Product guide

Ultrascalability in a 2-socket package, combined with extreme availability features and industry-
leading performance
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5
1.5V DDR3 memory is even more efficient, using 10-15% less energy than DDR2 memory. In
addition machine type 7147 supports low-voltage 1.35V DIMMs, which consume up to 19% less
energy than 1.5V DIMMs. (1.5V and 1.35V DIMMs can be mixed within a given memory
controller, however all DIMMs in that controller will run at 1.5V.)
The 7147 machine type of x3690 X5 chassis supports up to 1TB of memory in 32 DIMM sockets
using 32GB DIMMs. (The 7148 machine type supports up to 512GB with 16TB DIMMs.) It uses
PC3-10600 double data rate 3 (DDR3) memory (operating at 1066MHz) for fast access, as well
as PC3-8500 DDR3 and LV versions of both types. Competitive servers may require you to add
processors to add memory. eX5 servers with MAX5 decouple memory and processors, so that
you can upgrade memory without upgrading to a second processor.
The standard configuration supports up to 32 DIMMs. If that is not enough, you can attach a 1U
MAX5 memory expansion unit, which adds another 32 DIMM slots (up to 1TB in machine type
7147, for a total of 2TB in only 3U).
Redesign in the architecture of the 7500/6500 series and E7 processors bring radical changes in
the way memory works in these servers. For example, the processors integrate two memory
controllers inside each processor, resulting in four memory controllers in a two-socket
system. (MAX5 adds another four memory controllers.) Each controller has two memory
channels (four per processor), each with a memory buffer.
i
The memory architecture of the eX5 chipset provides up to 333% more aggregate memory
bandwidth than the previous generation eX4, for exceptional memory performance. By
performing reads and writes simultaneously, it eliminates memory read-to-write blocking latency.
In addition, it also offers innovative data reliability and security features to help improve data
integrity, including enhanced CRC protection, data retry on error detect and buffer registers for
improved fault isolation.
It is important to ensure that DIMMs with appropriate number of ranks are populated in each
channel for optimal performance. Whenever possible, it is recommended to use dual-rank
DIMMs in the system. Dual-rank DIMMs offer better interleaving and hence better performance
than single-rank DIMMs.
Another important guideline is to populate equivalent ranks per channel. For instance, mixing
one single-rank DIMM and one dual-rank DIMM in a channel should be avoided.
Notes: DIMMs must be installed in matching pairs. Also, each CPU requires at least 2 DIMMs.
It is important to ensure that all memory channels in each processor are populated. The relative
memory bandwidth decreases as the number of channels populated decreases. This is because
Intel
Boxboro
PCIe
Intel
Xeon E7
MAX5
Intel
Xeon E7
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