Datasheet

Exploring Intel
®
Microarchitecture Nehalem
The new generation of server processors from Intel provides a foundation for a fully adaptable IT environment.
The architecture of these processors is designed with innovative features that adapt performance to software
and business needs, help energy consumption for optimum performance and efficiency, and enable virtualization
strategies that help your IT infrastructure adapt more quickly to your business needs.
Figure 1. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology increases performance by
increasing processor frequency and enabling faster speeds when
conditions allow.
COR E 0 COR E 1 COR E 2 COR E 3 COR E 0 COR E 1 COR E 2 COR E 3 COR E 0 COR E 1
Frequency
All cores operate
at rated frequency
All cores operate
at higher frequency
Fewer cores may
operate at even
higher frequencies
Normal 4C Turbo <4C Turbo
Higher Performance on Demand
Figure 2. Intel® QuickPath Technology with dedicated per-processor
memory and point-to-point connectivity.
Processor
I/O
Controller
Memory
Controller
Memory Memory
Memory
Controller
Processor
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Intel Turbo Boost technology delivers performance when and where
it’s needed (see Figure 1). This technology allows processors to
deliver higher speed execution on demand by using available power
to run at a higher frequency.
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology
Many server and workstation applications lend themselves to parallel,
multi-threaded execution. Intel Hyper-Threading Technology enables
simultaneous multi-threading within each processor core, up to two
threads per core or eight threads per quad-core processor. Hyper-
threading reduces computational latency, making optimal use of
every clock cycle. For example, while one thread is waiting for a result
or event, another thread is executing in that core, to maximize the
work from each clock cycle.
Intel® QuickPath Technology
To deliver top performance for bandwidth-intensive applications,
the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series features Intel QuickPath
Technology (see Figure 2). This new scalable, shared memory
architecture delivers memory bandwidth leadership, and up to
3.5x the bandwidth of previous-generation processors.
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Intel QuickPath Technology is a platform architecture that provides
high-speed (up to 25.6 GB/s), point-to-point connections between
processors, and between processors and the I/O hub. Each proces-
sor has its own dedicated memory that it accesses directly through
an Integrated Memory Controller. In cases where a processor needs
to access the dedicated memory of another processor, it can do so
through a high-speed Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (Intel® QPI)
that links all the processors.
Intel Microarchitecture Nehalem complements the benefits of Intel QPI
by enhancing Intel® Smart Cache with an inclusive shared L3 cache that
boosts performance while reducing traffic to the processor cores.
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