Intel Unleashes Quad-Core Chips for Multi-Processor Servers

by Anton Shilov
09/06/2007 | 10:04 PM

As projected, Intel Corp. on Wednesday unveiled the much anticipated quad-core Intel Xeon processors for multi-processor (MP) servers and workstations, days ahead of its smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices. The new chips not only bring the power of sixteen processing engines into a four-socket machine, but also take Intel’s latest Core 2 micro-architecture to a new market of mission critical machines.

“Intel Xeon-based multi-processor servers are the backbone of the enterprise. With the Xeon 7300 series, Intel is delivering new levels of performance and performance per watt, and driving the Intel Core micro-architecture into such innovative systems as four-socket, 16-core blades that use less energy than our older models. It’s simply amazing,” said Tom Kilroy, Intel vice president and co-general manager of the digital enterprise group.

The new chips code-named Tigerton require new platform code-named Caneland, which is based on Intel 7300 core-logic. The new chipset features four so-called Dedicated High Speed Interconnects (DHSI), the technology also referred to as quad independent processor busses, running at 1066 MHz. In addition, the new MP server core-logic features 64MB snoop filter to optimize data transfers between microprocessors’ caches as well as four fully-buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) channels with up to 8GB/s bandwidth per each one.

Intel claims that quad independent processor busses provide a significant bandwidth improvement for microprocessors compared to previous-generation platforms. For example, in case of Intel E8500 chipset-based four socket machine, two dual-core microprocessors are connected to the same 800MHz/64-bit bus, meaning that every processing engine has 1.60GB/s of bandwidth, much less than processing cores of current dual-core microprocessors for 2P servers (up to 5.3GB/s), and also less than each processing engine gets in case of quad-core chips-based 2P machine (2.67GB/s). The new server platform will provide 8.5GB/s bandwidth per socket, meaning that each of sixteen processing engines per 4P system will get 2.1GB of bandwidth per second in the most complex scenario.

The Intel Xeon 7300 series processors family includes frequencies up to 2.93GHz at 130W, several 80W processors and a 50W version optimized for four socket blades and high-density rack form factors with a frequency of 1.86GHz.

Starting today, servers based on the Xeon 7300 series processors are expected to be announced by more than 50 system manufacturers, including Dell, Egenera, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Sun, Supermicro, and Unisys.

Pricing of these new quad-core processors depends on the speeds, features and amount ordered, and ranges from $856 to $2301 in quantities of 1000.

Currently the family on Intel Xeon MP microprocessors based on the Intel Core micro-architecture includes the following models:

• Intel Xeon X7350: four processing cores, 2.93GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 8MB L2 cache (4MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 130W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $2301.
• Intel Xeon E7340: four processing cores, 2.40GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 8MB L2 cache (4MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 80W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $1980.
• Intel Xeon E7330: four processing cores, 2.40GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 6MB L2 cache (3MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 80W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $1391.
• Intel Xeon E7320: four processing cores, 2.13GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 4MB L2 cache (2MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 80W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $1177.
• Intel Xeon E7310: four processing cores, 1.60GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 4MB L2 cache (2MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 80W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $856.
• Intel Xeon L7345: four processing cores, 1.86GHz, 16KB (data) L1 cache, 8MB L2 cache (4MB per core pair), 1066MHz QPB, 50W TDP. Pricing in 1000-unit quantities: $2301.