Second Generation Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors Bring 45 nm Technology and a New Level of Performance to HPC Applications

The second generation of Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processors was launched on November 12th 2007. In this paper we take a look at what the new 45 nm based Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor brings to high performance computing. We compare an Intel Xeon 5300 series based system with a server utilizing his successor the Intel Xeon 5400. We measure both CPU generations operating in dual socket platforms in typical HPC benchmark scenario using some common HPC benchmarks. The results presented clearly show that the new Intel Xeon processor 5400 family provides significant performance advantage on typical HPC workloads and would therefore be seen to be an appropriate choice for many of HPC installations.