Intel Xeon E5-1680 v2 socket: LGA 2011

What the Xeon E5-1680 v2 is

Intel Xeon E5-1680 v2 is a 8 core server part that Intel released in September 2013 for single socket workstation boards with tuning headroom. It uses the Ivy Bridge-EP design on a 22 nm process, running at 3 GHz base with turbo to 3.9 GHz. The cache is 25 MB. Power is 130 W. There are no integrated graphics, so console output depends on the board controller.

The cores carry Hyper-Threading for 16 threads. The quad channel ECC memory controller suits virtualized hosting with large guests. The package integrates 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes on die.

At 130 W the Xeon E5-1680 v2 belongs to the 130 W high power group. The clocks suit workstation builds with tower cooling. Boards are vendor qualified designs with ECC RDIMM slots. The How to find your CPU socket type guide shows how to confirm the socket before ordering parts.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Xeon E5-1680 v2 fits LGA 2011 in LGA form with 2,011 lands. Boards are single socket workstation designs qualified per model with a board BIOS that lists the exact string. The v2 generation needs a BIOS of the right age on boards bought for v1 parts.

Power delivery at 130 W suits tower workstation chassis with large heatsinks. Memory support decides more builds than power: the board must accept ECC RDIMMs. The CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide notes server sockets use board specific heatsinks. Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works covers the platform rules.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is ddr3-800 to 1866, four channels, ecc, up to 256 gb. ECC RDIMMs are the server choice, since they catch single bit errors in long running guests. Four channels per socket feed the cores.

PCI Express is 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes per socket for NICs, HBAs, graphics and SSDs. Workstation boards wire lanes to graphics slots and fast storage. Storage standards beyond SATA follow the board as well.

Cooling uses tower heatsinks with strong case airflow. The 130 W envelope sizes the heatsink and fan wall.

Upgrade paths

Within LGA 2011 the Xeon E5-1680 v2 sits in the mid to high core group for dense nodes. A same socket move adds cores or clocks where the board BIOS lists the target. The adjustable multiplier helps tuning on workstation boards.

A real upgrade means a new platform. Intel moved servers to LGA 2011-v3 and beyond with DDR4 memory and many more cores. That move needs a new board, new memory and often a new chassis. Keep the LGA2011 node for secondary duty or retire it whole.