The new Intel® Xeon" processor MP offers significant performance gains for multiprocessing servers with four or more processors. With an integrated 512KB or 1MB L3 cache and unique Hyper-Threading technology, the Intel Xeon processor MP is able to cut through complex operations more quickly and more efficiently than previous Intel® Pentium® III Xeon" processors. In particular, Hyper-Threading technology enables multithreaded applications and operating systems to engage more than one thread per processor. The result: Improved responsiveness, enhanced scalability, and the ability to support more simultaneous transactions, connections, and users.

With clock rates in excess of 1.40 GHz, the Intel Xeon processor MP offers a clear edge for servers targeted at mid-range database and application serving tasks. A series of benchmark tests reveal large gains in several key enterprise application areas.

• Supply chain management: A 1.60 GHz 4-way Intel Xeon processor MP-based server provided a 36 percent gain over a 900 MHz 4-way Pentium III Xeon processor-based server, when running SCM performance tests under SAP's mySAP* application.
• TPC-C for online transaction processing: Intel Xeon processor MP-based servers with Hyper-Threading technology and 1MB Level 3 cache can process more on-line transactions, supplying the headroom required to handle peak workloads. Recent TPC-C performance benchmark demonstrates that servers based on the Intel Xeon processor MP can process over 30 percent more online transactions, supporting more Web users at once.
• Processor scaling: Intel Xeon processor MP-based servers offer outstanding scalability to handle demanding enterprise application workloads. Under the mySAP SCM performance test, performance scaled significantly when adding 1.60 GHz Intel Xeon processors MP. Scaling up from a 4-way configuration to an 8-way configuration reveals a 67 percent performance improvement.

These results reveal that the unique features and capabilities of the Intel Xeon processor MP offer a performance edge for enterprise servers in a wide variety of tasks. Tests also reveal that companies can readily scale performance by adding processors to existing servers.

Read the entire performance brief [PDF, 184KB], "Intel Xeon Processor MP Performance Guide."