Intel says Mac Pro-bound Harpertown Xeons set speed records
As promised, Intel Corp. this week formally announced its first round of 45-nanometer microprocessors, including a new family of Mac Pro-bound Xeon chips that have achieved a series of world speed records.
Dubbed the biggest transistor advancements in 40 years by Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore, the processors are the first to use Intel's Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k) formula, which alleviates the wasteful electricity leaks that threaten the pace of future computer innovation.
The 15 new Xeon processors are also the first to be manufactured on the Santa Clara-based company's 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, which boasts nearly twice the transistor density of previous chips built on the company's 65nm technology. In addition to increasing computer performance and saving energy use, the new Xeons also eliminate eco-unfriendly lead and, in 2008, halogen materials.
These breakthroughs, Intel says, clear the path for the chipmaker to design products that are 25 percent smaller than previous versions and, thus, more cost-effective, as well as the ability next year to pursue new ultra mobile and consumer electronics "system on chip" opportunities.
"This feat, coupled with our industry-leading architectures, means faster and sleeker computers, longer battery life and better energy efficiency, said Intel chief executive Paul Otellini. "Our objective is to bring consumers a new class of computers delivering a full Internet experience in ever-smaller, more portable form factors."
Among the 15 new Xeons are 12 new 5400 series quad-core chips that feature clock speeds ranging from 2GHz up to 3.20GHz, with front side bus speeds (FSB) up to 1600MHz, and cache sizes of 12MB. Meanwhile, three new 5200 series dual-core chips boast clock speeds of up to 3.40GHz, an FSB of up to 1600MHz, and cache sizes of 6MB.
The 45nm Hi-k Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series, codename Harpertown and due to turn up in the next Mac Pro workstations from Mac maker Apple Inc., set a number of world records on key industry-standard benchmarks, according to Intel.
A 5400-series equipped HP Proliant DL380 G5 Server set a new TPC-C mark with a score of 273,666 tpmC and an SAP-SD record with a score of 2449 SD-Users.
Similarly, a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server running BEA JRockit JVM delivered a record-breaking SPECjbb2005 result of 303130 BOPS. Dell also set a new virtualization performance record on VMmark benchmark running VMWare ESX Server with a score of 8.47 at 6 tiles.
Additionally, the 5400 series chipset-based platform with 1600 MHz Front Side Bus set new world records on key high-performance computing and bandwidth-intensive benchmarks including the SPECfp_rate2006 benchmark that measures floating point throughput performance. World records were also achieved in key HPC benchmarks, including Fluent, LS-Dyna, SPECOMP2001 and Abaqus.
The 45nm Hi-k Xeon processors, which range in price from $177 to $1,279 in quantities of 1,000, also extend Intel's performance-per-watt leadership by delivering an improvement of 38 percent over its previous-generation Quad-Core Xeon 5300 Series processors used in the current iteration of Apple's Mac Pro systems.
The move from 65nm to 45nm involves more than just a shrink of current chip designs, Intel explains -- the processors include such additional features as new Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4), which are 47 new instructions that speed up workloads including video encoding for high-definition and photo manipulation, as well as key HPC and enterprise applications.
As was reported by AppleInsider last month, Apple plans to be amongst the first PC manufacturers to adopt the new 5400 Harpertown series as part of an upcoming revision to its professional Mac Pro workstations. Specifically, the Mac maker is said to be awaiting from Intel ample supplies of its top-of-the-line 3.2GHz quad-core chips for a new 8-core Mac Pro.
Apple is expected to introduce the new systems any time between mid-November and mid-January.
Dubbed the biggest transistor advancements in 40 years by Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore, the processors are the first to use Intel's Hafnium-based high-k metal gate (Hi-k) formula, which alleviates the wasteful electricity leaks that threaten the pace of future computer innovation.
The 15 new Xeon processors are also the first to be manufactured on the Santa Clara-based company's 45-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process, which boasts nearly twice the transistor density of previous chips built on the company's 65nm technology. In addition to increasing computer performance and saving energy use, the new Xeons also eliminate eco-unfriendly lead and, in 2008, halogen materials.
These breakthroughs, Intel says, clear the path for the chipmaker to design products that are 25 percent smaller than previous versions and, thus, more cost-effective, as well as the ability next year to pursue new ultra mobile and consumer electronics "system on chip" opportunities.
"This feat, coupled with our industry-leading architectures, means faster and sleeker computers, longer battery life and better energy efficiency, said Intel chief executive Paul Otellini. "Our objective is to bring consumers a new class of computers delivering a full Internet experience in ever-smaller, more portable form factors."
Among the 15 new Xeons are 12 new 5400 series quad-core chips that feature clock speeds ranging from 2GHz up to 3.20GHz, with front side bus speeds (FSB) up to 1600MHz, and cache sizes of 12MB. Meanwhile, three new 5200 series dual-core chips boast clock speeds of up to 3.40GHz, an FSB of up to 1600MHz, and cache sizes of 6MB.
The 45nm Hi-k Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series, codename Harpertown and due to turn up in the next Mac Pro workstations from Mac maker Apple Inc., set a number of world records on key industry-standard benchmarks, according to Intel.
A 5400-series equipped HP Proliant DL380 G5 Server set a new TPC-C mark with a score of 273,666 tpmC and an SAP-SD record with a score of 2449 SD-Users.
Similarly, a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server running BEA JRockit JVM delivered a record-breaking SPECjbb2005 result of 303130 BOPS. Dell also set a new virtualization performance record on VMmark benchmark running VMWare ESX Server with a score of 8.47 at 6 tiles.
Additionally, the 5400 series chipset-based platform with 1600 MHz Front Side Bus set new world records on key high-performance computing and bandwidth-intensive benchmarks including the SPECfp_rate2006 benchmark that measures floating point throughput performance. World records were also achieved in key HPC benchmarks, including Fluent, LS-Dyna, SPECOMP2001 and Abaqus.
The 45nm Hi-k Xeon processors, which range in price from $177 to $1,279 in quantities of 1,000, also extend Intel's performance-per-watt leadership by delivering an improvement of 38 percent over its previous-generation Quad-Core Xeon 5300 Series processors used in the current iteration of Apple's Mac Pro systems.
The move from 65nm to 45nm involves more than just a shrink of current chip designs, Intel explains -- the processors include such additional features as new Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4), which are 47 new instructions that speed up workloads including video encoding for high-definition and photo manipulation, as well as key HPC and enterprise applications.
As was reported by AppleInsider last month, Apple plans to be amongst the first PC manufacturers to adopt the new 5400 Harpertown series as part of an upcoming revision to its professional Mac Pro workstations. Specifically, the Mac maker is said to be awaiting from Intel ample supplies of its top-of-the-line 3.2GHz quad-core chips for a new 8-core Mac Pro.
Apple is expected to introduce the new systems any time between mid-November and mid-January.
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Apple is expected to introduce the new systems any time between mid-November and mid-January.
Any chance of narrowing that down a bit?
A 5400-series equipped HP Proliant DL380 G5 Server a new TPC-C mark with a score of 273,666 tpmC and an SAP-SD record with a score of 2449 SD-Users.
Similarly, a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server running BEA JRockit JVM delivered a record-breaking SPECjbb2005 result of 303130 BOPS 8.47 at 6 tiles.
This is SO good news!
...I think.
Choose two 3.0GHz quad-core ?Clovertown? processors ? the fastest Quad-Core Intel Xeon available ? for groundbreaking, 8-core power.
Come on, Apple, you don't want to be called a liar, do ya?
Impatiently...
Lemon Bon Bon.
Come on Apple, what's the the lag in announcement?
Impatiently...
Lemon Bon Bon.
Maybe tomorrow? They like to introduce new/revised hardware on a Tuesday, don't they?
It would be pretty crap if they waited until January...
Of course, if the Mac Pro rev contains something revolutionary, it may actually be a good idea to announce now and embarrass the competition.
Maybe tomorrow? They like to introduce new/revised hardware on a Tuesday, don't they?
Which sometimes is a Wednesday, or even a Thursday.
It would be pretty crap if they waited until January...
It would not be the first time.
The nails are starting to be pounded into AMD's coffin!
...and that's a good thing because?? surely it is better to have competition in the marketplace otherwise intel will become lazy.
it is the same with Apple. It needs stong competitiion in order to drive quality and innovation.
...and that's a good thing because?? surely it is better to have competition in the marketplace otherwise intel will become lazy.
It isn't a good thing in my opinion but it's also a growing reality. Intel have the mid and high end processor market all to themselves. They are leaving the low end desktop market to AMD with crappy margins. I don't think AMD will last long there.
Any chance of narrowing that down a bit?
That is narrowed down.
Maybe tomorrow? They like to introduce new/revised hardware on a Tuesday, don't they?
It would be pretty crap if they waited until January...
That's not so far away. What's the rush? Are you going to put your money down the minute it's announced? If Apple just announces 45nm machines, it won't be a big deal.
What I'd like to see, and I'd rather wait until Macworld, if necessary, is an announcement of Express 2, and other new technologies that are just now coming on line, but that no one else has.
I don't want the same old generation of machine we've had for years, with a simple cpu upgrade. If that's what happens, we'll likely have to wait even longer for something new, possibly not until Nehalen, late next year.
That's not so far away. What's the rush? Are you going to put your money down the minute it's announced? If Apple just announces 45nm machines, it won't be a big deal.
What I'd like to see, and I'd rather wait until Macworld, if necessary, is an announcement of Express 2, and other new technologies that are just now coming on line, but that no one else has.
I don't want the same old generation of machine we've had for years, with a simple cpu upgrade. If that's what happens, we'll likely have to wait even longer for something new, possibly not until Nehalen, late next year.
Mac Pro will be updated as much as CPUs available from intel, thats what i read from news. Mel, please forget PPC days, can?
Mac Pro will be updated as much as CPUs available from intel, thats what i read from news. Mel, please forget PPC days, can?
What are you talking about?
The real world shows that Apple is not likely to be the first out of the dock with a new chip.
The only time they did that with Intel, was when they came out with their first machines, and needed to prove that they could handle the transition properly.
It took months for Apple to release the 3 GHz Xeon machine. In fact, they had NO new Xeon machine until they could get the special 3Ghz model from Intel. We were all wondering where the new Mac Pro was. Do you remember that, or not?
In fact, Apple has often released Intel machines after others have.
While I don't pretend to know what Apple will do, I know what I would prefer. The idea of being first by a couple of months, or just pulling even isn't such a big deal. It really won't make that much of a difference in sales. Pro's won't buy the machine now anyway, even if it is announced, because it may be buggy.
So, I WOULD rather Apple waited a bit, if they can give a NEW machine, and not just a minor (which is really what it is, according to pre-release testing) chip upgrade.
...and that's a good thing because?? surely it is better to have competition in the marketplace otherwise intel will become lazy.
it is the same with Apple. It needs stong competitiion in order to drive quality and innovation.
I did not say that this was a good thing. I was simply stating a fact. I also believe this is bad for the consumer in the long run.
The refreshing thing is that now Intel is burying AMD through technical innovation instead of monopolistic behavior with OEM's.
Will the new chips be pin compatible with the existing mac pros?
Yes, they are.
What are you talking about?
The real world shows that Apple is not likely to be the first out of the dock with a new chip.
The only time they did that with Intel, was when they came out with their first machines, and needed to prove that they could handle the transition properly.
It took months for Apple to release the 3 GHz Xeon machine. In fact, they had NO new Xeon machine until they could get the special 3Ghz model from Intel. We were all wondering where the new Mac Pro was. Do you remember that, or not?
In fact, Apple has often released Intel machines after others have.
While I don't pretend to know what Apple will do, I know what I would prefer. The idea of being first by a couple of months, or just pulling even isn't such a big deal. It really won't make that much of a difference in sales. Pro's won't buy the machine now anyway, even if it is announced, because it may be buggy.
So, I WOULD rather Apple waited a bit, if they can give a NEW machine, and not just a minor (which is really what it is, according to pre-release testing) chip upgrade.
if my memory is correct, Core Duo Yonah and at least one of the model of Xeon and Core 2 Extreme 2.60 (mobile) given exclusive access to apple first than any other vendor ...
i agree it will take until Jan MWSF, if mac mini, mac & mac pro will be redesigned and upgraded ...