Intel Xeon E7-8891 v3 socket: LGA 2011-1

What the Xeon E7-8891 v3 is

The Xeon E7-8891 v3 is a frequency optimized 10 core Haswell-EX part on LGA 2011-1 for per core licensed 8S databases. Intel set 10 cores and 20 threads at 2.8 GHz base with turbo to 3.5 GHz. Forty five megabytes of last level cache is large for ten cores. Power is 165 W on 22 nm from the second quarter of 2015.

Few fast cores with huge cache suit Oracle style 8S systems where licenses cost per core. High base clocks beat dense parts in single thread queries. Three QPI links at 9.6 GT/s mesh eight sockets. The 165 W budget feeds clocks rather than core count.

DDR4 and DDR3 ECC over four channels to 1.5 TB per socket give high bandwidth per core. Buyers pick the 8891 v3 where ten fast cores cost less in licenses than eighteen slower cores at 8S scale.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 8891 v3 fits LGA 2011-1 on Brickland 8S boards with high power delivery. E7-8800 validates to eight sockets. Firmware must list the frequency optimized stepping. Check vendor power specs for 165 W support.

ECC memory is DDR3 or DDR4 per system. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers ideas, vendor docs decide per core DIMM planning.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory to 1.5 TB per socket with ECC suits licensed 8S databases. Fewer cores share four channels, lifting per thread bandwidth. DDR4 at 1866 preferred.

PCIe 3.0 with 32 lanes per socket serves low latency fabrics. Query tails depend on interconnect placement. Fast networking beats local SSD capacity here.

Cooling uses 165 W 8S heatsinks with strong airflow. Ten hot cores need cool inlets to hold 2.8 GHz. No boxed cooler ships.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket the Intel Xeon E7-8893 v3 with 4 faster cores serves even higher per core speed, while the Intel Xeon E7-8890 v3 with 18 cores covers thread density. All share LGA 2011-1 where listed.

A v4 step needs new firmware. The 8891 v3 leads per core speed at 10 cores in Haswell-EX 8S.