Intel's drops 45 nm server processors to 50 watts

Santa Clara (CA) – Intel announced two new low voltage server processors for the 50 watt power envelope. Based on the 45 nm Harpertown core, Intel claims that this new L5400 series is up to 25% faster than the preceding 65 nm L5300 series with Clovertown core.

Intel is offering its L5400 CPUs in two flavors, as L5410 with 2.33 GHz clock speed and as L5420 with 2.50 GHz. Both processors run at higher clock speeds than their direct predecessors (L5310 : 1.60 GHz ; L5320 : 1.86 GHz ; L5335 : 2.0 GHz) and support FSB1333 (only the L5335 supported FSB1333 in the 65 nm generation). The processors also integrate 12 MB L2 cache, up from 8 MB.

While Intel says that the 45 nm Harpertowns will be up to 25% faster than their predecessors (L5420 compared to L5335), the progress is much more in their power consumption. Not only drops the L5400 series from the 80 watt level of the E5410/E5420, they also provide up to 50% more clock speed than the previous generation, apparently without increasing their power consumption.

The L5420 will be offered for $380 in 1000-unit orders ; the L5410 is priced at $320. Prices for the L5310, L5320 and L5335 remain at $209, $256 and $316.

AMD, by the way is offering its Barcelona HE versions at a 65 watt TDP rating, while claiming that the average CPU power consumption does not exceed 55 watts.

Intel said that it will continue to be rolling out low-voltage server processors, which will include a new 40 watt, 3 GHz dual-core processor (FSB1333, 6 MB L2 cache) that is scheduled for a Q2 launch date.

Of course, these two new processors are too new to be included in Intel’s most recent 5400 series datasheet. But while we were looking for more technical details that would set the L5400 series apart from the regular E5400, series, we were reminded of the L5408 model – a quad-core chip targeted at the embedded market. This particular model runs at only 2.13 GHz and FSB1066, but is rated at an even lower thermal design power than the L5300 or L5400 series – 40 watts (the maximum power rating is 50 watts).