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Intel Corp. on Monday rolled out a host of new Xeon microprocessors and chip sets, and OEMs are following with new workstations based on the technology.
Among the rollouts are four new Xeon processors for two-way servers and workstations at speeds of 2GHz, 2.4GHz, 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz, all with a 533 MHz front-side bus for between $198 and $455. The processors also feature hyperthreading, which Intel says can boost system performance by enabling a single chip to work as two virtual chips.
“This is a fairly large bump in the broadening of the Xeon processor,” Richard Dracott, group director for Intels Enterprise Platforms Group, said in a conference call from N.Y.
The Santa Clara, Calif., chip maker also launched three new chip sets, including the E7501 for two-way servers, the E7505 for two-way workstations and the E7205 for single-processor, entry-level workstations that are based on Intels Pentium 4 chip.
The workstation chip sets support USB 2.0 connectivity and include an AGP 8x graphics interface built into their memory hubs, which the company says reduces latency. All three chip sets also use DDR (dual-channel dynamic data rate) memory, while the E7501 and E7505 both support 64-bit PCI-X I/O connectivity.
Intel also introduced five new server platforms based on the new technology, which OEMs can use when developing Intel-based servers and workstations.
Dracott said the announcements represented the largest enterprise product launch in Intels history.
Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Computer Corp. on Monday both rolled out new workstations based partly on the Intel chip sets.
HP, of Palo Alto, Calif., unveiled the mid-range xw5000 workstation using the E7205 chip set, and the xw6000, featuring the E7505.
Dell, of Round Rock, Texas, rolled out the Precision 650 and 450 workstations using the E7505. The 450 is aimed at users who are constrained in the amount of space they can use—such as those clustering applications—while the 650 is targeted at users who need to expand their graphics and storage abilities, the company said.
Both include the options for single or dual Xeon processors and integrated Intel Pro 64-bit Gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0 capabilities.
The 450 starts at $1,599, while the 650 starts at $1,899.