Intel Xeon E5-2630 v3 socket: LGA 2011-v3

What the Xeon E5-2630 v3 is

The Xeon E5-2630 v3 is a balanced Haswell-EP eight core for dual socket servers on LGA 2011-v3. Intel set eight cores and 16 threads at 2.4 GHz base with turbo to 3.2 GHz. Twenty megabytes of Smart Cache serve virtual guests and threaded services. Power is 85 W on 22 nm from September 2014. It sits in the middle of the E5-2600 v3 line where core count and watts must both fit dense racks.

Eight cores with 16 threads consolidate web, database and virtual machines on two socket nodes. Base clocks hold all core work while turbo lifts single thread control tasks. Cache size over six core parts trims memory waits across guests. ECC DDR4 guards uptime through long runs. An SSD array shapes response for daily serving. Buyers pick the 2630 v3 where a 10 core would exceed power budgets but six cores stall guests.

No integrated graphics exist, so boards use BMC display for management. DDR4 with ECC over four channels feeds each socket. Two QPI links tie dual socket nodes. The mix is a server socket for operators who want threads per watt with data protection at 85 W.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The E5-2630 v3 fits LGA 2011-v3 on C612 Grantley boards for single and dual socket use. Firmware must carry v3 microcode with the exact stepping. Check the vendor matrix for the minimum BIOS. Desktop X99 boards never accept Xeon E5 v3 for server features despite the shared socket.

DDR4 ECC RDIMMs populate four 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 85 W and rack airflow.

A move to ten cores on the same socket adds threads where guests grow. Confirm power and memory ceilings before swapping 85 W parts for 105 W and above.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR4 with ECC over four channels per socket suits virtual hosts. Balance DIMMs across channels and sockets for NUMA fairness. Registered DIMMs allow large guest counts. Speed follows DIMM count per manual, with 1866 and 2133 classes on Grantley.

PCIe 3.0 with 40 lanes per socket in x4, x8 and x16 splits serves NICs, HBAs and accelerators. Dual socket I/O needs NUMA aware placement across QPI links. Board manuals show slot sharing with storage controllers.

Vendor qualified 85 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 Xeon E5-2640 v3 with eight cores and 20 MB of cache is a higher clock step where power allows 90 W. The Intel Core i7-5960X is an HEDT alternative with eight cores for single socket creation without ECC. Both need platform checks for chipset support.

A larger thread count means ten and twelve core E5 v3 on the same C612 boards. The E5-2630 v3 covers dual socket hosts where eight cores at 85 W are the target.