The wait is over and we can now release official information about the next “tick” from Intel. Since this release has just been made official, you are probably wondering what’s new. Our customers have already been asking some questions, especially regarding upgrades - and we’ve done our best to cover them on this page.
For now, we’ll be focusing on the server side of things, but the information should also be helpful if you plan on building a workstation with Broadwell-EP inside.
Under the Broadwell-EP family name, the Intel Xeon E5-2600 v4 processor was released on March 31st, 2016. There are about 22 different processor SKUs available under 7 different categories. We've been working hard to update our product line and the logic on our configurators so you can start building systems with these processors on launch day.
A follow-on to Haswell-EP, Broadwell-EP features a new 14nm process technology that has enabled Intel to increase the core count while still utilizing the same power envelope as its predecessor. Broadwell-EP processors will be the last to arrive as Intel phases out their platform and move to the new Purley Platform for Skylake and Cannonlake processors.
Up to 22 cores / 44 threads
Last generations's Haswell-EP was already a monster, offering up to 18 cores / 36 threads for some serious processing power. With Broadwell-EP, Intel has taken it to the next level, offering up to 22 cores / 44 threads for some insane CPU performance. Due to the node shrink, Intel has managed to keep its TDP intact at 145W for servers and 160W for workstations.
Below you can see the table listing all SKUs stacks for Broadwell-EP. These are official numbers straight from Intel. In fact, we’re probably the first ones posting this information, so enjoy:
SKU Name | Cores/ Threads |
Base Clock |
QPI | DDR4 Speed |
Cache | TDP |
Basic | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2603 v4 | 6 / 6 | 1.70GHz | 6.4GT/s | 1866 | 15MB | 85W |
Intel Xeon E5-2609 v4 | 8 / 8 | 1.70GHz | 6.4GT/s | 1866 | 20MB | 85W |
Standard | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 | 8 / 16 | 2.10GHz | 8.0GT/s | 2133 | 20MB | 85W |
Intel Xeon E5-2630 v4 | 10 / 20 | 2.20GHz | 8.0GT/s | 2133 | 25MB | 85W |
Intel Xeon E5-2640 v4 | 10 / 20 | 2.40GHz | 8.0GT/s | 2133 | 25MB | 90W |
Advanced | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 | 12 / 24 | 2.20GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 30MB | 105W |
Intel Xeon E5-2660 v4 | 14 / 28 | 2.00GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 35MB | 105W |
Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 | 14 / 28 | 2.40GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 35MB | 120W |
Intel Xeon E5-2690 v4 | 14 / 28 | 2.60GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 35MB | 135W |
Low Power | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2630L v4 | 10 / 20 | 1.80GHz | 8.0GT/s | 2133 | 25MB | 55W |
Intel Xeon E5-2650L v4 | 14 / 28 | 1.70GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 35MB | 65W |
Frequency-Optimized | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2623 v4 | 4 / 8 | 2.60GHz | 8.0GT/s | 2133 | 10MB | 85W |
Intel Xeon E5-2637 v4 | 4 / 8 | 3.50GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 15MB | 135W |
Intel Xeon E5-2643 v4 | 6 / 12 | 3.40GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 20MB | 135W |
Intel Xeon E5-2667 v4 | 8 / 16 | 3.20GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 25MB | 135W |
Segment Optimized | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2683 v4 | 16 / 32 | 2.10GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 40MB | 120W |
Intel Xeon E5-2695 v4 | 18 / 26 | 2.10GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 45MB | 120W |
Intel Xeon E5-2697A v4 | 16 / 32 | 2.60GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 40MB | 145W |
Intel Xeon E5-2697 v4 | 18 / 26 | 2.30GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 45MB | 145W |
Intel Xeon E5-2698 v4 | 20 / 40 | 2.20GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 50MB | 135W |
Intel Xeon E5-2699 v4 | 22 / 44 | 2.20GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 55MB | 145W |
Workstation | ||||||
Intel Xeon E5-2687W v4 | 12 / 24 | 3.00GHz | 9.6GT/s | 2400 | 30MB | 160W |
Based on a new 14nm process, The Xeon E5-2600 v4 (Codename Broadwell-EP) is a socket-compatible replacement for the E5-2600 v3 (Haswell). Its most notable change (besides the new fabrication process) is an increase in core count: Up to 22 vs 18 from Haswell.
Codename | Broadwell-EP | ||
Cycle | ![]() |
||
Process Node | 14nm | ||
Platform | Intel Grantley | ||
Socket | Socket R-3 | ||
Released | March 31, 2016 | ||
Predecessor | Xeon E5-2600 v3 (Haswell-EP) |
||
Sucessor | Not yet announced | ||
|
|||
Core Count | Up to 22 | ||
Scalability | 2 Socket Capability | ||
TDP | Up to 145W (Server) | ||
Memory | 4x DDR4 Channels | ||
PCIe | PCIe 3.0 40x PCIe 3.0 Lanes |
The SKU list is varied, With CPU cores ranging from 4 all the way up to the aforementioned 22. There is 2.5MB of L3 cache included in each core, which adds up to a range of 5-55mb of total cache. Clocks range from 1.7Ghz all the way to 5.1Ghz.
As you can see in the image above (and throughout this article), the biggest changes in Broadwell-EP are the improvements in core count and clock speed. Intel says that on average, customers should expect a 19% performance increase over the previous generation.
Intel has also improved on resource monitoring and allocation capabilities targeted towards software-defined environments like data centers and virtualization deployments. Many of our customers in this space have historically been enthusiastic about E5 processors refreshes, and this time is no different. Intel has made several improvements in regards to orchestration capablities, data prioritization and cache monitoring designed to improve service quality and utilization. These improvements can be significant enough that some customers may choose to upgrade, even from Haswell-EP. If you're interested in learning about these specific improvements, Intel has provided us with this document that you can download here.
Broadwell-EP is compatible with the existing R3 socket on the Grantley platform. This has been a common question from our customers - As mentioned earlier, many of our customers see improvements that are significant enough to justify an upgrade from the last refresh, so this should be good news for those who plan to upgrade. It’s important to note, however, that support may still require BIOS and firmware updates, so you should still check with your vendor (or Thinkmate rep) to be sure.
On the memory front, Broadwell-EP includes support for up to 2400 MT/s with DDR4 for greater I/O throughput. According to Intel, Broadwell-EP brings about a 15% increase in bandwidth.
Here are the memory configurations:
We are happy to announce that we are the first in the industry to ship Thinkmate-branded Servers and Workstations featuring Broadwell-EP processors, as well as Supermicro-branded servers and workstations from our Supermicro Store. Explore below: