Intel Corporation today introduced the Intel Xeon Processor E5-2600 v2 product family (code named "Ivy Bridge-EP"), an industry-leading set of versatile processors that promises to redefine the server, storage and networking infrastructure found in datacenters. With greater efficiency and flexibility, these processors will enable the rapid delivery of services for high performance computing, cloud and enterprise segments, and offer compelling new opportunities for telecommunications vendors.

The new Xeon product family is based on Intel's leading 22-nanometer process technology, contributing to dramatic energy efficiency improvements of up to 45 percent when compared to the previous generation. The processor family also features up to 12 cores and delivers up to 50 percent more performance across variety of compute intensive workloads.

First sighted in January, ASUS' P9X79-E WS socket LGA2011 motherboard is ready to take on the new breed of Core "Ivy Bridge-E" and Xeon "Ivy Bridge-EP" lines of processors, even if initial versions of its BIOS don't advertise that support. Based on Intel X79 Express chipset, the board is built in the 305 x 267 mm SSI-CEB form-factor. The LGA2011 socket is powered by a 10-phase VRM, with 2+2 phase memory VRM. The CPU socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, four on its either sides, supporting up to 64 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory. The board features a total of seven PCI-Express x16 slots. 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported.

Storage connectivity on the P9X79-E WS includes two SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the X79 PCH, four SATA 6 Gb/s from a Marvell-made 4-port SATA 6 Gb/s AHCI/RAID controller, four SATA 3 Gb/s from the PCH, and an additional two eSATA 6 Gb/s from an ASMedia-made controller. There are just four USB 3.0 ports on offer, all ASMedia-made controllers. Other connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, both driven by Intel-made controllers, 8-channel HD audio, legacy connectivity such as PS/2 and RS232 COM (header), and a pinch of overclocker-friendly features in the BIOS and on-board. The P9X79-E WS from ASUS is priced at US $499.99.

AsRock, the renowned motherboard manufacturer, earlier today updated the CPU Support List for its LGA 2011 platform products with Intel's next generation Xeon E5 processors, using Ivy Bridge-EP silicon and scheduled for launch in Q3 this year. Along with the part number list, specifications such as clock frequency, cache size and TDP value were made public as well. Information from which we can deduce that the new chips will come in three core count versions, specifically 8 core, 10 core and 12 core parts. TDP ranges from 70 W for the E5-2650L v2, a 10 core chip running at 1.7 Ghz, to 150 W for the E5-2687W v2, also a 10 core chip but running at 3.4 Ghz.

During the Worldwide Developer Convention (WWDC) this Monday, Apple presented its radically redesigned Mac Pro which represents a complete and long overdue departure from the shapes, sizes and general design language of its workstations. Personally I can not decide which is the most striking visual aspect of the new Mac Pro, the truly tiny size of this multi-GPU powerhouse, or its curiously cylindrical shape. Alas, my true curiosity lies with the cooling solutions employed by the designers to address the inevitable heat issues associated with densely packing such potent hardware. The monolithic appearance of the Mac Pro is interrupted only by a cutout in the cover that allows access to the back panel, where the entire I/O interface is located. Apart from the usual suspects (USB, RJ45, etc), the user is presented with no less than six Thunderbolt 2 ports, which some might find problematic considering they constitute the entire expansion potential of the new Mac Pro.

Apple's high-performance desktop Mac Pro will get its long overdue specifications overhaul this spring. The Mac Pro is being pulled off shelves in Europe due to lack of compliance with local regulations; but a French retailer believes the pull out is temporary, and that a new, rehashed Mac Pro will be reintroduced in Spring (March-April). The new Mac Pro pole-vaults Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon processor line to Intel's next-generation Xeon "Ivy Bridge-EP" dual-socket processors, SSDs being standard equipment, and the latest generation NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon graphics cards. It's also quite likely that Apple to refresh its display lineup to support higher resolutions.

The Ivy Bridge LGA1155 processors inbound for April are mom and pop PC chips in front of the monstrosities Intel has planned for the enterprise (and possibly high-end desktop/HEDT) markets, based on the architecture. An 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP engineering sample, made it to the right hands in Taiwan (wrong hands for Intel), that wasted no time in putting them through some tests.

The 10-core Ivy Bridge-EP/EX chip (LGA2011, 2P-capable) features 10 next-generation cores clocked at 2.80 GHz, with 256 KB L2 cache per core, 30 MB shared L3 cache, and HyperThreading technology that enables 20 logical CPUs. This chip crunched WPrime 1024M in 158.5 seconds, and scores 41.78X relative speed in Fritz chess when just 8 of its 20 threads are put to use. You can also find some pretty screen shots of CPU-Z with its long processor selection list and Windows 8 task manager.