Intel has released their new Pentium II Xeon processor, and have
immediately taken a big step into corporate computing. This chip is
designed for higher-end systems and applications, its most noticeable
feature being its multiprocessing capabilities: It is designed to run
4-way, 8-way, and 16-way configurations. The initial offering is a
400Mhz version, with either a 512K or 1MB secondary cache operating at
400 Mhz. A 450 Mhz processor is due before the end of the year.
Along with the new processor, Intel released new chipsets to support
higher-end configurations: the 440GX AGPset, which supports up to a
dual Pentium II Xeon processor configuration at the full 100-MHz bus
rate, and the 450NX PCIset, which will allow up to four Xeon processors
to work concurrently at the full 100-MHz bus rate.
Major manufacturers are already offering systems utilizing the new chip.
HP's Kayak Workstations, Gateway's ALR 9200 Servers, Dell's Precision
Workstation 610 and PowerEdge 6300 Servers, and Compaq's Proliant 7000
will all include the Xeon chip running Windows NT.
For more specifics on the new chip, including benchmarks, go to: