An excellent processor solution for creating servers based on 1366 socket is all Intel Xeon X5650. It is this product based on 6 computing units that will be further examined in detail.
What tasks is this chip oriented to?
Intel's hybrid was a processor socket LGA 1366, which was released in 2010. On the one hand, on the basis of this platform, it was possible to assemble a high-performance personal computer based on the “Ai7” series CPU. But in this case, the PC could include only one processor.
Also, based on this socket, workstations or mid-level servers were assembled. It was to create such products that Intel Xeon X5650 was intended. Only in this case could there be already 2 central processing units. Such a constructive solution made it possible to obtain a significant increase in productivity.
Equipment
Intel Xeon X5650 was focused on assembly in specialized companies. As a result, in the Box version, it was simply not supplied. On the market there was only a performance of "Tray". That is, the delivery list in this case, in addition to the chip itself, included a user manual, a branded sticker for this CPU family and a warranty card. But the cooling system needed to be purchased additionally. On the scale of a specialized organization, problems should definitely not have arisen. Well, computer enthusiasts, if desired, could do this too.
CPU socket for installation
This semiconductor solution is designed to be installed in socket 1366. But again, you can only install it in those models of motherboards that support such a system. One hundred percent support of this product could boast only on the basis of Intel 5520 chipset, which were specifically developed for this series of semiconductor solutions. Only now, before launching such a system, it was necessary to update it in BIOS.
Most motherboards of this series were designed to install chips of the X55XX line. But the hero of this review appeared later than these CPUs and already belonged to the X56XX model range. It was for this reason that it was necessary to reflash the BIOS. The second chipset supporting products of this class is X58 of the same manufacturer. Only in this case it was necessary to study the documentation for the motherboard in detail and clarify the support for the CPU or its absence. In the first case, it was possible to install 2 processors, and in the second - only one.
Product manufacturing technology
Intel Xeon Processor X5650 was manufactured according to the most advanced technological process for 2010. These are tolerance limits of 32 nm. Of course, Intel solutions can now boast of 14 nm standards. But, on the other hand, the most productive solutions of Intel's direct competitor, AMD, for the processor socket AM 3+, are still manufactured using 32 nm technology. Therefore, we can safely call this chip still relevant for this parameter.
Cache
A review of the Intel Xeon X5650 indicates the presence of a cache of 3 levels. Moreover, the volume of this fast and volatile memory is very impressive, even by today's standards. Well, in 2010, this parameter allowed us to show this chip an unprecedented level of performance against previous generations of CPUs. The first cache level was represented by two equal parts of 32 kb for each CPU core. The first of them was intended for data storage, and the second for chip instructions. The total cache size was 384 kb (2 blocks of 32 kb for 6 cores of the semiconductor solution). At the second level, the cache was also divided into 6 parts of 256 kb. In total, this allowed to get 1.5 MB. There was no such strict specialization regarding the type of stored information as for the first level in this case. The third cache level was common for all computing resources of the chip and amounted to 12 MB.
RAM
This chip is focused on the use of random access memory device standard "DDR3". Moreover, in this case there was support for the “DDR3-800", "DDR3-1066" and "DDR3-1333" slats. The maximum amount of RAM in this case was 288 GB. It should also be noted that this CPU was equipped with a three-channel RAM controller, and such an engineering solution provided it with a phenomenal performance boost.
Thermal mode and operating temperature
Although this CPU was 6-core, its thermal package was only 95 watts. The maximum temperature that was acceptable for this semiconductor product was 81 degrees. In reality, this chip, despite the presence of an impressive number of computing units and threads, worked in the temperature range of 40-65 degrees. To achieve an emergency value of 81 degrees was possible only with an emergency stop of the cooling system.
Frequencies
The Intel Xeon X5650 processor supports TurboBust technology. As a result, it can dynamically change its clock frequency depending on the temperature regime of the semiconductor solution and the degree of complexity of the problem being solved. Its minimum frequency was 2.6 GHz. But the maximum value of the clock frequency in this case was 3.06 GHz.
Architecture
The code name for the processing cores of this silicon crystal is Gulftown. The chip itself, as noted earlier, included immediately 6 computing units. But at the same time, at the software level, using HyperTreading technology, they were transformed into 12 logical computational flows. Therefore, this CPU shows an impeccable level of performance both in a single-threaded task and in multi-threaded applications.
Overclocking
The clock multiplier was locked in the Intel Xeon X5650. Overclocking could be done only by increasing the speed of the system bus. This made it possible to raise the chip frequency to 3.4-3.5 GHz from the base 2.6 GHz. This, in turn, made it possible to obtain a performance increase of 30%. On the one hand, this is a very, very solid performance increase, but on the other, such overclocking immediately raised the requirements for other components of such a computing system. This is an improved motherboard, and an increased power supply unit, and better cooling. And the level of chip performance, as a rule, did not require such extreme operating modes. Therefore, to disperse such a semiconductor crystal is not entirely advisable.
Reviews about the CPU. Price
Accessory kit, which included 32 GB RAM, Intel S5520HC and Xeon X5650, would have cost the new owner in the amount of about $ 2,000. This is the main disadvantage of this silicon solution. But the rest of this chip has only advantages: an unprecedented level of performance, high energy efficiency and excellent scalability.
Summary
Although Intel Xeon X5650 was released in 2010, even now this chip is great for creating workstations or servers of the same mid-range. Therefore, its rather high cost is more than justified. After all, these investments were not for one year.