Engineers frustrated with the computational limitations of their CAD workstations will appreciate the performance improvement offered by the recently released Intel Xeon E processor. This processor is the latest in a family of CPUs targeting the workstation market and is the successor to the workhorse E3 processor.
Users working on entry-level workstations will see significant performance improvements when they upgrade to workstations with the Xeon E processor. This processor targets the entry-level workstation market for applications such as CAD, schematic entry and basic modeling where computational requirements are limited. This “entry-level” processor still provides significant performance improvement over previous entry-level workstation processors. Intel cites a 1.36x performance improvement compared to a 2017 vintage processor such as the Xeon E3-1200 v6 and 1.71x relative to a four-year-old workstation.
Intel increased performance, reliability, and security with multiple architectural and system-level improvements:
- Higher single-thread performance – Processes that cannot be parallelized remain limited by throughput of a single processor core. The Xeon E series processor increases Turbo Boost clock rates to 4.7GHz and accelerates single-core performance.
- Multicore and multithreading – Parallel processes can now be distributed among six cores and 12 threads to increase parallel throughput and reduce execution time for repetitive operations.
- Memory performance and reliability – 64 GB of high performance 2666 MHz DDR4 memory increases the volume of data that can be resident in memory, in turn reducing disk access requirements and accelerating data service to the cache. Error Control Code (ECC) memory support provides the means to correct bit errors in memory accesses to improve data integrity and significantly reduce error rate.
- Interface performance – The Xeon E supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gbps and provides 30 lanes of PCI Express 3.0. These interfaces improve communication throughput to storage and networking, and enable support for off-chip graphics interfaces and devices.
- Graphics resolution and performance – Available Intel UHD Graphics 630 support provides 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) display resolution. HEVC10-bit hardware acceleration is built-in to enhance 4K media decoding and encoding. The E processor also supports entry-level professional Virtual Reality (VR) for an immersive user experience.
Engineers can buy the new processor in workstations that became available in July 2018 from multiple vendors:
- Dell 3000 series entry-level workstations towers and 1U rack
- HP Z workstations
- Lenovo ThinkStation P330 workstations
For more information about the new E processor and other processors in the workstation series, visit the Intel website.