineup:
X3210 - 2.13GHz, 2x4MB L2, 1066MHz FSB
X3220 - 2.40GHz, 2x4MB L2, 1066Mhz FSB
X3230 - 2.66GHz, 2x4MB L2, 1066MHz FSB
X3240 - 3.00GHz, 2x4MB L2, 1333MHz FSB
Price should be very similar to Kentsfield, where the X3220 is the equivalent of the Q6600 and the X3230 matches the QX6700. As you can see, these CPUs are the newer B3 stepping. Expect this to be the retail revision when these particular CPUs appear for sale in early 2007.
Here's what CPU-Z shows for the X3220 running on my watercooled Asus P5B. Although this screen shot shows a modest 400FSB I've had no problems with 450x8 with this combination. I prefer to run the lower FSB though as I can use a 4:5 memory divider to reach DDR-1000 quite easily.
Whether the topic is on the desktop computing, laptop computing or server computing, rest assure that Intel's great processor and chipset uA is the best. In this review, THG puts Woodcrest head to head with the competition and comes out the big winner. Expand to check out the conclusion...The Woodcrest platform performed very well, exceeding our initial expectations. It is the fastest in all of the tests and completely dominates our benchmarks. The new Xeon 5100 series helps Intel to get back on track, providing class-leading server/workstation processors. The now older 5000-series (Dempsey) Xeon, based on the Netburst architecture, is often last in the competition and merely serves as a point of reference in our tests.
Intel has retaken the throne from AMD in the server/workstation sector and sent AMD back to the drawing board. Next month Intel will release the quad core Clovertown CPU with 2 combined Woodcrest cores. AMD is ready for this threat with the introduction of their X4 Opteron, which is reported to have a L3 cache. Servers will benefit more from these quad core processors than desktop users due to the limited deployment of multithreaded-capable applications in the desktop sector in comparison to the server sector.
In mid-2007 AMD is expected to answer Intel's new threat with a line of faster Opterons utilizing the new Socket F, as well as support for DDR2 memory. Whether or not this will be enough to regain the performance lead has yet to be seen, but with no major architectural changes, it is expected that Intel will still retain the overall better performance per watt status.
In all, both platforms perform quite well, but the nod goes to the Xeon 5100 series for its superior performance and greater efficiency.
AMDTech puts out a new information on the brand spanking new server processors with four cores. I am not really sure I am going to use all this power, but suffice it to say, that my FanBoyism knows no bounds and the AMDroids can only wish that they will have something to go against this monster. Expand for more and drool over.."Kentsfield" and "Clovertown" Xeons around the corner
Intel is planning to release quad-core Kentsfield based Xeon 3000 seriesprocessors. The new Xeon X3220 and X3210 processors will be identical to the recently named Intel Core 2 Quadro processors and share the same Kentsfield core.
There will be no architectural or socket differences between desktop Core 2 Quadro and Xeon X3000 series processors, with the exception of product placement and marketing. The new Xeon X3220 and X3210 processors will arrive clocked at 2.4 and 2.13 GHz with a 1066 MHz front-side bus respectively. Both Kentsfield Xeon X3000 processors will feature 8MB of L2 cache. Expect the Intel Xeon X3220 and X3210 to arrive in Q1’07 for $851 and $690 in 1,000-unit lots.
AMDTech Head Honcho, Anand Lame Shimpi, whips out a review of Apple's* Mac Pro platform. While I am not interested with all his blabberings, I find it rather interesting that he tested a Clovertown on this baby and it works right out of the bat: wowzy!We grabbed a pair of 2.4GHz Clovertown samples and tossed them in the system, and to our pleasure, they worked just fine. Our samples used a 1066MHz FSB, although we're expecting the final chip to use a 1333MHz FSB, but the most important part of the test is that all 8 cores were detected and functional.
Weeks have passed since Apple's announcement of the Mac Pro, and while we wanted to conclude our look at the Mac Pro much earlier, like many Mac Pro users we ran into some serious performance issues under Windows XP.
With the Mac Pro performance issues resolved and some more time with the system under our belts, we're able to bring you the final part in our Mac Pro coverage. This time we're focusing on upgrading the memory and CPUs in the Mac Pro, as well as looking at its performance as a PC running Windows XP.
As a high end Xeon based machine that can run both Mac OS X and Windows XP, the Mac Pro has the potential to be the power user's dream. Today our task is to find out just how upgradable this machine is and how well it runs XP, if it can truly be your only system if you're a Mac and PC user.
FanBoyz, ready, set, go and start salivating. Get a napkin to wipe off that drool too. This isn't just good on paper print out, nor is it any nice Powerpoint* file with pretty graphics. From the looks of it, this is the real thing! As early as this week, I have seen two instances of Clovertown in action. Expand for more..
There has been lots of coverage with the new launch of Intel server processors codenamed Tulsa. This is really nice, scalable up to 32-way capable, massive 16MB L3 cache and broke several world record benchmarks such as SPECjbb™2005* and TPC™-H*. Expand for more...New High-End Intel® Server Processors Expand Performance Leadership
Dual-Core Intel Xeon® processor 7100 series Intro Continues ‘Summer of Servers’ Push
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 29, 2006 – Intel Corporation today unveiled eight new Dual-Core Intel Xeon® 7100 series processors designed for multi-processor servers. Previously codenamed “Tulsa,” the Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 7100 series delivers on key requirements to support the demands of enterprise applications: top performance and reliability. The processor family also includes lower-power, 95 watt options that reduce associated energy costs.
The Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7100 processor series offers up to twice the performance1 and nearly three times better performance per watt2 over previous Intel Xeon MP processors, boasts greater performance headroom than competitive offerings and delivers the reliability and scalability Intel-based servers are known for throughout the industry. These processors are also socket compatible with the currently shipping platform, speeding deployment and reducing qualification costs and validation times.
Using the SPECjbb™2005* benchmark, the Fujitsu-Siemens PRIMERGY RX630 S3* server based on the Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7140M processor broke the previous record with a score of 178,201 business operations per second.3
A Dell PowerEdge 6800* server based on the Dual-Core Intel Xeon processor 71400M smashed another world record by scoring 16,320 QphH4 using the TPC™-H* benchmark, which measures database performance.
Servers based on these platforms are an excellent choice for server consolidation—particularly in virtualised environments—and for running demanding enterprise workloads such as database, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and e-commerce applications. Servers based on the Dual-Core Xeon 7100 series processors are expected to be available from more than 40 system manufacturers worldwide starting today.
“Today's introduction continues an historic 'summer of servers' for Intel where we have now delivered a record 23 new processors in three market segments in less than 100 days,” said Tom Kilroy, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group. “The Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series is the best choice for demanding enterprise workloads based on new world record benchmarks, significantly outperforming the industry in key areas while not compromising on the reliability and investment protection that is so critical.”
Built on Intel’s industry leading 65nm manufacturing process, the Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7100 series processors boast more than 1.3 billion transistors and 16MB of shared cache in an innovative architecture that features Intel® Cache Safe Technology for optimal reliability. Systems scaling to 32 processors will be available.
The Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series feature numerous Intel-led innovations that enhance datacenter effectiveness including Intel® Virtualization Technology (originally introduced last year) that can help lower the total cost of ownership by assisting with consolidation of different software applications.
“Dell is focused on extending its leadership in server price-performance and performance per watt, while delivering enterprise solutions that reduce complexity. This combination is helping our customers turn their IT operations from a cost center to a competitive advantage.” said Neil Hand, vice president of worldwide enterprise marketing, Dell Product Group. “The improvements in performance and power consumption in our PowerEdge* 6800 and 6850 with Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series give our customers an advantage in running their business-critical database and enterprise applications and continue Dell’s drive to deliver the most robust enterprise products in the industry.”
“With the Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 Series on HP servers, customers can benefit from industry-leading performance delivered through a balanced system architecture and leading infrastructure management tools,” said Paul Miller, vice president, marketing, Industry Standard Servers and HP BladeSystem. “With a nearly 62 percent performance gain over previous models, the new platforms are ideal for virtualization and maximizing the performance of business-critical applications.”
“In collaboration with Intel, IBM has set the standard for commercial processing performance with its System x* servers based on IBM X3* Architecture,” said Susan Whitney, general manager, IBM System x. “IBM continues to drive x86 performance leadership with its X3 Architecture and enables a uniquely scalable x86 platform as demonstrated by our top benchmark result for System x3950 in an SAP landscape. We look forward to expanding our System x portfolio with the Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series to offer clients unparalleled performance for their most demanding enterprise resource planning, database processing and server consolidation needs.”
IBM has posted its 100th number-one benchmark result with an IBM System x3950* 8-processor score of 3,350 SAP SD Benchmark users on the two-tier SAP® Sales and Distribution (SD)* Standard Application Benchmark.5
The Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series is compatible with the existing Intel® E8501 chipset that was introduced last year and designed for dual-core processors. The 95 watt dual core option offers up to 40 percent less power consumption than the previous generation processor, providing increased power efficiency and lower energy costs.
Intel’s 65nm ramp is proceeding extremely well with production already exceeding the company’s total 90nm volume. This manufacturing ramp is enabling Intel to drive a fast Dual-Core Xeon Processor 7100 series ramp. Intel’s manufacturing strength has allowed it to substantially revise prices for higher end Intel Xeon Processors delivering new levels of price/performance.
Supporting the Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 7100 series are the 4-Processor Intel® SR4850HW4x and SR6850HW4x server systems offering outstanding performance gains, and providing an optimal fit for database, ERP, enterprise class computing. For more details on the performance characteristics of the Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processor 7100 series please visit Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 7000 Series Server Performance.
Pricing
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7140M processor
3.40GHz 16MB 800MHz
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7140N processor
3.33GHz 16MB 667MHz $1,980.00
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7130M processor
3.20GHz 8MB 800MHz
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7130N processor
3.16GHz 8MB 667MHz $1,391.00
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7120M processor
3.GHz 4Mb 800MHz
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7120N processor
3.GHz 4MB 667MHz $1,177.00
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7110M processor
2.60GHz 4MB 800MHz
Dual-Core Intel Xeon 7110N processor
2.50GHz 4MB 667MHz
Several weeks ago, I posted an article regarding Woodcrest's performance that is currently posted over at THG. AMDTech followed suit and did their own benchmarking. They have thrown many tests, and, it looks like the folks at AMDTech are also having a change of heart, though I wouldn't trust these guys, specially their founder. If you fancy their style of review, go take a gander and expand this article...For the past two years Intel has been holding workshops in Oregon, where they invite a few of the hardware sites to view their upcoming technology. In May of this year, AnandTech made their way up to Oregon to have a look at Woodcrest. While we were there we were presented with the normal marketing hoorah, what product launch is without that? But we also had some quite interesting presentations like Virtualization, and where Intel sees that market going (it's going sky-high for those that haven't been keeping up with it).
While in Oregon, we also took a look at a running Clovertown machine. Clovertown is the code name for Intel's quad-core chip, which is coming out in early 2007. It will be a drop-in part to most Woodcrest systems, running at 1066MHz FSB. How's that for upgradeability: 4-way to 8-way in under 20 minutes (your mileage may vary).
The folks at GamePC, one of my trusted site, got themselves busy running two Chipzilla server platforms. They seem pretty enthusiastic about this new platforms, I don't know, it could be just a FanBoyism in me kicking in or they are truly excited about this product. Decide for yourself, expand this news article, and take a gander.Within the last two months, Intel has whipped their sagging Xeon product lineup into shape through a combination of new processor cores, new chipsets, new memory technologies, and generally a new approach at looking at the workstation and server markets. With their 5000-series and 5100-series processors delivering performance on par (and in many cases better) compared to AMD's Opteron processor lineup, the Xeon looks primed for a major comeback with high-end workstation users throughout 2006. The Opteron has dominated this field for quite a while now, but Xeon platforms have become much more attractive with Intel's new "Woodcrest" based Xeons, the use of high-bandwidth memory modules, and a series of new chipsets.
Woodcrest has been making big splashes lately. For the un-initiated, Woodcrest is the codename for an Intel® Xeon® processor based on Intel® Core™ uA. If you are still clueless, think of it as an uber Intel® Core® 2 Duo, or Conroe. It packs a whooping processing power, sure to make your drool glands overflow in no time. Expand to read on more about the article..Intel is on the verge of their first major architecture change in the last five years. Within the next several weeks, Intel will be replacing their current desktop, gaming, workstation, and server processors with newer models based on their heavily hyped "Core" architecture. "Core" is the replacement architecture for Intel's "Netburst" architecture which was the basis of the Pentium-4, Pentium-D, Pentium Extreme Edition and (most) modern Xeon processors. Many are calling this massive change the largest single paradigm shift in Intel's 38 year history, as the company is moving away from raw clock speeds and performance at all costs to providing more balanced solutions along with "platforms" of multiple components bundled together.
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 26, 2006 — Supermicro Computer, Inc., a leader in high-quality servers, chassis and serverboards, today announced the immediate availability of more than thirty X7 server platforms based on Intel’s newest Dual-Core Xeon 5100 series processors (codenamed Woodcrest). System-level breakthroughs in design, energy efficiency and thermal reliability now enable greater versatility and a correspondingly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than previous Xeon generations.
THG has a quite a mouthful of write-up regarding Woodcrest's performance. They benchmarked it against the competition (fastest CPU from A*) and the results, are, great. I can already imagine how AMDroids will complain about the difference in clock speed, heck, I don't have time to bash them about it now.Today marks a turning point for Intel. Despite of good overall profit and great headlines on advances in manufacturing, the firm has had to suffer from tremendous criticizm over the last 18 months. When compared to AMD processors, the Pentium and Xeon lines were regularly given a beating and are well known for their disproportional energy hunger. It was a matter of time until these drawbacks had to reflect on market shares and as this happened, stockholders certainly weren't leaping for joy. Intel had to leap ahead, quickly.
The Intel Xeon 5160, a.k.a. Woodcrest, will simply be the most powerful server CPU this year (though it's not yet available for purchase of course). As our extrapolated calculations show, even a 2.6 GHz Woodcrest will outperform the current Opteron 285 with a 5 to 55% margin, nothing short of impressive. The new Xeon is however not invincible: the Opteron can still give some serious resistance when running some instruction mixes with lots of rotates, add-carry or load effective address instructions. RSA, AES and other benchmarks clearly show this. Intel will still have to convince some software vendors to port to SSE if it wants Woodcrest to be the completely superior CPU. The advantage in MySQL is also rather small, a result of the relatively high latency of the FB-DIMMs. But we are nitpicking: Intel's newest Xeon has taken back the performance/Watt crown. In one word: Woodcrest rocks!
