Intel Xeon processor E5 - 2660: overview, features

The processor solution E5 - 2660 from the company "Intel" is great for creating servers of entry-level and middle class. This chip was released in 2012, and to this day decisions based on it continue to be relevant. It is this model of the CPU that this material will be devoted to.

Niche processor solution

Servers based on Intel processors are divided as follows:

• Budget entry-level solutions are based on only one chip. Typically, such a semiconductor crystal includes 8, 10 or even 12 computational cores. Support for proprietary technology NT allows you to double the logical flow.
• Mid-level servers are already based on 2-processor devices with the same number of cores from 8 to 12 cores.
• Premium servers, in turn, can include 4 or more chips.

According to the technical specifications, the Intel E5 - 2660 can operate in a single - chip or dual - processor configuration. As a result, on its basis you can collect only servers of the initial or intermediate level.

Contents of delivery

The following delivery option is typical for the Xeon E5 - 2660:

• The processor is in a transparent shipping package.
• Sticker with the logo of the CPU model.
• Cooler.
• Certificate of conformity.
• Warranty card.
• Thermal grease.
• Cardboard box.
• User guide.

The above list is sufficient to enable it to be used for its intended purpose after the purchase of this silicon solution. The remaining components of the server system come with either a motherboard or a computer case. Also it is possible to meet extremely rarely such a chip in the variant of delivery TRAIL. In this case, the previously listed list eliminated thermal paste and cooler.

The first version of the delivery was of the greatest interest for small and medium builders of server systems, and the second - for large. Due to the large volume of purchased equipment in the latter case, cooling systems were purchased at wholesale prices. As a result, the option of supplying VOC was more expensive than TRAIL and the cooling system purchased separately.

Processor connector, chip architecture, frequency

The E5-2660 processor is designed to be installed in the LGA2011 socket. The code name for the architecture that underlies this silicon product is SandyBridge-EP. The processor solution includes 8 real 64-bit cores, which are converted into 16 streams with the help of HyperTrading technology at the software level. This chip due to TurboBust technology is able to change its clock frequency depending on the complexity of the software being processed and the temperature of the semiconductor substrate. The minimum nominal frequency in this case is 2.2 GHz. The maximum nominal frequency is 3.0 GHz.

Technology, heat package and temperature values

CPU model E5-2660 is manufactured using technology with tolerances of 32 nm. The dimensions of the semiconductor substrate are 52.5 mm X 45.0 mm. The thermal package of the chip is 95W. The highest temperature was set by the manufacturer at 73 ^o C. In reality, in the nominal mode, this parameter does not exceed 55 ⁰ C. The voltage applied to the processor can be in the range from 0.6 V to 1.35 V.

Cache and RAM

The Intel Xeon processor E5-2660 has a significantly increased cache size on each of the 3 levels. Due to this, it increases performance and speed, and it is this factor that allows this processor device to cope with server tasks perfectly. The most difficult cache is organized on the first level. In this case, it consists of 8 segments of 64 kb and this in total is 512 kb. Each such segment is physically fixed to a certain computing resource and can directly interact with it only. In addition, it should be noted that each such segment is divided into 2 parts of 32 kb. One of them can store only data, and the second - instructions.

The second level of the cache also consists of 8 parts of 256 kb. Its total size is 2 MB. As in the case of the first level, each such cluster is attached to a specific kernel and can store only its data and instructions. The third level of fast memory is common for all the computational components of the processor and its total size is 20 MB. This chip can interact with RAM standard DDR3. The allowed clock speeds of microcircuits are 800, 1066, 1333 and even 1600 MHz. The controller is included in the CPU and can function in 4-channel mode. The maximum amount of addressable RAM is 384 GB. The bandwidth of the memory subsystem is declared by the manufacturer at the level of 51.2 Gb / s. For the successful functioning of the server system, this value is more than enough.

Price and opinion of users

Initially, the price for E5-2660 was set by the manufacturer at $ 1,329 for the TRAIL supply option and $ 1333 for the VOC. Since the beginning of sales of this chip in 2012, a lot of time has passed by the standards of computer technology and generations of processor devices and computing platforms have been replaced many times. As a result, this chip is not currently relevant at the moment and when assembling a new server it is better to use the LGA2011 - v3 socket and the corresponding CPU models. This processor can only be used in cases where it is necessary to repair the server based on the LGA2011 computing platform. Today it can be bought on the Internet, and the cost of it dropped to 50-70 dollars. Only one significant drawback is inherent in this modification of the CPU - this is a high price. But the advantages in this case are much greater:

• High performance.
• Excellent energy efficiency.
• Scalability of the server up to 2-chip configuration.

Results

E5-2660 possesses sufficient levels of performance and speed. But now it was replaced by more recent chips of the new generation. You can buy it only to repair obsolete servers. In other cases, the purchase of such a chip is not justified.