Processor
Processor code |
SLBF5 |
Conflict Free processor |
N |
Stepping |
D0 |
Bus type |
QPI |
Memory types supported by processor |
DDR3-SDRAM |
ECC supported by processor |
Y |
Tcase |
75 °C |
Maximum internal memory supported by processor |
144 GB |
Processor frequency |
2.66 GHz |
Processor cores |
4 |
Processor system type |
DP |
Processor operating modes |
64-bit |
Embedded options available |
N |
FSB Parity |
N |
Number of Processing Die Transistors |
731 M |
CPU multiplier (bus/core ratio) |
20 |
Physical Address Extension (PAE) |
Y |
Memory channels supported by processor |
Triple |
Memory bandwidth supported by processor (max) |
32 GB/s |
Memory clock speeds supported by processor |
1333, 1066, 800 MHz |
Processor cache type |
Smart Cache |
Physical Address Extension (PAE) |
40 bit |
Thermal Monitoring Technologies |
N |
Idle States |
Y |
Execute Disable Bit |
Y |
Number of QPI links |
2 |
Processor boost frequency |
3.06 GHz |
Processor cache |
8 MB |
Number of processors installed |
2 |
Thermal Design Power (TDP) |
95 W |
Processor lithography |
45 nm |
Processor package size |
42.5 mm |
Processor special features
Processor ARK ID |
37106 |
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology (Intel® CVT HD) |
N |
Intel® Wireless Display (Intel® WiDi) |
N |
Intel Demand Based Switching |
Y |
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology |
Y |
Intel FDI Technology |
N |
Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) |
Y |
Intel vPro Technology |
N |
Intel Clear Video Technology for MID |
N |
Intel® My WiFi Technology (Intel® MWT) |
N |
Intel Enhanced Halt State |
Y |
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology |
Y |
Intel® Anti-Theft Technology (Intel® AT) |
N |
Intel® Smart Cache |
Y |
Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) |
Y |
CPU configuration (max) |
2 |
Intel Dual Display Capable Technology |
N |
Intel Clear Video Technology |
N |
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology |
Y |
Intel 64 |
Y |
Intel® Insider™ |
N |
Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology |
N |
Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x) |
Y |
Intel Trusted Execution Technology |
N |
Intel Flex Memory Access |
N |
Intel Fast Memory Access |
N |
Intel Rapid Storage Technology |
N |
Ports & interfaces
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity |
1 |
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports |
2 |
Serial ports quantity |
1 |
Power
Power supply |
750 W |
Number of power supply units |
2 |
Storage
Hard drive interface |
Serial ATA |
RAID support |
Y |
Maximum storage capacity |
16 TB |
Total storage capacity |
3000 GB |
Number of hard drives installed |
3 |
Hot-swap |
Y |
Hard drive size |
3.5 " |
Memory
Internal memory |
3 GB |
Maximum internal memory |
48 GB |
Memory slots |
DIMM |
Internal memory type |
DDR3-SDRAM |
Memory clock speed |
1066 MHz |
ECC |
Y |
Design
Chassis type |
Blade |
Optical drive type |
DVD Super Multi |
Graphics
Maximum graphics adapter memory |
256 MB |
Additionally
Intel AES New Instructions |
N |
Ethernet LAN connection |
Y |
System bus data transfer rate |
6.4 GT/s |
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports quantity |
2 |
Processing die size |
263 mm² |
InTru™ 3D Technology |
N |
xServe 2x XE5500 2.66GHz 3GB - 3x 1TB Serial-ATA, RAID Card, Dual Channel GBit Ethernet Card, 750W Dual Power Supply
Introducing Intel Xeon “Nehalem.”
Many quad-core processors are composed of two separate dies, which means some cached data has to travel outside the processor to get from core to core. That’s an inefficient way to access information. Enter the Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor. Its single-die, 64-bit architecture makes 8MB of fully shared L3 cache readily available to each of the four processor cores. The result is fast access to cache data, reduced traffic between processors, and greater application performance. Combine that with the other technological advances and you get an Xserve that’s up to 2x faster than the previous generation.
Integrated memory controller.
System memory is often connected to a processor through a separate I/O controller. But each Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor features an integrated memory controller that connects memory directly to the processor, reducing memory latency by up to 40 percent. The integrated memory controller provides three channels of fast 1066MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM. And when you configure the new Xserve with eight processing cores, you double your memory resources to six channels and 12 physical DIMM slots. The result is up to a 2.4x increase in memory bandwidth over the previous-generation Xserve.
Virtual cores through Hyper-Threading.
The new Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processors support Hyper-Threading, which allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. This enables an 8-core Xserve to take better advantage of its execution cores. Hyper-Threading increases performance and allows the processor to fully utilize its execution resources without significantly increased die size, transistor count, or power requirements.
Faster per clock.
The “Nehalem” microarchitecture executes up to four instructions per clock cycle per core on a sustained basis. It can also run more instructions out of order. The enhanced SSE4 SIMD engine handles 128-bit vector computations in a single cycle. And, of course, the processor continues 64-bit support for large memory loads.
QuickPath Interconnect.
A new bidirectional, point-to-point connection — called QuickPath Interconnect — gives the Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor a high-speed connection between processors, as well as to the Xserve I/O subsystem. In an 8-core Xserve, there’s a QuickPath Interconnect between the two quad-core processors, too. This connection acts as a direct pipeline, so processor-to-processor data doesn’t need to travel to the I/O hub first, eliminating a major system bottleneck. And it provides strong RAS (reliability, availability, serviceability) features, including CRC data protection and link-level retry.
Increased performance per watt.
The new Xserve delivers a 19 percent reduction in idle power consumption and provides 89 percent better performance per watt over the previous generation when running server workloads. How do you get more performance with less energy? For starters, the Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor is built on an industry-leading 45-nm process technology that reduces leakage and improves switching times. Integrated power gates in the processor design allow an advanced power management system to dynamically manage cores, threads, cache, and interfaces to deliver outstanding energy efficiency and performance on demand. These power management enhancements, coupled with smart system design in Xserve, mean a server that’s less expensive to power and cool.
Turbo Boost technology.
The new Xserve introduces Turbo Boost: a dynamic performance technology that automatically boosts the processor clock speed based on workload. If you’re running an application that doesn’t need every core, Turbo Boost shuts off the idle cores while simultaneously increasing the speed of the active ones. That means a 2.93GHz system can perform at up to 3.33GHz under dynamic workloads.
More I/O bandwidth.
The new Xserve delivers up to 2x the I/O bandwidth of the previous generation via two 16-lane (x16) wide PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots. Because the slots are independent, bandwidth isn’t shared between them. So you get all the bandwidth you need for the latest I/O cards, including 10Gb Ethernet and multiport 4Gb Fibre Channel cards.
Built-in graphics.
Thanks to a built-in NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 graphics card, it’s easy to manage your system using a keyboard, mouse, and display, without taking a valuable expansion slot. The 2D/3D acceleration of the GPU enhances rendering and video processing, a valuable feature for Apple’s professional applications and server-side video processing tools such as Podcast Producer in Mac OS X Server. An optional VGA adapter supports connection to standard VGA devices and KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) switches.