Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series supports Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology. This technology enables the processor to switch between multiple
frequency and voltage points, which results in platform power savings. Enhanced Intel SpeedStepTechnology requires support for dynamic VID transitions in the platform. Switching between voltage/frequency states is software controlled. For more configuration details also refer to the Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software
Developer’s Manual.
Note: Not all Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series are capable of supporting Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology. More details on which processor frequencies will support this feature will be provided in the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400
Series Specification Update.
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology creates processor performance states (P-states) or voltage/frequency operating points which are lower power capability states within the Normal state (see Figure 7-1 for the Stop Clock State Machine for supported P- states). Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology enables real-time dynamic switching between frequency and voltage points. It alters the performance of the processor by changing the bus to core frequency ratio and voltage. This allows the processor to run at different core frequencies and voltages to best serve the performance and power requirements of the processor and system. The Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series has hardware logic that coordinates the requested voltage (VID) between the processor cores. The highest voltage that is requested for either of the processor cores is selected for that processor package. Note that the front side bus is not altered; only the internal core frequency is changed. In order to run at reduced power
consumption, the voltage is altered in step with the bus ratio.
The following are key features of Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology:
• Multiple voltage/frequency operating points provide optimal performance at reduced power consumption.
• Voltage/frequency selection is software controlled by writing to processor MSR’s (Model Specific Registers), thus eliminating chipset dependency.
— If the target frequency is higher than the current frequency, VCC is incremented in steps (+12.5 mV) by placing a new value on the VID signals and the
processor shifts to the new frequency. Note that the top frequency for the processor can not be exceeded.
— If the target frequency is lower than the current frequency, the processor shifts to the new frequency and VCC is then decremented in steps (-12.5 mV) by changing the target VID through the VID signals.
8
Boxed Processor Specifications
8.1
Introduction
Intel boxed processors are intended for system integrators who build systems from components available through distribution channels. The Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series will be offered as an Intel boxed processor.
Intel will offer the Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series with two heat sink configurations available for each processor frequency: 1U passive/3U+ active
combination solution and a 2U passive only solution. The 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution is based on a 1U passive heat sink with a removable fan that will be pre-attached at shipping. This heat sink solution is intended to be used as either a 1U passive heat sink, or a 3U+ active heat sink. Although the active combination solution with removable fan mechanically fits into a 2U keepout, its use is not recommended in that configuration.
Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor X5400 Series will include a copper 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution or a copper 2U passive heatsink. Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor E5400 Series with 80W and lower TDPs will include an aluminum extruded 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution or an aluminum extruded 2U passive heatsink.
The 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution in the active fan configuration is primarily designed to be used in a pedestal chassis where sufficient air inlet space is present and strong side directional airflow is not an issue. The 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution with the fan removed and the 2U passive thermal solution require the use of chassis ducting and are targeted for use in rack mount or pedestal servers. The retention solution used for these products is called the Common Enabling Kit, or CEK. The CEK base is compatible with both thermal solutions and uses the same hole locations as the Intel® Xeon® processor with 800 MHz system bus.
The 1U passive/3U+ active combination solution will utilize a removable fan capable of 4-pin pulse width modulated (PWM) control. Use of a 4-pin PWM controlled active thermal solution helps customers meet acoustic targets in pedestal platforms through the motherboards’s ability to directly control the RPM of the processor heat sink fan. See Section 8.3 for more details on fan speed control, and see Section 6.3 for more on the PWM and PECI interface along with Digital Thermal Sensors (DTS). Figure 8-1
Figure 8-1. Boxed Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® Processor 5400 Series
1U Passive/3U+ Active Combination Heat Sink (With Removable Fan)
Notes:
1. The heat sinks represented in these images are for reference only, and may not represent the final boxed processor heat sinks.
2. The screws, springs, and standoffs will be captive to the heat sink. This image shows all of the components in an exploded view.
3. It is intended that the CEK spring will ship with the base board and be pre-attached prior to shipping.