The 8-core "Nehalem-EX" Xeon processor is designed for servers that can use more than two processors (referred to as "sockets" in server argot). Currently, Intel is shipping Nehalem Xeon processors for servers with two sockets.
Nehalem is the same architecture used in Intel's Core i7 desktop processor line.
The Nehalem-EX is expected to become Intel's top-line Xeon processor. Currently, the six-core "Dunnington" processor, based on Intel's older Penryn architecture, is Intel's highest-performance chip for multi-processor servers.
Intel to show off 8-core Nehalem-EX next week
Posted on Wednesday, May 20 2009 @ 16:25 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck