Intel is changing the names it gives its new Xeon processors from the usual ‘E’ branding to a metallic theme. Moving forward, the entry-level versions will be known as Bronze, with the mid-range taking on the Silver tag. The top-tier chips will be called Gold, with the very best will be branded as Platinum.
We had our first hint of the Xeon name change at the end of April when Intel sent out a product change notification to its partners, but this is considered the first official announcement of the change. These new processors will be part of Intel’s “Scalable Family Platform,” of Xeon processors, which offer a variety of baked-in features which CPUs of yesteryear did not have.
Traditionally, the main difference between Xeon processors has been the core count and cache size, but as Ars Technica points out, Intel is looking to market its processors based on the jobs they are good at, rather than their raw power.
The Platinum line of CPUs is being targeted at those who need top-tier performance, but also those who want hardware-enhanced security. Xeon Gold processors are marketed to highlight their accelerator engines and advanced reliability. Silver CPUs are said to offer efficient performance at low power, while Bronze chips offer entry-level performance.
This streamlines the purchasing process for those looking to upgrade data center hardware and means Intel no longer needs to try and market CPUs with confusing model names. Those names still exist, so for managers who want to get down to the nitty-gritty, they will be able to do so before buying, but this new metallic banding system should make the purchasing process easier for those want a more general view of what the hardware is capable of.
While Intel’s CPUs are set to release this summer, AMD’s Naples processors are not far off, either. As impressive as its Zen architecture has been so far with the Ryzen consumer CPUs, there is every chance that Naples could be even more impactful.
