Intel AU80610006237AASLBX9: A Deep Dive into the Xeon E5-2699 v4 Processor
At the heart of the most demanding data center workloads of its era lies a processor codenamed "Broadwell-EP," commercially known as the Intel Xeon E5-2699 v4. Its specific part number, AU80610006237AASLBX9, identifies a pinnacle of engineering designed for unparalleled computational density. This processor wasn't meant for gaming or everyday desktops; it was engineered to power through the most intensive server and high-performance computing (HPC) tasks imaginable.
The most staggering specification of the E5-2699 v4 is its core count. Built on a 14nm manufacturing process, it packs 22 processing cores onto a single die. With Hyper-Threading technology enabled, this allows the CPU to handle 44 independent threads simultaneously. This massive parallel processing capability was a game-changer for workloads that thrive on concurrency, such as scientific simulations, complex financial modeling, and large-scale virtualized environments.
Operating at a base clock speed of 2.20 GHz, the processor might seem conservative at first glance. However, its intelligence lies in its ability to dynamically adapt. Using Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, it can strategically overclock cores up to 3.60 GHz when thermal and power headroom allows, providing bursts of speed for critical tasks. This balance of high core count and intelligent clock speed management was key to its efficiency.
The architecture is supported by a vast memory subsystem. With a 55MB of last-level L3 cache, the processor minimizes latency by keeping massive amounts of data close to the cores. It further supports a quad-channel DDR4 memory controller, capable of addressing up to 1.5TB of RAM per CPU at speeds of 2400 MHz, ensuring that those 22 cores are never starved for data.
The E5-2699 v4 fits into the FCLGA2011-3 socket (also known as Socket R3) and was a cornerstone of the Intel Grantley platform. A key feature of this platform is multi-socket support. Servers could be configured with two or more of these CPUs, effectively combining 44, 66, or even 88 cores into a single monolithic system. This made it an absolute beast for scale-up applications and dense virtualization hosts, where it could effortlessly run hundreds of virtual machines.
Its target applications were unequivocally enterprise and HPC-focused. It excelled in:
High-Performance Computing (HPC) Clusters: Powering scientific research and engineering breakthroughs.
Enterprise-Level Virtualization: Acting as the foundation for private clouds and large-scale VDI deployments.
In-Memory Databases: Rapidly processing enormous datasets resident in RAM.
Content Creation and Rendering: Drastically reducing render times for complex 3D animation and visual effects.
While later generations have surpassed it in both performance and power efficiency, the Xeon E5-2699 v4 remains a legendary processor. It represented a high-water mark for core density in its time, demonstrating that immense parallel processing power could be delivered in a single socket. Its architectural choices influenced server design for years, cementing its role as a workhorse that drove innovation from the data center to the scientific lab.
ICGOOODFIND
The Intel Xeon E5-2699 v4 (AU80610006237AASLBX9) was a landmark server CPU that redefined multi-core processing for its generation, offering exceptional parallel compute density for HPC, virtualization, and data-intensive workloads through its 22-core/44-thread design, vast 55MB L3 cache, and robust multi-socket platform support.
Keywords:
1. Multi-core Processing
2. High-Performance Computing (HPC)
3. Server Virtualization
4. Broadwell-EP Architecture
5. DDR4 Memory
