User Guide • PC1-GROOVE • Core
TM
i7
CompactPCI
®
CPU Board
Main Memory
The PC1-GROOVE features two channels of DDR3 SDRAMs. One channel is realized with 8 memory
devices soldered to the board (Memory Down) and delivers a capacity of up to 4GB with a clock
frequency of 1066MHz (PC3-8500).
The 2
nd
channel provides a socket for installing a 204-pin SODIMM module thus allowing a simple
expansion of system memory (max. module height = 1.25 inch). Supported are unbuffered DDR3
SODIMMs (V
CC
=1.5V) without ECC featuring on-die termination (ODT), according the PC3-6400 or
PC3-8500 specification. Minimum module size is 512MB; maximum module size is 4GB.
It is recommended to add a SODIMM module with same size as the Memory Down to get best
performance (some of the system memory is dedicated to the graphics controller). This typically results
in a size of 2x1GB of memory which is recommended to run the operating systems Windows® XP,
Windows® Vista or Windows® 7.
The memory controller supports symmetric and asymmetric memory organization. The maximum
memory performance can be obtained by using the symmetric mode. When in this mode, the memory
controller accesses the memory channels in an interleaved way. Since Core
TM
i7 processors support
Intels Flex Memory Technology, interleaved operation isn't limited to systems using memory channels
of equal capacity. In the case of unequal memory population the smaller memory channel dictates the
address space of the interleaved accessible memory region. The remainder of the memory is then
accessed in non-interleaved mode.
In asymmetric mode the memory always will be accessed in a non-interleaved manner with the
drawback of less bandwidth. The only meaningful application of asymmetric mode is the special case
when only one memory channel is populated (i.e. the SODIMM socket may be left empty).
The contents of the SPD EEPROM on the SO-DIMM is used by the BIOS at POST (Power-on Self Test)
to get any necessary timing parameters to program the memory controller within the chipset.
Performance Derating
Core®i7-610E/-660UE
Airflow=2.5m/s
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
Temp °C
i7-610E, 1.2GHz
i7-610E, 2.53GHz
i7-660UE, 1.33GHz
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