Xeon processors clocks past 3GHz milestone

By Alun Williams

Posted on 11 Mar 2003 at 10:57

The Xeon - Intel's offering for servers and workstations - has clocked its way past the 3GHz mark. New 3.06GHz and 3GHz versions of the processor are now available.

The Intel Xeon operating at 3.06GHz has 512Kb of level two cache and a 533 MHz system bus. The 3GHz model has the same sized cache and features a 400MHz system bus.

The new offerings are for dual processing systems, such as are popular for applications in financial analysis, mechanical and electrical design and 3D modelling.

Intel's pricing for the top-ranking Xeon is $722 and the 3GHz version $658. Prices are based on OEM-style orders in 1,000 unit quantities. It was a fortnight ago that Intel re-jigged its Xeon pricing - Intel cuts prices on Pentium 4 and Xeon - to make way for the new models.

The 3.06GHz version will work with existing systems designed with the Intel E7501 or E7505 chipsets. The 3GHz version is drop-in compatible with Intel E7500 or 860 chipsets.