Intel
®
Xeon
®
Processor C5500/C3500 Series and LGA1366 Socket
August 2010
Thermal/Mechanical Design Guide
Order Number: 323107-002US
36
Thermal Specifications
6
Thermal Specifications
6.1
Package Thermal Specifications
The Intel
®
Xeon
®
processor C5500/C3500 series requires a thermal solution to
maintain temperatures within its operating limits. Any attempt to operate the processor
outside these operating limits may result in permanent damage to the processor and
potentially other components within the system. Maintaining the proper thermal
environment is key to reliable, long-term system operation.
A complete solution includes both component and system level thermal management
features. Component level thermal solutions can include active or passive heatsinks
attached to the processor integrated heat spreader (IHS).
This section provides data necessary for developing a complete thermal solution. For
more information on designing a component level thermal solution, see
.
6.1.1
Thermal Specifications
To allow the optimal operation and long-term reliability of Intel processor-based
systems, the processor must remain within the minimum and maximum case
temperature (T
CASE
) specifications as defined by the applicable thermal profile.
Thermal solutions not designed to provide this level of thermal capability may affect the
long-term reliability of the processor and system. These specifications are based on
pre-silicon estimates. These specifications may be further updated as more data
becomes available. Processors are listed here by TDP (Multiple SKUs may have the
same TDP and same spec).
The Intel
®
Xeon
®
processor C5500/C3500 series implements a methodology for
managing processor temperatures that is intended to support acoustic noise reduction
through fan speed control and to assure processor reliability. Selection of the
appropriate fan speed is based on the relative temperature data reported by the
processor’s Platform Environment Control Interface (PECI) as described in
If PECI is less than TCONTROL, then the case temperature is permitted to exceed the
Thermal Profile, but PECI must remain at or below TCONTROL. If PECI >= TCONTROL,
then the case temperature must meet the Thermal Profile. The temperature reported
over PECI is always a negative value and represents a delta below the onset of thermal
control circuit (TCC) activation, as indicated by PROCHOT# (see
, Processor
Thermal Features). Systems that implement fan speed control must be designed to use
this data. Systems that do not alter the fan speed only need to guarantee the case
temperature meets the thermal profile specifications.
The Intel
®
Xeon
®
processor EC5500 and EC3500 series (85 W and 65 W) supports a
single Thermal Profile. See specifications below. For this processor, it is expected that
the Thermal Control Circuit (TCC) would only be activated for very brief periods of time
when running the most power-intensive applications.
The Intel
®
Celeron
®
processor P1053 (30 W) (see specifications below) supports a
single Thermal Profile. For this processor, it is expected that the Thermal Control Circuit
(TCC) would only be activated for very brief periods of time when running the most
power-intensive applications.