Intel Xeon processor X5650: description and reviews

An excellent processor solution for creating servers based on the 1366 socket is all Intel Xeon X5650. It is this product based on 6 computational units and will be further considered in detail.

For what tasks is this chip oriented?

Intel's hybrid was the LGA 1366 processor socket, 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 Cor Ai7 CPU. But in this case the PC could only include one processor.

Also on the basis of this socket, workstations or mid-level servers were assembled. It was for the creation of such products that the Intel Xeon X5650 was intended. Only in this case, the central processing units could be already 2. Such a constructive solution made it possible to obtain a significant increase in performance.

Equipment

Intel Xeon X5650 was focused on assembling in specialized companies. As a result, in the version of the package "Box" it simply was not delivered. The market was only attended by the execution of the "Tray". That is, the delivery list in this case, in addition to the chip itself, included a user manual, a corporate label of this family of CPUs and a warranty card. But the cooling system needed to be purchased additionally. On the scale of a specialized organization, this should not have been exactly the case. Well, computer enthusiasts if you want it, too, could do.

Processor connector for installation

This semiconductor solution is designed for installation in socket 1366. But again, you can install only in those models of motherboards that support such a system. One hundred percent support for this product boasted only solutions based on the set of 5520 system logic from Intel, which were specially developed for this series of semiconductor solutions. Only now before the launch of such a system it was necessary to update the BIOS in a mandatory manner.

Most motherboards of this series were intended for installation of X55XX chips. But the hero of this review appeared later these CPUs and was already related to the model series Х56ХХ. It was for this reason that it was necessary to reflash the BIOS. The second chipset supporting these products is X58 of the same manufacturer. Only in this case it was necessary to study in detail the documentation on the motherboard and clarify the support of the CPU or its absence. In the first case, you could put 2 processors, and in the second - only one.

Technology of product production

Intel Xeon Processor X5650 was manufactured according to the most advanced technological process for 2010. This tolerance is 32 nm. Of course, now Intel solutions already boast standards of 14 nm. But, on the other hand, the most productive solutions of Intel's direct competitor - AMD company - for the AM 3+ processor socket are still manufactured using 32nm technology. Therefore, we can safely call this chip still relevant in this parameter.

Cache

Overview Intel Xeon X5650 indicates the presence of a cache of 3 levels. And the volume of this fast and volatile memory is quite impressive even by today's standards. Well, in 2010, this parameter allowed to show this chip an unprecedented level of performance against the background of previous generations of CPUs. The first level of the cache was represented by two equal parts of 32 kb for each CPU core. The first one was intended for data storage, and the second one was for the chip instructions. The total cache was equal to 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. Such a rigid specialization regarding the type of stored information, as for the first level, in this case was not. The third cache level was common for all the computing resources of the chip and was 12 MB.

RAM

This chip is oriented to the use of the RAM "DDR3" standard. And in this case there was support for the slats "DDR3-800", "DDR3-1066" and "DDR3-1333". 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 memory controller, and this engineering solution provided him with a phenomenal performance gain.

Thermal and operating temperature

Although this CPU was also 6-nuclear, but 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 streams, operated in a temperature range of 40-65 degrees. It was possible to reach the emergency value of 81 degrees only when the cooling system was stopped abruptly.

Frequencies

The Intel Xeon processor X5650 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 equal to 2.6 GHz. But the maximum clock frequency in this case was 3.06 GHz.

Architecture

The code name for the computing cores of this silicon crystal is Gulftown. The chip itself, as was noted earlier, included 6 computational blocks at once. But at the same time, at the software level, they were transformed into 12 logical computational flows using the "HyperTrading" technology. Therefore, this CPU shows an impeccable level of performance in both a single-threaded task and in multi-threaded applications.

Overclocking

The clock multiplier was blocked in the Intel Xeon X5650. Overclocking could be done only by increasing the speed of the system bus. This allowed to raise the frequency of the chip to 3,4-3,5 GHz with the base 2.6 GHz. This, in turn, made it possible to obtain a performance gain of 30%. On the one hand, this is a very significant increase in performance, but on the other hand, such overclocking immediately increased the requirements for other components of such a computing system. This is an improved motherboard, and the increased power of the power supply, and better cooling. And the level of chip performance, as a rule, did not require such extreme operating modes. Therefore, it is not entirely expedient to disperse such a semiconductor crystal.

Reviews about the CPU. Price

A set of accessories, which included memory for 32 GB, the Intel S5520HC and Xeon X5650, Would cost the new owner about $ 2,000. This is the main disadvantage of this silicon solution. Well, in other respects this chip has only the advantages: unprecedented level of performance, high energy efficiency and excellent scalability.

Results

Although Intel Xeon X5650 was released in 2010, even now this chip is great for creating workstations or servers of the same average level. Therefore, its high enough cost is more than justified. After all, these investments were not for one year.