Intel Xeon E5-2658A v3 socket: LGA 2011-v3

What the Xeon E5-2658A v3 is

The Xeon E5-2658A v3 is a 12 core Haswell-EP server processor on LGA 2011-v3 for dense compute nodes. Intel set 12 cores and 24 threads at 2.2 GHz base with turbo to 2.9 GHz. Thirty megabytes of Smart Cache feed virtual machines. Power is 105 W on 22 nm. The A suffix marks a configuration tuned for parallel throughput.

Twelve cores suit virtualization hosts with many small guests. Turbo lifts single thread tasks while all core loads settle near base to protect thermals. Two QPI links at 9.6 GT/s connect dual socket boards. The 22 nm process with on package voltage regulation moves power control onto the die.

No integrated graphics exist on E5 server parts, so boards pair it with BMC graphics for management plus discrete accelerators where needed. DDR4 with ECC over four channels feeds guests. Buyers pick the 2658A where core count per watt matters more than peak frequency.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 2658A v3 fits LGA 2011-v3 on C612 Grantley boards for 1S and 2S servers. Makers list E5 v3 SKUs in BIOS builds with Haswell-EP microcode. The socket also carries Haswell-E, Broadwell-E and Broadwell-EP, but server firmware differs from X99 desktop BIOS. Check the board CPU support list for the exact stepping.

Memory slots are DDR4 with ECC, registered modules for capacity. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers platform matching at a high level, while the board manual decides exact DIMM populations. LGA 2011 without v3 never accepts Haswell-EP despite the pin count.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR4 with ECC over four channels to 768 GB suits virtualization hosts. Registered DIMMs allow large populations. Memory bandwidth reaches 68 GB/s with 46 bit physical addressing. Populate all four channels per socket for balanced throughput.

PCIe 3.0 with 40 lanes per socket serves NVMe, networking and accelerators in x4, x8 and x16 splits. Dual socket boards share lanes across CPUs with NUMA effects. A fast network card often matters more than local SSD speed on compute nodes.

Cooling uses the 80 × 80 mm LGA 2011 pattern with 1U and 2U server heatsinks rated for 105 W continuous. No cooler ships in the box. Data center airflow decides sustained turbo more than headline clocks.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket the Intel Xeon E5-4648 v3 offers the same 12 cores at lower clocks for 4S scale out, while the Intel Xeon E5-4669 v3 moves to 18 cores with 45 MB of cache for dense hosts. Both share LGA 2011-v3 boards where firmware lists them, so core count and scalability decide the swap.

A move to E5 v4 needs a BIOS with Broadwell-EP microcode. A new platform means new boards and DDR4 populations. The 2658A v3 covers Haswell-EP hosts where 12 threaded cores must fit 105 W.