Intel Xeon E7420

The Intel Xeon E7420 is an end-of-life 4-core (4-thread) processor built for the server CPU market. It launched in Q3 2008 with a suggested retail price of $1,177. It is part of Intel's Xeon MP lineup, which is based on the Dunnington microarchitecture. The E7420 is compatible with Intel Socket 604 motherboards and is fabricated on Intel's 45 nm manufacturing process.

Memory and Cache

The Xeon E7420 supports DDR2, DDR3 memory and features a quad-channel memory controller, allowing it to utilize 4 memory modules simultaneously. In terms of cache, the Xeon E7420 has multiple levels of cache. Its L1 cache, which is the smallest and fastest, is 64 KB in size, providing rapid access to crucial instructions. Its L2 cache, at 3 MB, is larger but slower than the L1. Its L3 cache, a shared resource among the CPU's cores, has a capacity of 8 MB.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The Xeon E7420 features 4 total cores which can process 4 threads simultaneously. The multi-threading capability allows the CPU to execute multiple computational tasks in parallel. The base clock speed of the CPU is 2.1 GHz. Higher clock speeds result in higher performance for the same microarchitecture. The multiplier is locked, making it incapable of overclocking for pushing performance further.

Integrated Graphics

The Xeon E7420 does not include an integrated graphics solution. A dedicated graphics card will be required if you require a monitor with your computer.