Gulftown (microprocessor)
Encyclopedia
Gulftown or Westmere-EP is the codename of a six-core hyperthreaded
Intel processor able to run up to 12 threads in parallel. It is based on Westmere microarchitecture, the 32 nm
shrink of Nehalem. Originally rumored to be called the Intel Core i9, it is sold as an Intel Core i7. The first release was the Core i7 980X in the first quarter of 2010, along with its server counterpart, the Xeon 3600 and the dual-socket Xeon 5600 (Westmere-EP) series using identical chips.
First figures indicate that at equivalent clock rates, depending on the software, it has up to 50% higher performance than the identically clocked quad core Bloomfield
Core i7 975. However, consumer software that utilizes six real cores is still quite rare as of 2011, and not every multithreaded program is able to take advantage of this many cores. Despite having 50% more transistors, the CPU strongly benefits from the 32-nm process, drawing the same or even less power (depending on the operating system) than its Bloomfield predecessors with merely four cores. The thermal design power
(TDP) of all planned models is stated to be 130 watt
s.
Westmere-EP is the first six-core dual-socket processor from Intel, following the quad-core Bloomfield
and Gainestown (a.k.a. Nehalem-EP) processors using the same LGA 1366 package, while the earlier Dunnington six-core processor is a Socket 604
based multi-socket processor. The CPUID
extended model number is 44 (2Ch) and two product codes are used, 80613 for the UP desktop/server models and 80614 for the Xeon 5600-series DP server models. In some models, only four of the six cores are enabled.
Hyper-threading
Hyper-threading is Intel's term for its simultaneous multithreading implementation in its Atom, Intel Core i3/i5/i7, Itanium, Pentium 4 and Xeon CPUs....
Intel processor able to run up to 12 threads in parallel. It is based on Westmere microarchitecture, the 32 nm
32 nanometer
The 32 nm process is the step following the 45 nanometer process in CMOS semiconductor device fabrication. 32 nanometer refers to the average half-pitch of a memory cell at this technology level...
shrink of Nehalem. Originally rumored to be called the Intel Core i9, it is sold as an Intel Core i7. The first release was the Core i7 980X in the first quarter of 2010, along with its server counterpart, the Xeon 3600 and the dual-socket Xeon 5600 (Westmere-EP) series using identical chips.
First figures indicate that at equivalent clock rates, depending on the software, it has up to 50% higher performance than the identically clocked quad core Bloomfield
Bloomfield (microprocessor)
Bloomfield is the code name for Intel high-end desktop processors sold as Core i7-9xx and single-processor servers sold as Xeon 35xx., in almost identical configurations, replacing the earlier Yorkfield processors. The Bloomfield core is closely related to the dual-processor Gainestown, which has...
Core i7 975. However, consumer software that utilizes six real cores is still quite rare as of 2011, and not every multithreaded program is able to take advantage of this many cores. Despite having 50% more transistors, the CPU strongly benefits from the 32-nm process, drawing the same or even less power (depending on the operating system) than its Bloomfield predecessors with merely four cores. The thermal design power
Thermal Design Power
The thermal design power , sometimes called thermal design point, refers to the maximum amount of power the cooling system in a computer is required to dissipate. For example, a laptop's CPU cooling system may be designed for a 20 watt TDP, which means that it can dissipate up to 20 watts of heat...
(TDP) of all planned models is stated to be 130 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s.
Westmere-EP is the first six-core dual-socket processor from Intel, following the quad-core Bloomfield
Bloomfield (microprocessor)
Bloomfield is the code name for Intel high-end desktop processors sold as Core i7-9xx and single-processor servers sold as Xeon 35xx., in almost identical configurations, replacing the earlier Yorkfield processors. The Bloomfield core is closely related to the dual-processor Gainestown, which has...
and Gainestown (a.k.a. Nehalem-EP) processors using the same LGA 1366 package, while the earlier Dunnington six-core processor is a Socket 604
Socket 604
Socket 604 is a 604 pin microprocessor socket designed to interface an Intel's Xeon processor to the rest of the computer. It provides both an electrical interface as well as physical support. This socket is designed to support a heatsink....
based multi-socket processor. The CPUID
CPUID
The CPUID opcode is a processor supplementary instruction for the x86 architecture. It was introduced by Intel in 1993 when it introduced the Pentium and SL-Enhanced 486 processors....
extended model number is 44 (2Ch) and two product codes are used, 80613 for the UP desktop/server models and 80614 for the Xeon 5600-series DP server models. In some models, only four of the six cores are enabled.
Overview
| Brand Name (list) | Cores | L3 Cache | Socket | TDP | I/O Bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i7-9xx | 6 | 12 MB Megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000... |
LGA 1366 | 130 W | QuickPath |
| Core i7-9xxX | |||||
| Xeon 36xx | |||||
| Xeon 56xx | 4-6 | 40-130 W |