Intel quad-core Xeon 5300 review

Xeon 5300

An imposing obstacle when developing a quad-core processor is energy usage. As of late energy usage has become an important topic in reference to servers, but since the Clovertown was meant to fit in the same platform as its predecessor Woodcrest, it became doubly important to ensure that the new quad-core CPU’s stayed within the same power range as the Woodcrest

The Clovertown chips will be released as the 5300-range within Intel’s Xeon DP segment. There are four different models: first off the Xeon E5310, which will run at 1.6 GHz with a FSB of 1066 MHz. The second model is the Xeon E5320 with a clock frequency of 1.86 GHz and an FSB of 1066 MHz. The processor that we’ll be discussing in this article is the Xeon E5345, running at 2.33 GHz and an FSB of 1333 MHz. All these models have a TDP of 80 Watt, which is equal to that of the fastest dual-core, the Xeon 5160.

The fourth version of the Clovertown is the Xeon X5355, but this model is purely meant to be used in workstations and is not meant for servers. This processor has a clock frequency of 2.66 GHz with an FSB of 1333 MHz and is the only processor in the Xeon DP range with a maximum power usage of 120 Watt. The higher TDP is the main reason why this processor won’t be utilized in servers. Intel is marketing the Xeon X5355 as a sort of “Extreme series” just like it has done in the past for the desktop market.

Intel is using an aggressive pricing strategy to proliferate the integration of its new quad-core Xeon DP processors into the server market. The new E5310 will cost about the same as the existing 5140. The E5320 is comparably priced to the 5150 and the same goes for the E5345 and the 5160. The table above shows the pricing strategy in more detail.