The Intel Xeon EC5509 was a server/workstation processor with 4 cores, launched in February 2010, at an MSRP of $266. It is part of the Xeon lineup, using the Jasper Forest architecture with Socket 1366. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Xeon EC5509 CPUs can work together in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon EC5509 has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2000 MHz. Intel is making the Xeon EC5509 on a 45 nm production node, the transistor count is unknown. The multiplier is locked on Xeon EC5509, which limits its overclocking potential.
With a TDP of 85 W, the Xeon EC5509 consumes a good deal of power, so decent cooling is needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a triple-channel interface. The highest officially supported memory speed is 1066 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. For communication with other components in the machine, Xeon EC5509 uses a PCI-Express Gen 2 connection. This processor lacks integrated graphics, you might need a graphics card.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Xeon EC5509, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware.