How much would you put down for a six-core CPU? If you're an Intel customer looking for a nice enterprise-class chip, the first six-core Xeon is going to cost you a tidy sum of about $2,651, once the Dunnington core Xeons are released. The Socket 604 CPUs will operate at 2.66GHz, and have a lower-clocked brother at 2.4GHz that will go for a mere $2,235.
The cost may seem high, but is very much in line with Intel's Xeon CPU released in the past, and a company looking for the most space-efficient way to get 24 cores into one box might see 4 of these beasts as a perfect opportunity. Still, for six independent cores operating at 2.66GHz each, one must think back to when the original desktop Pentiums sold for a smooth $1,000.