Prices of Xeon E5-2600-series CPUs

In the first half of 2012 Intel will introduce Xeon E5 server chips for single-, dual-core and quad-processor servers. The first two E5 families, coming in Q1 2012, are E5-1600 and E5-2600 series for socket 2011 platform. We already published CPU line-ups for both E5 subfamilies, and we reported on Xeon E5-1600 launch prices. We also recently learned about Xeon E5-2600 prices.

The only dual-core CPU from 2600 series, E5-2637, operates at 3 GHz, and integrates 5 MB L3 cache. The processor has $884 price, which is relatively high compared to other quad-core and six-core models from the same subfamily. The E5-3637 is clocked higher than most of the series chips, and that may explain high price tag.

Two quad-core parts, Xeon E5-2603 and E5-2609, will be sold in $200 - $300 price range. These CPUs have 10 MB L3 cache, 1.8 and 2.4 GHz clock frequencies, and they can execute 4 threads at once.

Xeon E5-2643 is another quad-core processor, however it has Hyper-Threading enabled. The chip comes with 10 MB of last level cache, and the highest from the series 3.3 GHz frequency. This model will be offered for $884 in 1K quantities.

All six-core Xeons feature Hyper-Threading technology, and have the size of L3 cache increased to 15 MB. The CPUs will be priced from $406 for Xeon E5-2620 @ 2 GHz, and up to $1552 for Xeon E5-2667 @ 2.9 GHz.

Most powerful from the E5-2600 series are 8-core models, and they are the most expensive ones. All 8-core Xeons have 20 MB L3 cache, and their clock speeds range from 1.8 GHz to 3.1 GHz. The "cheapest" 8-core E5-2650 costs $1106, and the priciest Xeon E5-2690 is $2057.

Once launched, the E5-2600 family will replace Xeon 5600 series, and it's no surprise that the pricing of upcoming microprocessors is comparable to pricing of current Xeon 5600 chips with similar characteristics. For instance, the cheapest E5603 CPU with 4 cores and no Hyper-Threading costs $188, while entry-level E5-2603 with the same number of cores and threads is only $14 more expensive. Six-core X5670 is currently priced at $1440, and Xeon E5-2667 with slightly larger cache will come with $1552 sticker price. At the same time, adding new eight-core models to the line-up will allow Intel to charge higher premium prices for top Xeons:

$0
			E5603
	E5-2603, E5-2609		E5606, E5607, E5620
$400
	E5-2620		E5630, E5645, L5609, L5630
	E5-2630, E5-2630L		E5640, E5649, X5647
$800
	E5-2637, E5-2640, E5-2643		L5640, X5650
	E5-2650, E5-2650L
$1200
	E5-2660		X5660
	E5-2665, E5-2667, E5-2670		X5667, X5670, X5672, X5675
$1600
	E5-2680		X5677, X5680, X5687, X5690
	E5-2687W
$2000
	E5-2690

In the second quarter 2012 Intel will introduce another Xeon E5 subfamily for dual-processor servers and workstations, dubbed E5-2400. These parts will be less expensive overall, although we do not expect them to be cheaper than current Xeon 5600 products.

The table below contains a summary of features and prices of Xeon E5-2600 series CPUs:

Model	Cores	Threads	Frequency	L3 cache	TDP	Price
Xeon E5-2603	4	4	1.8 GHz	10 MB	80 Watt	$202
Xeon E5-2609	4	4	2.4 GHz	10 MB	80 Watt	$294
Xeon E5-2620	6	12	2 GHz	15 MB	95 Watt	$406
Xeon E5-2630	6	12	2.3 GHz	15 MB	95 Watt	$612
Xeon E5-2630L	6	12	2 GHz	15 MB	60 Watt	$662
Xeon E5-2637	2	4	3 GHz	5 MB	80 Watt	$884
Xeon E5-2640	6	12	2.5 GHz	15 MB	95 Watt	$884
Xeon E5-2643	4	8	3.3 GHz	10 MB	130 Watt	$884
Xeon E5-2650	8	16	2 GHz	20 MB	95 Watt	$1106
Xeon E5-2650L	8	16	1.8 GHz	20 MB	70 Watt	$1106
Xeon E5-2660	8	16	2.2 GHz	20 MB	95 Watt	$1329
Xeon E5-2665	8	16	2.4 GHz	20 MB	115 Watt	$1440
Xeon E5-2667	6	12	2.9 GHz	15 MB	130 Watt	$1552
Xeon E5-2670	8	16	2.6 GHz	20 MB	115 Watt	$1552
Xeon E5-2680	8	16	2.7 GHz	20 MB	130 Watt	$1723
Xeon E5-2687W	8	16	3.1 GHz	20 MB	150 Watt	$1885
Xeon E5-2690	8	16	2.9 GHz	20 MB	135 Watt	$2057