The Intel Xeon E7-2803 was a server/workstation processor with 6 cores, launched in April 2011, at an MSRP of $774. It is part of the Xeon E7 lineup, using the Westmere-EX architecture with Socket 1567. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 12 threads. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Xeon E7-2803 CPUs can link up in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon E7-2803 has 18 MB of L3 cache and operates at 1733 MHz. Intel is building the Xeon E7-2803 on a 32 nm production process using 2,600 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Xeon E7-2803, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 105 W, the Xeon E7-2803 consumes a good deal of power, so decent cooling is needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a quad-channel interface. The highest officially supported memory speed is 1333 MT/s, but with overclocking (and the right memory modules) you can go even higher. ECC memory is supported, too, which is an important capability for mission-critical systems, to avoid data corruption. This processor lacks integrated graphics, you might need a graphics card.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Xeon E7-2803, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware.