The Intel Xeon EC5549 was a server/workstation processor with 4 cores, launched in February 2010, at an MSRP of $530. It is part of the Xeon lineup, using the Jasper Forest architecture with Socket 1366. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 8 threads. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Xeon EC5549 CPUs can link up in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon EC5549 has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2.533 GHz by default, but can boost up to 2.933 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Xeon EC5549 on a 45 nm production process, the transistor count is unknown. The multiplier is locked on Xeon EC5549, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 85 W, the Xeon EC5549 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 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. For communication with other components in the computer, Xeon EC5549 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 EC5549, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware.