Intel's next generation Skylake based Xeon V5 server parts have been listed down at Zauba. The engineering samples give us a glimpse at the specifications for Intel's upcoming Xeon processors. Intel recently released their Broadwell based Xeon V4 series and that would be replaced by Skylake based Xeon V5 series in 1H 2017.
Intel Skylake Xeon V5 Processors Revealed - 28 Core Processor Confirmed With 165W TDP
There are a couple of processors listed down over at Zauba. It should also be pointed out that all processors listed on the site are engineering samples and final specifications are expected to change. As for specs, we are starting at 4 cores and going all the way up to the 28 core SKU. Intel Skylake brings a lot of new features to the table and one of those is the latest Purley platform.
The Purley platform is a scalable and unified platform that would support 2S, 4S and 8S chips in the Skylake-EP and Skylake-EN lineup. It will feature the Storm Lake Gen 1 architecture. This is Intel’s next generation Omni-Path interconnect that will be featured on Purley while the Lewisburg PCH will be powering the entire platform. The new fabric can deliver up to 100 GB/s interconnect speed with 56% lower latency compared to the current generation Infini-band Inter connect, allowing up to 48 ports with the new Switch Chip architecture.
The new platform also comes with an updated socket. The socket has been upgraded to feature 3647 pins that gives it the LGA 3647 name. The socket is surrounded by 12 DDR4 DIMM slots. This is due to support for next-generation hexa-channel memory and Intel's Optane DIMMs for faster latency solutions. Overall, Purley will be expanding Intel's server platform wit a range of new features.
Upcoming Intel and AMD Server Platform Comparison:
| Intel Xeon E5 Bronze / Silver | Intel Xeon E7 Gold / Platinum | AMD Naples Platform (2P) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Branding | Skylake-SP | Skylake-SP | AMD EPYC |
| Process Node | 14nm | 14nm | 14nm |
| PCH | Lewisburg PCH | Lewisburg PCH | SOC |
| Socket | Socket P (LGA 3647) | Socket P (LGA 3647) | SP3 LGA socket |
| Max Core Count | Up To 26 | Up To 32 | Up To 32 |
| Max Thread Count | Up To 52 | Up To 64 | Up To 64 |
| Max L3 Cache | 35.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 64 MB L3 |
| DDR4 Memory Support | 6-Channel DDR4 | 6-Channel DDR4 | 8-Channel DDR4 |
| TDP Range | 45-160W | 110-160W | 120-180W |
The Intel Skylake Xeon V5 Processors (ES)
The Xeon V5 processors that were listed down include 11 different parts. These mostly include 165W, 145W and 135W parts. The beefiest variant is the 28 core, 56 thread SKU that is clocked at 1.8 GHz and has a TDP rated at 165W. The surprising thing about Skylake Xeon V5 is that it features a different cache system than previous Xeon processors. Each core has 1.375 MB of dedicated L3 cache. On Broadwell Xeon V4, each core featured 2.5 MB of dedicated L3 cache.
We don't know the reason for this change but this was also seen on the Skylake-X roadmap chart which reveals the same cache numbers for 10 core SKUs. While this is definitely lower cache than previous gen processors, it should be expected that Intel will compensate this loss by adding some architectural improvements on the big dies. The cache system won't be affected on the mainstream desktop and mobile parts. You can see the details for the V5 SKUs in the chart below:
Intel Skylake Xeon V5 ES SKUs Specs:
| CPU Cores | CPU Threads | Clock Speed | Cache | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 cores | 56 threads | 1.8 GHz | 38.75 MB L3 | 165W |
| 28 cores | 56 threads | 1.5 GHz | 38.75 MB L3 | 165W |
| 24 cores | 48 threads | 1.8 GHz | 33.00 MB L3 | 145W |
| 20 cores | 40 threads | 1.8 GHz | 27.50 MB L3 | 145W |
| 16 cores | 32 threads | 2.4 GHz | 22.00 MB L3 | 165W |
| 16 cores | 32 threads | 1.8 GHz | 22.00 MB L3 | 135W |
| 16 cores | 32 threads | 1.5 GHz | 22.00 MB L3 | 135W |
| 14 cores | 28 threads | 1.8 GHz | 19.25 MB L3 | 135W |
| 12 cores | 24 threads | 1.X GHz | 16.50 MB L3 | 105W |
| 10 cores | 20 threads | 1.X GHz | 13.75 MB L3 | 73W |
| 4 cores | 8 threads | 2.X GHz | 8.250 MB L3 | 105W |
Skylake Xeon V5 will be going up against AMD's Zen based Naples platform next year. Intel has for long reigned their dominance in the server market but AMD is confident that their chips will feature performance parity with their rivals after a very long time. You can learn more about AMD's Naples platform here.
