Demystifying Hardware - SQL Server 2012 Internals and Troubleshooting - page 40

Current Intel Processor Numbering
This section explains the current processor numbering system for Xeon processors that Intel
introduced on April 5, 2011. This new system, shown in Figure 2-2, is used for the new proces-
sor families that Intel released on that date (the E3 series and the E7 series) and the E5 series that
was released in March of 2012. The model numbers for the older existing Xeon processors remain
unchanged in this system.

The i rst two digits in the processor num-
ber represent the Product Line designation,
which will be E3, E5, or E7, depending on
their place in the overall product lineup.
After the Product Line designation is a
four-digit number that provides more
details about the particular processor. The
i rst digit is the “wayness,” which is the
number of physical CPUs that are allowed
in a node (which is a physical server). This
i rst digit can be 1, 2, 4, or 8. The second digit is the socket type, in terms of its physical and
electrical characteristics. The last two digits are the processor SKU, with higher numbers gener-
ally indicating higher performance. Finally, an L at the end indicates energy-efi cient, low electrical
power processors. For SQL Server database server usage, you should avoid these power-optimized
processors, as the performance impact of the reduced power usage is pretty dramatic.

Version

Processor Name

Intel® Xeon® processor E3 - 1235 L

Brand Product Line Processor SKU

Wayness, maximum CPUs in a node Socket Type

FIGURE 2-2

The E3 Product family is for single-processor servers or workstations. The i rst generation of this
family (E3-1200 series) is essentially the same as the desktop 32nm Sandy Bridge processors that
were released in January 2011. The second generation of this family is the E3-1200 v2 series, which
is basically the same as the desktop 22nm Ivy Bridge processors that were released in May 2012.
They are both limited to 32GB of RAM.

The E5 Product family (the 32nm Sandy Bridge-EP) includes the E5-2600 series that was released
in March 2012, and the E5-2400 series (32nm Sandy Bridge-EN) and E5-4600 series that were
released in May 2012. You should probably avoid the entry-level Sandy Bridge-EN series, which has
less memory bandwidth and lower clock speeds compared to the Sandy Bridge-EP series.

The E7 Product family (the 32nm Westmere-EX) has different models that are meant for two-
socket servers, four-socket servers, and eight-socket and above servers. The E7-2800 series is for
two-socket servers, the E7-4800 series is for four-socket servers, while the E7-8800 series is
for eight-socket and above servers. Just in case you are wondering, the “EP” designation at the end
of the family code word (such as Westmere-EP) stands for “efi cient performance,” while the “EX”
designation stands for “expandable.”

Intel's Tick-Tock Release Strategy
Since 2006, Intel has adopted and implemented a Tick-Tock strategy for developing and releasing
new processor models. Every two years, they introduce a new processor family, incorporating a new
microarchitecture; this is the tock release. One year after the tock release, they introduce a new pro-
cessor family that uses the same microarchitecture as the previous year's tock release, but using a
smaller manufacturing process technology and usually incorporating other small improvements, such