The Intel Xeon E5-2603 is a server/workstation processor with 4 cores, launched in March 2012. It is part of the Xeon E5 lineup, using the Sandy Bridge-EP architecture with Socket 2011. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Xeon E5-2603 CPUs can link up in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon E5-2603 has 10 MB of L3 cache and operates at 1800 MHz. Intel is building the Xeon E5-2603 on a 32 nm production process using 1,270 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Xeon E5-2603, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 80 W, the Xeon E5-2603 consumes a good deal of power, so decent cooling is needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a quad-channel interface. 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 E5-2603 uses a PCI-Express Gen 3 connection. This processor lacks integrated graphics, you might need a graphics card.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Xeon E5-2603, which greatly improves virtual machine performance. Additionally, IOMMU virtualization (PCI passthrough) is supported, so that guest virtual machines may directly use host hardware. Programs using Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) will run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications.