What are Xeon Gold CPUs

Intel Xeon Gold processors are a family of high-performance server microprocessors, introduced by Intel in 2017. They are designed for businesses that need high performance, reliability and scalability. They are often used in servers and workstations that need to handle heavy workloads, such as:

• Data centers, for managing large amounts of data and complex calculations
• Telecom and communications service providers, to support network deployments and deliver high performance for virtual environments
• High End Performance computing, such as n laboratories and HPC-as-a-service environments for scientific research and simulations
• Large enterprises, for business-critical applications, databases and virtualization platforms.

Xeon Gold CPUs are 64-bit x86 dual/quad-socket multi-core high-performance server microprocessors with scalability with up to 4-way multiprocessing.

In addition to support for faster memory speeds and improved memory capacity, Xeon Gold offers advanced security technologies and built-in workload acceleration.

All Xeon Gold processors support QuickAssist technology integrated on the chipset, as well as the Omni-Path architecture on the chipset and via discrete PCIe cards. All models also support 3 Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) links.

Socket type per generation

Intel Xeon Gold 1st generation: LGA-3647
Intel Xeon Gold 2nd generation: LGA-3647
Intel Xeon Gold 3rd generation: LGA4189

What is the difference between the generations

The difference between the different generations of Intel Xeon Gold processors mainly lies in the performance, the number of cores, the clock speed, and the supported technologies. Here are some general differences:

First Generation (Skylake-SP): This generation introduced the Xeon Scalable family in July 2017 and brought improvements in memory bandwidth and I/O capacity. They also provided support for AVX-512 instructions, which is important for certain high-performance computing tasks.

• Proc: 14 nm proces
• TDP: 85 W - 200 W
• Mem: 768 GiB hexa-channel DDR4-2400/2666 ECC-geheugen.
  M-versies ondersteunen 1,5 TiB per socket
• I/O: 48 PCIe Gen 3.0-lanes
• ISA: Alles tot AVX-512 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, FMA3, AVX2, AVX-512-F/CD/BW /DQ/VL)
• Features: Hyper-Threading, Turbo Boost, Speed ​​Shift, vPro, VT-x, TSX, TXT, Volume Management Device (VMD), Mode-based Execute Control (MBE), Key Protection Technology (KPT) and Platform Trust Technology ( PTT).

Second Generation (Cascade Lake-SP): Released in 2019, these processors brought microarchitecture optimizations and enhanced security features such as Intel Security Guard Extensions (SGX). They also introduced support for persistent memory with Intel Optane.

• Process: 14 nm process
• TDP: 85 W - 200 W
• Memory: 1 TiB hexa-channel DDR4-2400/2666 ECC-geheugen
  M-versies ondersteunen 2 TiB per socket
  L-versies ondersteunen 4,5 TiB per socket
• I/O: 48 PCIe Gen 3.0-lanes
• ISA: Alles tot AVX-512 (SMM, FPU, NX, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AES, AVX, FMA3,
• AVX2, AVX-512-F/CD/BW /DQ/VL/VNNI)
• Features: Hyper-Threading, Turbo Boost, Speed ​​Shift, vPro, VT-x, TSX, TXT, Volume Management Device (VMD), Mode-based Execute Control (MBE), Key Protection Technology (KPT) and Platform Trust Technology ( PTT)

Third generation (Ice Lake-SP): This generation, released in April 2021, saw an increase in core count and improved AI instruction sets. Ice Lake-SP also introduced PCIe 4.0 support and a new core architecture with 10nm technology.

• Up to 28 cores/socket in IoT SKUs
• Multi-socket support (1.2 CPU)
• Maximum 3 UPI channels per CPU
• Validated for Intel® 3D NAND SSDs and Intel® Optane™ SSDs
• PCI Express 4 and 64 lanes (per socket) at 16 GT/s
• Support for DIMMs up to 3200 MT/s (2 DPC)
• 16 GB based DDR4 DIMM support, up to 256 GB DDR4 DIMM support
• Select SKUs support a maximum memory capacity of 6 TB/socket
  TDP between 105W and 205W

Packaging

NTS ships Xeon Gold CPUs in custom trays that fit 4. These are stackable and provide optimal protection so that the CPU cannot move in the packaging during transport.

41711024 - Tray Intel Xeon Scalable Processors (1x4) Gold/Silver CPU

The trays are also available separately in our webshop. To do this, follow the link in the product number above.

What should be taken into account when purchasing

The CPU has a code next to the clock speed, as shown in the image below:

• Make sure this code matches when using multiple CPUs. Different versions of processors may have minute differences that affect performance. Using the same code from the same product name ensures that the CPUs are identical.

   

• Before you upgrade your CPU, check the wattage of the power supply, especially when installing a 2nd processor or in combination with a powerful video card. View the power consumption per component in the product specifications. Your power supply must be able to handle the total with some margin.

   

• Thermal paste is required for installation of Xeon Gold processors. Ask your account manager to add this to the order, or add it in the webshop.

   

• If you are looking for a CPU upgrade for a server, keep in mind that an extra processor or faster processor may contain more cores and therefore a software license extension may be required, such as Microsoft Server core licenses. More information can be found on the Windows Server Core Calculator site.

   

• Before installing the Xeon Gold processors, the CPU cooling must be removed. Before replacing, check which format this should be. This depends on the cooling, but this is often a Philips head 2.