Intel quad-core Xeons: why?
On a recent trip to Intel's U.K. H.Q. in Swindon, HEXUS spoke with Dimitrios Ziakas, an Intel business solutions specialist, and had a chance to chew the fat concerning Intel's quad-core Xeon processors.HEXUS: - Dimitrios, last year Intel rolled out quad-core Xeons for the server/workstation market, but with dual-core Woodcrests doing so well, what was the impetus for releasing the quad-core parts so quickly afterwards?
DZ: Quad-core Xeons offer Intel a unique advantage by utilising four cores that leverage the strengths of the Intel Core microarchitecture to provide a power-efficient design in one package. Quad-core Xeons are also socket-compatible with most current dual-core Woodcrests motherboards and, therefore, Intel is providing an easy upgrade path for customers that want to maximise performance and efficiency.
HEXUS: Now, with four cores on a single package, have you seen customers opt for more single-socket boxes, or is there still significant demand for dual-socket platforms?
DZ: Demand for dual-socket boxes is still very high. However, there remain significant differences between single- and dual-socket platforms. These range from reliability features to the actual design of the platforms, along with enhanced management features. Therefore, enterprise customers still relate to the dual-socket platforms which can offer an eight-core setup from a single board.
HEXUS: Speaking of the architecture of Intel's quad-core Xeons, and with four cores sharing one package and communicating to the system via a single Front-Side Bus, do bandwidth implications impact upon performance?
DZ: Clarifying the architecture, the Intel quad-core Xeons are dual, dual-core processors - meaning dual Woodcrests - in one physical package, with two sets of dual-cores connected up the system via dedicated FSBs, if used on a 2P platform. However, due to the large cache levels and design efficiencies present in the Intel Core microarchitecture - particularly in bus-addressing - the quad-core Xeon design is very efficient at memory pre-fetching and eliminating problems associated with bandwidth. To answer your question, Intel is content that the present architecture works well.
HEXUS: Just this month Intel introduced another range of quad-core Xeons, based on the Kentsfield core. Can you highlight the differences between these processors and the Clovertown-based quad-core 5300-series Xeons?
DZ: The Kentsfield-derived Intel quad-core Xeons - the 3200-series - are designed for single-socket server/workstation platforms only. This SKU is geared towards the value end of the market. Typical applications on these kind of servers may include file and print services, and smaller businesses may choose an Intel Xeon 3200-series processor for its inherent value. The introduction of a value Intel quad-core Xeon processor, we feel, covers the entire market spectrum
HEXUS: So - and we kind of know how you will answer this one - what's the uptake been like for Intel's quad-core Xeon processors?
DZ: The enterprise sector has recognised that quad-core Xeons are a natural extension of Intel's present dual-core server processors, such that many customers already have validated Woodcrest platforms and, generally speaking, with Intel's quad-core Xeons a drop-in upgrade in most cases, there's an opportunity to gain greater performance from a single platform via a processor upgrade.
HEXUS: What kind of markets and applications see the greatest benefit of switching to Intel's quad-core Xeon processors?
DZ: Obviously, applications in any field that are heavily multi-threaded, or, in the case of servers, where there's a need to execute multiple batches. Practically every market has applications that can benefit from quad-core processing, from video-encoding to financial analytics, but software designers will play a pivotal role in just how well multi-processing systems are able to increase overall efficiency. I'm glad to say that we've seen a concerted move to better threading of software to take advantage of, say, an eight-core platform.
Cont.