Intel unleashes 2Ghz Xeon

The 2Ghz Foster Xeon is alive. A version of the processor aimed squarely at dual processor workstations, gets rolled out today. It uses the 860 chipset and RDRAM memory, uses the Pentium 4's 400Mhz FSB and will be priced at $615.

This much you probably already know.

Last week Intel confirmed that its server counterpart was being sidelined, given that its successor - blessed with the Keith Waterhouse-inspired* name of Prestonia - is due in Q1 of next year. Prestonia chips will be built on a 0.13 micron process and feature a larger cache.

"This avoids introducing two new server processors within several weeks of each other, as Intel Foster Xeons for DP servers were trending to late Q4 and Prestonia was looking very healthy and ready for launch in early Q1," an Intel spokesman tells us.

But Intel reckons there's enough a business to be made from 2Ghz Xeon DP in the mean time, and has lined up OEMs including Compaq, IBM, Dell, NEC, HP and Fujitsu who agree. The chip drops into the same socket as 1.4Ghz, 1.5Ghz and 1.7Ghz Xeons.

For more details see our server roadmap here.®

* Keith Waterhouse wrote the fabulous movie Billy Liar - the greatest of the British kitchen-sink dramas - in which a day-dreaming Northern Lad (played by Tom Courtenay) dreams of becoming King of Ambrosia. Preston (the original Preston, for our American readers) is in the North of England, and Preston North End is its football team. Prestonia has a North Bridge, of course. How this all fits together we don't know - we only know that it does. Trust us.

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