Intel has announced the new E3-1200 v6 processor family, designed for entry-level workstations, small business servers and storage servers, with a total of eight processors launched today.

All desktop replaceable CPUs will be using the LGA1151 socket, the same as the previous generation E3 v5 Xeons.

The high-end E3 v6 parts will have a maximum base frequency of 3.9 GHz base and a 4.2 GHz turbo. All the parts listed have a full 8MB of L3 cache, and either be 72W for non-IGP models or 73W for IGP parts.

The models in '5' are all running Intel HD P630 graphics and run up to 1150 MHz. This is the "professional" version of the HD630 we see on the consumer parts, using Intel's latest Gen9 graphics architecture and supporting H.265 encode/decode.

Using the latest 14 nanometer process technology, the single processor Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v6 product family delivers the following performance and visuals improvements for entry workstations:

• Up to a 56% performance improvement when compared to the Intel Xeon processors E3-1200 v2 product family
• Error Code Correcting (ECC) for automatic data checking for errors
• Enhanced visuals with support for Intel HD graphics P630, delivering up to 3X graphics performance improvement when compared to the Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 V2 product family
• Entry Professional virtual reality (VR) visualization by supporting the latest VR headset manufacturer processor requirements
• New High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) 10-bit hardware acceleration for enhanced 4K decoding and encoding
• Intel Optane memory support for use with with slower media used in traditional HDD or SATA SSD
• Hardware-enhanced security and reliability features, provide authentication and protection for identity, content and code

The Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v6 product family supports the latest VR headset requirements from manufactures like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
Additional scale and VR capabilities are possible with the Intel Xeon processor E5 product family-based workstations that can deliver real-time VR creation and visualization.

New designs featuring the Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v6 product family, mobile workstations and tiny workstation designs are available today from many of the OEM manufacturers.

A primary motivator in considering a professional-grade entry-level server or workstation is need to protect important data and intellectual property. The Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v6 product family includes hardware-enhanced security features such as Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) to protect sensitive data like encryption keys used for communications over the internet from unauthorized access or modification. The Intel Authenticate Solution offers customizable multi-factor authentication to help protect access to the most sensitive company data.

In addition to enhanced processor performance, hardware-enhanced security and support for faster memory, the latest Intel HD graphics P630 is available on select products within the Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v6 product family. The value and performance of Intel HD graphics P630 is reflected in a 3X graphics performance improvement when compared to an Intel Xeon processor E3-1280 v2.

The Intel Xeon Processor E3-1200 v6 product family is shipping today.