The Intel Xeon W5590 was a server/workstation processor with 4 cores, launched in August 2009. It is part of the Xeon lineup, using the Gainestown architecture with Socket 1366. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 8 threads. To further increase overall system performance, up to two Xeon W5590 CPUs can link up in a multi-processor (SMP) configuration. Xeon W5590 has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.333 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.6 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Xeon W5590 on a 45 nm production process using 731 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Xeon W5590, which limits its overclocking capabilities.
With a TDP of 130 W, the Xeon W5590 consumes a lot of power, so good cooling is definitely needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a triple-channel interface. ECC memory is supported, too, which is an important capability for mission-critical systems, to avoid data corruption. For communication with other components in the machine, Xeon W5590 uses a PCI-Express Gen 2 connection. This processor lacks integrated graphics, you might need a graphics card.
Hardware virtualization is available on the Xeon W5590, which greatly improves virtual machine performance.