Intel retires first-generation Xeon E7 processor

Intel has announced the phasing out of all processors of the first-generation Xeon E7 line. The processors can still be ordered until August 21, after that no more. The Xeon E7 v3 processors are expected to appear in the second quarter of 2015.

These are chips based on the Nehalem architecture and introduced in April 2011. A year ago, the chips were succeeded by v2 variants erected on Ivy Bridge. In the second quarter of 2015, the Xeon E7 v3 processors, based on Haswell, will appear.

Intel has announced end-of-life status for three series of the Xeon E7 line. These are chips for servers with two CPU sockets: the Xeon E7-2803, E7-2820, E7-2830, E7-2850, E7-2860 and E7-2870. Also retired are the processors for quad-socket systems with the type names E7-4807, E7-4820, E7-4830, E7-4850, E7-4860 and E7-4870. Finally, production of the Xeon E7-8830, E7-8837, E7-8850, E7-8860, E7-8867L and E7-8870, which are intended for servers with eight cores, will stop.

The processors will remain available for a while: until February 2018. The boxed versions of the E7-4870, E7-4860, E7-4850, E7-4830, E7-4820 and E7-4807, are available until February 2016. In all cases, orders must be received before August 21, 2015. With Xeons, a long support period is desirable: companies use the processors for sometimes critical server systems.