Intel Xeon E5-1428L v2 socket: LGA 1356

What the Xeon E5-1428L v2 is

The Xeon E5-1428L v2 is a low voltage Ivy Bridge-EN six core for efficient dual socket servers on LGA 1356. Intel set six cores and 12 threads at 2.2 GHz base with turbo to 2.7 GHz. Fifteen megabytes of cache serve virtual guests and threaded services. Power is 60 W on 22 nm from January 2014. The L suffix marks low power for dense racks that cap watts per node.

Six cores with Hyper-Threading consolidate guests that would need several dual core Pentiums. At 2.2 GHz base with bursts to 2.7 GHz, response stays smooth with ECC memory and SSDs. Large cache trims memory trips across guests. Turbo covers single thread steps in control tasks. Buyers pick the L where 95 W Xeons would exceed rack power.

No integrated graphics exist, so boards use BMC for management display. DDR3 with ECC over three channels feeds each socket. The mix is a server socket for operators who want threads per watt with server memory protection.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The E5-1428L v2 fits LGA 1356 on C600 series boards for single and dual socket use. One QPI link per CPU ties two sockets on dual boards. Firmware must carry v2 microcode, since Sandy Bridge-EN boards predate Ivy. Check the vendor matrix for stepping and minimum BIOS. Desktop sockets never accept EN server parts.

DDR3 ECC RDIMMs populate three channels per socket. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide is desktop focused, so follow server manuals for NUMA populations. Cooling is board specific with vendor heatsinks for 60 W and rack airflow.

A standard 95 W Xeon on the same socket adds clocks where power allows. Confirm thermal and memory ceilings before swapping low voltage for standard parts.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR3-800 to 1600 with ECC over three channels per socket suits virtual hosts. Balance DIMMs across channels and sockets for NUMA fairness. Registered DIMMs allow large counts for guests. Speed follows DIMM count per manual.

PCIe 3.0 with 24 lanes per socket in x4, x8 and x16 splits serves NICs, HBAs and accelerators. Dual socket I/O needs NUMA aware placement across the QPI link. Board manuals show slot sharing with storage controllers.

Vendor qualified 60 W heatsinks handle sustained all core loads with front to back air. No retail cooler exists. Inlet temperature and per core states decide turbo more than headline base clocks.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket the Intel Pentium 1403 V2 at 2.6 GHz is a dual core twin for basic single socket roles. The Intel Pentium 1405 V2 at 1.4 GHz is a lower power entry where threads matter least. Both share LGA 1356 mounting and DDR3 ECC.

A larger server socket means platforms such as LGA 2011-v3. The E5-1428L v2 covers efficient LGA 1356 virtualization where six cores at 60 W are the target.