Features of the Intel Xeon Processor
by David Weedmark, Demand MediaIntel has been making Xeon processors since 1998. As of February 2011, the three series of Intel Xeon processors include the 3000, 5000 and 7000 series. Each of these has its own sub-series, with new models being released about every year. Xeon processors are used in servers primarily, but the W3500 and W3600 of the Xeon 3000 Series processors are also designed for use in high-end workstations.
7000 Series
Intel Xeon 7000 Series processors are designed for servers. The 2011 model is the 7100, which can handle up to four operating system threads at the same time. Threads can be run independently, which means a server with four processors can run 16 threads simultaneously. The 7100 is a 64-bit processor. It can operate at speeds up to 3.4GHz (800MHz front side bus), and has up to 16MB of L3 cache.
5000 Series
The last edition of the Intel Xeon 5000 Series is the 5600, released in 2010. It utilizes 32nm technology, which automatically adjusts server performance and regulates power consumption. The 5600 processors range from 1.8GHz to 3.33GHz. All 5600 processors have 12MB of L3 cache, and include Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) providing hardware-based protection to system attacks by malicious software. Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI) provides faster and more secure transactions than previous processors.
3000 Server Series
The Intel Xeon 3000 Series for servers includes the 3400, designed for entry-level servers. The processors use DDR3 memory with Error Correcting Code (ECC) supported up to 1333MHz . Memory can be configured with up to six registered ECC DIMM's and up to four registered or unregistered (ECC inactive). An integrated PCI-Express serial I/O technology allows a direct link from the processor to PCI-Express adapters with up to 8GB/s bandwidth, resulting in low latency and faster speed than PCI or PCI-X adapters.
3000 Workstation Series
The Intel Xeon 3000 Series for workstations includes the W3500 and W3600 processors. These processors, like the server series, also use DDR3 memory with Error Correcting Code (ECC) supported up to 1333MHz, to monitor and correct memory errors, and correct them. These are designed for single processor workstations requiring high processing power, including engineering, finance and those creating digital content. They support 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems and applications. Processors range from 2.26MHz to 3.33GHz, and include from 2MB to 12MB L3 cache, depending on the model.
