The Intel Xeon E5-2609 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 E5-2609 CPUs can work together in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon E5-2609 has 10 MB of L3 cache and operates at 2.4 GHz. Intel is making the Xeon E5-2609 on a 32 nm production node using 1,270 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Xeon E5-2609, which limits its overclocking potential.
With a TDP of 80 W, the Xeon E5-2609 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 computer, Xeon E5-2609 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 E5-2609, 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) can run on this processor, boosting performance for calculation-heavy applications.