Intel Announces Xeon E7 10-cores, 20 Threads
Need more cores for serious business?
Intel has taken the wraps off of its new Xeon E7-8800/4800/2800 server processors for high-end computing applications, including business intelligence, real-time data analytics and virtualization.
Based on Intel's latest 32nm Sandy Bridge process technology, the new Xeon processors have up to 10 cores with Hyper-Threading, and deliver up to 40 percent greater performance than the previous Xeon 7500 series processor.
The new processor family contains 18 new processors for two-, four- and eight-socket servers, and is expandable to servers with 256 sockets. Intel boasts that a single Xeon processor E7-based server can replace a current 18 dual-core server.
For big tasks, Intel is offering 10 advanced 10-core versions of the chip, led by the E7-8870, E7-4870 and E7-2870, all of which reach 2.4 GHz with a TDP of 130 watts.
The company also announced a low voltage version as well as a frequency-optimized version. The 10-core low-voltage E7-8867L reaches 2.13 GHz with a TDP of 105 watts, while the eight-core frequency-optimized E7-8837 tops out at 2.67 GHz with a TDP of 130 watts.
Intel also added more affordable chip options in the Xeon E3-1200 family. The Xeon processor E7-8800/4800/2800 families range in price from $774 to $4,616 in quantities of 1,000. The Xeon processor E3-1200 family ranges in price from $189 to $612 in quantities of 1,000.

Please, tell me what use of so many cores really is.
On a side complaint, $4600 for a CPU when ordered in batches of 1000+?
Intel would be making a BUCKET load off each CPU.
Business as usual.
Film composers use virtual instruments that really take advantage of multi-core processing, and sometimes 8 cores is still not enough. There are a lot of composers who buy 1-3 extra computers and use them as slaves in order to process all of the audio.
that's why we have GPU computing
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/04/05/performance-reliability-security-intel-xeon-processor-formula-for-mission-critical-computing?cid=rss-258152-c1-265964
Two Words for what a processor like this is used for: Virtual Servers.
With that many cores and enough memory, the one processor could effectively act a 10 different servers where you only need one core for the virtual server.
Pretty much this is a heavy RoI/low TCO processor.
Ummm??? A Server? Duh!
As balister said, you don't have to use all 10 cores for the same OS install, you spread them out for use as multiple Virtual Machines (VMs). Xeons are designed for servers (and sometimes high-end workstations) after all.
http://www.intel.com/Assets/pdf/general/ssguide.pdf
32nm Nehalem based - up to 10 cores (20 threads per die) and instead of 12 Mb of cache these babies have up to 30 Mb of cache.
Would they classify as Sandy Bridge ?
Thats a MU Engineer question ... I am too tired to check.
Markus ... you check for us matey ??
Intel's favourite font puts me to sleep ... the pictures they use remond my of a woman's magazine ... so G-Rated ...
It says that these build on the previous generation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not the current generation. I'll give a reason of a doubt, though.
He's right, Tom's got it wrong. Look at the "Quick Links" section on the right of
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=53568&processor=E7-2803&spec-codes=SLC3M
"Products formerly Westmere-EX"
Tom's is probably confused by the fact that some of the E3 Xeon chip family (notably the 2- and 4-cores) are Sandy Bridge derivatives:
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52278&processor=E3-1280&spec-codes=SR00R
That BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF core-i7 990x 6core cpu for 1000$ you'd only get 4 cpus with 6 cores/12 threads each. But for the server side, you get 1000 cpus with 10 cores/20 threads each!!!!
It comes out each E7-8870 cpu is worth 4.6$ what a STEAL!!!!
Hahaha, im just yanking your chain...
When you read the article using your eyes to see, and your brain to interpret the letters, you see, at the end of the very first sentence, that it is aimed at business applications, specifically, "high-end computing applications, including business intelligence, real-time data analytics and virtualization." Do you need instructions on how to read the paragraphs that follow, reiterating and detailing this?