Chip giant Intel Corp. has long been involved in a variety of computer-processor manufacturing segments. While many people are familiar with Intel's offerings for the consumer space, some may not have heard the name "Xeon" before. The Xeon is Intel's processor for the high-end server and workstation markets, and it is a processor with a rich history.
History
Introduced in 1998, the "Pentium II Xeon" was a beefed-up version of the consumer processor Pentium II with which it shared its name and some features. However, to make the processor more attractive for servers, Intel increased cache memory, up to a maximum of 2 megabytes compared with the 512 kilobytes of the standard Pentium II. In addition, the Xeon's cache ran at the same clock speed as the processor itself, while the Pentium II's cache ran at half of the processor's clock speed.
Features
The Xeon has a long history of introducing features that would later become available---even commonplace---inside Intel's consumer processors. For example, the Pentium II Xeon allowed the use of multiple processors in the same computer, a feature that was not supported in the standard Pentium II. Another Intel technology, Hyper-Threading, was first introduced in a Xeon product in 2002. Hyper-Threading allows a processor to execute several commands simultaneously, giving it the effect of multiple processors in one.
Price
Because of their intended market of business users, Xeon processors have historically been more expensive than Intel's consumer-level offerings. The most-expensive Xeon processor was priced at nearly $1,700 in 2009, although less-expensive versions were available.
Considerations
For anyone considering an upgrade to a Xeon processor, it is important to realize that the purchase may need to be coupled with a new motherboard and memory, making the upgrade an expensive proposition. In 2009, the latest Xeon processors used a CPU socket called LGA 1366, which meant they could not directly replace Core 2 Duo processors.
Expert Insight
As powerful as Xeon processors are, their performance benefit might not be enough to justify the price for average consumers. Additionally, the most recent models produce significant heat, requiring powerful cooling systems. Although Xeon processors are excellent in CPU-intensive environments like a recording studio, extra money will need to be budgeted for a water-cooling system (or similar solution) to minimize computer noise.
Tags: Xeon processors, clock speed, multiple processors, Pentium Xeon, standard Pentium, Xeon processor