When we reported about the Inquirers review of the Asus Z7S we were quite skeptical. ASUS contacts could not confirm existence and even doubted the news themselves due to various reasons. (naming scheme, FB-DIMM's on enthusiast board, etc)
Besides a small review the Z7S was not heard of. Though we are happy to be able to tell you it isn't a hoax, a contact at Asus confirmed existence of the board and it is indeed aimed at previous PC-DL/NCCH-DL users.
Unfortunately nothing new is known, but seeing how the aforementioned boards were priced odds are it will not cost you an arm and a leg. Which is, of course, relative.
Strategically it would make sense to release this around the release of Skulltrail, the only board with similar features. So let's hope for some more news next month.

We all know the Inquirer isn't always right. However this story seems solid. The Inq is reporting of a new Asus s771 board. Of course nothing special, though next to Skulltrail this would be the only board with overclocking options in the BIOS.

Noctua today announced the availability of a new mounting kit for Intel Xeon processors as well as a new Xeon-Edition of the much acclaimed NH-U12F and NH-U9F coolers. Noctua's CPU coolers, which have won more than 100 awards and recommendations by leading international websites and magazines, can therefore now be used in Intel Xeon-based servers and workstations.

Intel today announced the Xeon 7300/7200 series of processors, the final products to be based on the company's Core microarchitecture. Manufactured using a 65nm process, the new Xeon MP chips (codenamed Tigerton) are part of the Caneland platform, which has been designed largely for virtualisation applications. This means that the processors should provide up to 2.5x the virtualisation performance and up to 3x the performance-per-watt compared to the preceding Xeon 7100 platform based on the Netburst architecture. There are eight new processors in total, six quad-core models with clock speeds ranging from 1.6GHz through to 2.93GHz, with respective prices ranging from $851 to $2301, and two dual-core models running at 2.4GHz and 2.93GHz being priced at $856 and $1177 respectively. Interestingly, the dual-core models can support twice as much memory as the quad-core, which could allow for cheaper servers where memory is more important than being able to run multiple threads quickly. This announcement comes just five days before AMD launches its new Barcelona processors.

Intel's latest roadmap reveals three new Penryn based Xeon models with a higher front-side bus speed - 1600MHz. The three new processors are available in dual-core and quad-core models. Quad-core Xeon E5472 and E5462 are the first quad-core models to receive the 1600MHz FSB treatment. The Xeon E5472 features a 3.0GHz clock speed while the E5462 is clocked at 2.8GHz. Both CPUs feature 80-watt TDP. Intel plans to release these 1600 MHz front-side bus processors in Q4 2007 with the rest of the Penryn family. Pricing for the quad Xeons starts at $797 for the E5462 and $958 for the E5472, per processor, in 1,000 unit quantities. The third and only dual-core 1600MHz FSB processor is E5272. The Xeon E5272 features a 3.4GHz clock speed and is priced at $1,172. Intel has also pulled in the launch of E5272 to Q4 2007, with the quad-core processors.

After hearing nothing about the 1600MHz FSB Xeons for several months VR-Zone tells us they will appear in Q4 this year. There will be 2 quad core Harpertown models at 2.8 and 3 GHz and a single dual core Wolfdale at 3.4 GHz. Additionally the cache is increased by 50% to 3MB per core. The faster FSB and increased cache will raise the bar even higher for Barcelona, however since both CPU's aren't available it is yet to be seen if this will be enough.

To support these new processors Intel will release the Seaburg chipset, it is not mentioned if the current chipsets will officially support the faster bus.
For a full list of new Wolfdales and Harpertowns visit VR-Zone.

Intel Corporation launched two quad-core Intel Xeon processors. The new Intel Xeon X5365 and L5335 processors boast unprecedented combinations of performance and energy efficiency, along with a pricing strategy to move the enterprise industry to multi-core systems. Designed for companies running performance-critical server and workstation applications, the Intel Xeon Processor X5365 is the industry's first 3.0GHz quad-core processor to fit inside a standard 120 watt power envelope. The X5365 also features front-side bus speed of 1333MHz. The Intel Xeon Processor L5335 includes a 2.0 GHz clock speed and 1333MHz FSB within a 50 watt power envelope - or just 12.5 watts per processing core. The Intel Xeon X5365 and L5335 CPUs also contain new Intel Virtualization Technology processor extensions for improved interrupt handling in virtualization of 32-bit Microsoft Windows OS. Price in 1,000 unit quantities (as of Aug. 9, 2007) is $1172 for the X5365 3.0GHz Xeon version, while the L5335 CPU will be available for $380.

The new batch of 45nm Xeons is actually based on the Penryn processor and also feature the 1333 MHz front-side bus found on the new Core 2 Duo stepping. Each die features 6MB of L2 cache resulting in a total of 12MB of L2 cache.
The latest 45nm Xeon ( Codename HarperTown ) Quad Core line is as follows

Intel plans to announce the phase out date for its Xeon 5000 series (Dempsey) 2-way server processors in July, while its Xeon 7000 (Paxville MP) series 4-way server processors is scheduled to be phased out by August of this year. With the low acceptance of Dempsey and Paxville MP processors in the server market, the phase-out plan will assist Intel in simplifying its product lines and will benefit server vendors and ODMs. Intel is currently pushing its Xeon 7100 series processors (Tulsa) in the 4-way server market, while pushing its Xeon 5100 (Woodcrest) and Xeon 5300 (Clovertown) series processors in the 2-way server market and its Xeon 3000 (Conroe) and Xeon 3200 (Kentsfield) series processors in the 1-way server market.

Intel (or "Chipzilla", as The Inquirer lovingly refers to them), according to Intel spokesperson Danny Cheung, has sold one million quad-core Xeon 5300 processors. "Clovertown" was unleashed just last November, and thanks to great performance and competitive pricing, is solely responsible for re-claiming the Server market for Intel. The entire Clovertown line is priced between $455 and $1,172 USD, according to Intel's price list.

Intel has released a BIOS patch for Windows machines running Core 2 and Xeon 3000/5000 chips that addresses potential unpredictable system behavior. The Microsoft website describes the patch as:

A microcode reliability update is available that improves the reliability of systems that use Intel processors. This article describes how to download this update.

It is available for all Windows XP, Server 2003 and Vista system, no matter if 32-bit or 64-bit. It does not seem to be critical enough to offer it as a security update and it does require a "Genuine Advantage" check.

Intel Q6600, Xeon X3220 and X3210 to Receive New Stepping

Intel has informed its customers that the Core 2 Quad Q6600 desktop quad-core processor as well as the Xeon X3220 and X3210 server quad-core CPUs have been transitioned to a new stepping. According to a product change notification released on Friday, the three processors were transitioned from the B-3 to the G-0 processor stepping. All new stepping CPUs have 10W lower TDP - 95W instead of the original 105W. The new CPUs, which can be identified by the CPUID "06FB" (B-3 processors were labeled "06F7"), also increase the Tcase, a value that describes the maximum temperature a CPU can sustain, by 11 degrees Celsius. All three G-0 CPUs require BIOS updates. Samples of the processors are expected to be available on May 11. General availability of the units is scheduled for July 16.

Intel will be releasing new Xeon models in Q3 this year. The quad core 5300 series will get a 3.0GHz part to take the lead from the current 2.66GHz model. The single processor line up will get a 2.66GHz part as well. Besides higher clocks the new models will remain identical to the current parts.

Additionally Prices for most Xeon models will be lowered in a very aggressive way, obviously to battle AMD's Barcelona chip. A quad core Xeon could be yours for just over $200 (1.6GHz model) in July. For a full list of new prices check out DailyTech.

Chipmaker Intel is set to launch two new processors for its quad-core range on March 12th - the Xeon L5320 and the Xeon L5310. The new CPUs require much less energy than previous quad-core models, running on just 50 watts of power, a 38% drop from the 80 watt models available now. Both will feature an 8MB L2 cache using a 1066MHz FSB. The L5320 will run at 1.86GHz, whilst the L5310 is just behind on 1.6GHz, with the processors priced at $519 and $455 respectively. The new Xeons are compatible with existing dual and quad-core Xeon processors and are designed to work in Intel's Bensley server platform, taking the company total to 11 quad-core processors.

Update: this information is now available in an Intel Press Release

In a presentation Intel reveals a 3GHz 1600MHz FSB quad core Xeon. New features aren't mentioned. If Intel doesn't stay ahead of AMD with this chip they have yet another weapon nearing completion, the 45nm Xeon parts which should offer even higher clock speeds and more cache are over 3 months ahead of schedule. Intel will also launch Tigerton for quad socket configurations in Q3 this year, with Tigerton Intel should reclaim the crown on the multi socket market as well. If this will actually be enough to beat Barcelona (K10, former K8L) is yet to be seen, it looks promising though.

For the full presentation follow the source.

Intel has quietly begun shipping its latest Clovertown Xeon quad-core processor-the Xeon E5335. The latest Xeon E5335 arrives at 2.0GHz which slots it between the E5345(2.33GHz) and the E5320(1.86GHz). While the Xeon E5320 and lower models operate on 1066MHz front-side buses, the new E5335 features a 1333MHz FSB. As with the other models in the Xeon lineup the E5335 features 8MB of L2 cache. Expect Xeon E5335 processors to arrive soon with a price of $690 per processor in 1000 unit quantities.