More real-world glimpses of what Intel has been upto lately. This bodes well for Core 2 adopters because of some of the shared tech between the processors.
- The "Woodcrest" Xeons we"re looking at today are rated for 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power), amazingly low for new high-end Xeon processors. For example, Intel"s first generation dual-core Xeon "Paxville" had a peak TDP of 135-150W, whereas the top of the line Dempsey dual-core Xeons had a peak TDP of 130W. Thus, "Woodcrest" 65 TDP level is half that of the previous generation Xeon processors, while at the same time delivering better overall performance. In comparison, AMD"s new high-end Opteron processors are shipping at TDP levels of 95W, so in one fell swoop, Intel will be able to undercut AMD in terms of performance per watt. However, AMD is also prepping new Opteron processors to effectively compete against the "Woodcrest", but without any major architectural changes, it"s unlikely that AMD will be able to bring TDP levels down to similar levels as "Woodcrest". Intel will also be shipping LV (Low Voltage) Xeon models based on this same architecture which will have TDP levels as low as 40W.