Apple has updated its Xserve server to include the latest versions of Intel's server processor, Nehalem.
The servers, announced on Tuesday, use the quad-core Xeon 5500 Nehalem chip. The base version is configured with the 2.26GHz version of the processor and comes with 3GB of RAM. The servers can be fitted with chips at up to 2.93GHz. The base model costs US$2,999 with a single processor.
In its announcement, Apple highlighted the speed of the Xserve's memory access, which it credited to the Intel processor's use of an integral memory controller. System memory is usually controlled by connecting to the central processor through a separate I/O controller, but on the Nehalem, the controller is an integrated part of the system. AMD has been using an integral memory controller in its processors for some time.
Apple is joining a long list of companies that quickly announced new systems using Nehalem after the chip's launch. These include IBM, HP, Sun, Dell, Lenovo and Fujitsu.
Although popular with educational institutions and users in Apple's core market of creative professionals, the Xserve is little known and accounts for a fraction of Apple's users.
CNET News.com's Tom Krazit contributed to this story.
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