Database test: Intel Xeon 'Clovertown' X5355

Now that we have taken a step back to look at the overall situation, it is time to return to our own reality: the Tweakers.net database. For the purpose of this review, Melrow supplied us with a server with two Xeon X5355 processors and 8GB of FBD667 memory. The machine is a QX208SATA-G3, that has been fitted with Intel's own S5000PSL motherboard. Beside two Xeons, this 2U rack mount has, as one of its standard features, room for six SATA disks in RAID0, RAID1 or RAID10 (upgradeable with an extra controller to eight disks and RAID5), double gigabit ethernet, a DVD drive and a single 500W power supply. The fact that there is no redundant power supply makes it somewhat more sensitive to power failure than some of the other machines that we have tested, but the stability of Intel's server board tends to be good.



The X5355 that we received is the top model of the Clovertown series, with a clock speed of 2.66GHz, a 120W TDP and a 1172 dollar price tag. At the moment, there are three cheaper models in circulation with lower clock speed and a more modest TDP of 80W. Two more versions are expected early next year, including a low voltage model which needs only 50W, in other words 12.5W per core. Below, we give an overview of the various quad-cores and a comparison of their prices as opposed to those in the Woodcrest and Opteron hemispheres:

Model	Clock	Bus	TDP	Price	Intro
X5355	2,66GHz	1333MHz	120W	$1172	-
E5345	2,33GHz	1333MHz	80W	$851	-
E5335	2,0GHz	1333MHz	80W	?	Q1
E5320	1,86GHz	1066MHz	80W	$690	-
E5310	1,6GHz	1066MHz	80W	$455	-
L5310	1,6GHz	1066MHz	50W	?	Q1

Opteron			Woodcrest			Clovertown
1,8GHz	$209		1,6GHz	$209
2,0GHz	$255		1,86GHz	$256
			2,0GHz	$316
2,2GHz	$377
2,4GHz	$450		2,33GHz	$455		1,6GHz	$455
2,6GHz	$611
			2,66GHz	$690		1,86GHz	$690
2,8GHz	$786
			3,0GHz	$851		2,33GHz	$851
						2,66GHz	$1172

Clovertown is clearly the most expensive chip in our test arsenal. In this article we compare it to Intel's top-of-the-line dual-core - the 3.0GHz Woodcrest - because that CPU comes closest in terms of pricing.