We often get many questions from customers who are trying to buy a processor for their server, but don’t really know what to look for. There are many processors in the market that have ideal fits, while other processors could simply be overkill. For example, if you’re a small sized business that has a tight budget, you most likely won’t need a processor with 24 cores. Purchasing a processor with those kinds of specs will not only make you go way over budget, but it is possible that you might not even be able to utilize all that processing power. If you’re looking to purchase an Intel Xeon processor for a desktop, that is a no-go as most Intel Xeon processors aren’t compatible with the consumer average desktop. Intel Xeon processors are strictly for servers as they provide workloads that are optimized strictly for servers.

Enterprise server infrastructure needs top-of-the-line tech since these infrastructures will have to process vast amounts of data. Enterprise infrastructures also need to ensure that their systems stay up and running, so having a processor with thermal monitoring technology is essential. These applications could be anything from massive e-commerce websites to applications that deal with A.I. You also have companies using HP Workstations for military applications, 3D rendering, gaming companies, cloud computing applications, and corporations that deal with data analytics. With so much data to process, these applications need the absolute best processor available on the market. And an intel scalable processor is the way to go!

Intel Xeon Scalable Processors

Intel Scalable Processors are ideal for business enterprises that are required to stay up and running 24/7 with little to no interruption. These processors are extremely powerful, have ECC memory support which fixes data corruption issues on the fly, and are the fastest server processors available. Intel Xeon Scalable processors have four different grades; bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

Intel Xeon Scalable Processor Grades

Intel Xeon Bronze processors are ideal for small business applications and basic storage servers that need bulk data storage, but don't necessarily need the fastest computer. Intel Xeon bronze processors are basically for entry-level server applications, which is more aligned for workloads tuned for small businesses or for HPE ProLiant servers that serve as basic bulk storage. Intel Xeon bronze processors provide enhanced hardware security and can a total of two can be used in one server.

Intel Xeon Silver processors are more suit for entry-level server networking applications that require an improvement in memory speed and power efficiency vs Intel Bronze processors. Intel Xeon silver processors provides more power in terms of memory speed vs Intel Xeon bronze processors. Intel Xeon silver processors support a greater amount of memory, which means far more memory speeds.

Intel Xeon Gold processors support ECC ram and provide some of the highest memory speed and memory capacity. Intel Xeon Gold series processors support higher memory speeds, enhanced memory capacity and up to four socket scalabilities. Intel Xeon Gold processors deliver enhanced security and are optimized for demanding mainstream networking storage, bulk storage workloads, and multi-cloud computing. If your enterprise workloads are expanding, then Intel Xeon gold processors will easily meet your expanding workload demands.

Finally, Intel Xeon Platinum processors are strictly for mission-critical applications, which includes A.I (artificial applications) and very large data analytics applications. Intel Xeon Platinum processors are the most expensive of the four series. The platinum Xeon family features 2, 4, 8+ socket scalability and features Intel Deep Learning boost instruction which is mainly used for AI applications. Intel Xeon Platinum processors easily top all other processors as the best performing grade.

The Intel Xeon Family

There is also an Intel Xeon family of processors each with their own ideal fit as well. Below are the different types of Intel Xeon families, which include the E family, D family, W family and the Scalable family.

Intel Xeon E: Ideal for entry-level servers which are mainly for medium-sized businesses that are on a tight budget. These processors are much cheaper when compared to Xeon W and Xeon Scalable processors, but perform less.

Intel Xeon D processors are specifically for micro servers such as the HPE ProLiant micro server series. If you got a micro-server, then an Intel Xeon D processor is the way to go. Intel Xeon D processors provide optimal performance for your application without straining your budget.

Intel Xeon W processors are for applications that include artificial intelligence (AI), engineering, architecture, and for 3D modeling applications, such business that use AutoDesk Maya. Intel Xeon W processors offer enterprise-grade security and hyper-threading technology which require I/O intensive workloads.

Processors are not only essential to our business needs, but essential to our server infrastructure as well. Having the ability to scale your server along with your processor gives you an enormous boost. Processors are the beating heart of the server and with an ideal fit, you will be able to easily configure your server to meet the most optimal demands.