14 DAY TRIAL // Destined to take the place of the company's current top-end server processors, the Xeon E7 CPU line which features six, eight and ten-core models is expected to be officially launched on April 4, according to some leaked documents that have reached the Web.
The Xeon E7 CPU line is based on the Westmere-EX architecture and features models with up to 10 processing cores and as much as 30MB of L3 cache shared between all cores.
All of them carry Hyper-Threading, Turbo Boost as well as support for 32GB memory modules and for low-power DIMMs, allowing 4-socket Westmere-EX machines to have up to 2TB of memory.
In addition, the processors can integrate as much as four Quick Path Interconnect links and two memory controllers, raising the number of available memory channels to four.
Starting with the six-core models, these are dubbed the Xeon E7-2803 and the Xeon E7-4807, the first one being clocked at 1.73GHz and carrying a 105W TDP while the latter operates at 1.86GHz and has a TDP of 95W.
Both pack 18MB of L3 cache and a 4.8GT/s Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) link.
Next in line are the four eight-core CPUs, the E7-2820 and E7-4820 working at 2GHz and supporting 18MB of L3 cache while the E7-2830 and E7-4830 come with 24MB of L3 cache and operate at 2.13GHz.
The rest of the lineup is comprised of 10-core CPUs, which work at speeds between 2GHz and 2.4GHz, while the L3 cache memory is rated at 24MB or 30MB, depending on the model.
A 10-core Westemere-EX processor is also available, dubbed the Xeon E7-8867L, which features a 105W TDP.
According to CPU-World, these new chips are more energy efficient than their Xeon 7500-series counterparts while also featuring more processing power.
The E7 chips will be socket compatible with Intel's Xeon 7500 processors, greatly simplifying the transition process.
