14 DAY TRIAL // Intel's central processing units are making the news again, only this time it is the server line that is getting attention instead of the oft discussed Ivy Bridge series.
Yet again, Digitimes has provided some information that may or may not be completely valid, but chances are it is in this case.
The report published here deals with Intel's upcoming collection of server processing units.
This extends to more than the Xeon E5 series, which people have known about for months and even saw in action at CES 2012, albeit in an unexpected type of system.
Despite being a processor meant for servers, it was used to make and demo a LAN party computer.
That said, according to the new rumor, the first wave of Xeon E5 chip will debut in March 2012.
15 models will be unleashed, for starters, as options for single-socket and dual-socket systems based on the Romley-EP platform.
The so-called “weakest” CPU will be the quad-core Xeon E5-2603, at 1.8 GHz. Its bulk price is $202 / 151 Euro.
The strongest is the eight-core 2.9 GHz Xeon E5-2690, whose own price, when sold in bulk quantities, will be of $2,057 / 1.535.99 Euro.
Overall, the 32nm, Sandy Bridge-based E5-2600 line will cover the mid-range workstation and server segment, with up to 20 MB of cache memory.
Furthermore, besides the E5-2600, there will be E5-2400 parts, with prices of $192 / 143 Euro to $1,440 / 1,075 Euro.
Some Itanium server chips should be launched at around the same time as the above.
As for the later months, the Santa Clara, California-based company plans to bring out four-socket Romley-EN server platforms.
On a related note, for those more preoccupied with consumer products, the Intel Core i7-3820 was overclocked to 5.666 GHz and there is even some recent info on the Ivy Bridge CPU die.