Thread: Intel Xeon processor

Server-class processor need all the power they can get, and then some. Intel's new line of Nehalem based Xeon processors promise to shake up the server segment from top to bottom.

The Nehalem microarchitecture has the memory controller on the CPU, similar to what AMOs processors have had for quite some time. However, the improvements in this microarchitecture go beyond a simple catching up with AMD. A significant difference between the desktop Core i7 processors and the new Xeons is the presence of a direct link between multiple CPUs on these processors. This means that physically distinct CPUs can communicate directly with each other over this link. Each Xeon X5770 has 4 physical cores, but the OS sees this at eight cores. Intel sent us a complete server system for this review, with a fairly high-end configuration.



Two Xeon X5570 processors were paired with 24 GB of DDR-3 ECC RAM running at 1,333 Mhz inside a Asus RS700-E6 1 U server. This kind of configuration was rather difficult to test, since most of our benchmarks top out at a memory usage of 3-4 GB, with nothing going all the way to 24 GB. However, in all the CPU benchmarks, these Xeons set new records, just like their desktop brethren. In the CineBench multi-core test, the Xeons scored 27,511. The multi-threaded nature of the test maxed out all 16 logical cores. Various other tests confirmed this.

The new processors are quite expensive, but will pay for themselves in applications that require high speed. If your current servers are running out of steam, a Nehalem Xeon might lie in your future.