Intel Xeon E5-4648 v3 socket: LGA 2011-v3

What the Xeon E5-4648 v3 is

The Xeon E5-4648 v3 is a 12 core Haswell-EP processor on LGA 2011-v3 for four socket scale out servers. Intel set 12 cores and 24 threads at 1.7 GHz base with turbo to 2.2 GHz. Thirty megabytes of Smart Cache feed distributed workers. Power is 105 W on 22 nm. Low clocks favor throughput per watt over single thread speed.

Twelve slower cores suit Hadoop and scale out virtualization with many nodes. Two QPI links at 8 GT/s tie four sockets. All core loads run near base, with turbo covering brief single thread tasks. The embedded segment tag on the ARK page marks long life availability for system vendors.

No integrated graphics exist. DDR4 with ECC over four channels to 768 GB per socket feeds guests. Buyers pick the 4648 v3 where 4S node count with modest clocks beats fewer faster nodes on license or power budgets.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 4648 v3 fits LGA 2011-v3 on C612 4S Grantley boards. Firmware must list E5-4600 v3 4S SKUs. The socket also carries HEDT and dual socket parts, but 4S routing differs. Check the vendor matrix for stepping support.

DDR4 registered ECC modules are required. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers platform concepts, while vendor docs decide DIMM and QPI layouts. LGA 2011 without v3 never accepts v3 Xeons.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR4 ECC over four channels to 768 GB per socket with up to 68 GB/s suits scale out guests. Registered DIMMs allow dense populations. Memory speed follows the 1600 to 1866 class on value 4S SKUs. Spread DIMMs evenly for NUMA balance.

PCIe 3.0 with 40 lanes per socket in x4, x8 and x16 splits serves networking and storage. Scale out nodes often need network bandwidth more than local accelerators. A 10 GbE or faster fabric decides job speed.

Cooling uses 4S heatsinks for 105 W continuous with front to back airflow. No boxed cooler ships. Low base clocks ease thermal density in packed racks.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket the Intel Xeon E5-4669 v3 lifts to 18 cores at 2.1 GHz to 2.9 GHz for dense threads, while the Intel Xeon E5-2658A v3 offers 12 faster cores at 2.2 GHz to 2.9 GHz for dual socket use. All share LGA 2011-v3, so socket count and clocks decide.

A move to E5 v4 needs Broadwell-EP firmware. A new platform needs new boards. The 4648 v3 covers Haswell-EP 4S where value scale out matters.