Intel plans to essentially offer two cores for free when it begins rolling out quad-core Xeon 5300 server processors in November. By offering quad-core chips, which contain four processor cores each, for roughly the same price as two-core versions, Intel expects its latest semiconductors will rapidly proliferate in the server space, company executives said here at the Intel Developer Forum on Sept. 26.

Intel executives said they were confident in the new quad-core Xeon chips' design and capabilities. But in order to speed their introduction, the chip maker will tout the chips' performance—Xeon 5300 chips will offer as much as a 50 percent increase in performance versus today's dual-core Xeon 5100s—along with their ability to drop into existing server platforms and their capability to match current power consumption levels, Intel executives said.

Intel's first Xeon 5300 chips will fit into an 80-watt power envelope—the same as dual-core Xeon 5100—while Intel also will offer a 120-watt performance version of the chip. Xeon 5300s will come with either a 1,066MHz or 1,333MHz front-side bus, which shuttles data to and from the chips.

During the first quarter of 2007, Intel will add a 50-watt quad-core Xeon 5300 chip for low-power applications. Still, Intel had to compromise to bring out the Xeon 5300, also known by the code name Clovertown, quickly. The company will create the quad chips by combining a pair of dual-core Woodcrest or Xeon 5100 chips using special packaging. By lowering the clock speed slightly, which cuts down on power consumption and heat production, the chip maker can fit the two dual-core processors into one package.