Requesting info on CPUs

[idata]

Howdy, I've been tasked with building a server - its a 2002 vintage Dell 6650, with four Prestonia cpus. I tried to install Win2008 x64, but the prestonia was not a 64 bit chip, simple question, am I scuppered, or could I drop 4 Irwindales into the sockets?

It seems daft to design a server that could take 32GB ram but not be able to access it...(I know - there are some apps that fiddle with the extender bodge)

[JLodh]

Hi,

First of all let me tell you the difference betweent the two,

PRESTONIA:

Released: 2002

Manufacturing Tech: 130nm / ~0.13 micron

L2 Cache: 512KB

Bus Speed: 533MHz

Chipset Supported: E7500

64-Bit Support: No

HT Support: Yes

IRWINDALE:

Released: 2005

Manufacturing Tech: 90nm

L2 Cache: 2MB

Bus Speed: 800MHz

64-Bit Support: Yes

HT / VT Support: No

RESOLUTION:

Now addressing the main issue. My friend, the machine that you have been tasked with to install Windows Server 2008 64-Bit is a pretty old machine, perhaps ranging to 2002 to 2003 and comes with outdated CPUs that do not support 64-Bit whereas to install a 64-Bit OS, you need a 64-Bit CPU and motherboard that supports those CPUs. Irwindale is a 64-Bit CPU but then it still is an outdated line of Xeons which were released in 2005 and I am not sure if your motherboard supports them since motherboard itself backdates to 2002.

ADVICE / SUGGESTION:

My honest advice to you would be to go for a newer server because:

• It would not give you too many unforseen problems with Windows Server 2008 64-Bit edition.
• You would get prompt support on any issue from Intel Support since it would cover warranty/support.
• The power consumption and lower TDP would help cut down on your electricity bills giving you better per-watt performance.
• Would be scalable in case you decide to expand your infrastructure in future.

Last but not the least, your question was specifically related to Server and to receive a prompt response, please post your server related questions in our http://communities.intel.com/openport/community/server/ The Server Room community. However you are more than welcome to post any questions related to Intel vPro technology here and we'll be glad to help

FYI: Prestonia and Irwindale are codenames and it is a common practice not to use codenames in public rather, processor model number in order to avoid any discrepancies.

Hope the above answers your questions, for further information or queries, feel free to write to us.

Thank you and have a great day!

--

Warm Regards,

Javed Lodhi

Intel Go Green, Save The Environment!

[idata]

Simple answer, you're scuppered. It doesn't support 64 bit.

Here's a list of supported OSes:

Windows Server 2003

NT 4.0W2kRed Hat Linux 7.1, 7.0, 6.2, enterprise's 5, 4, and 3Netware