Intel Xeon E7420 AD80583QH0468M Data Sheet

Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series Datasheet

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The Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series require 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. As processor technology changes, 
thermal management becomes increasingly crucial when building computer systems. 
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). Typical system level thermal 
solutions may consist of system fans combined with ducting and venting.

This section provides data necessary for developing a complete thermal solution. For 
more information on designing a component level thermal solution, refer to the Intel® 
Xeon® Processor 7400 Series Thermal Mechanical Design Guide. 

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 (see 

 for the Intel® Xeon® X7460 Processor, 

 and 

 for the 6-core Intel® Xeon® Processor E7400 Series, 

 for the 4-core Intel® Xeon® Processor E7400 Series, and 

 and 

 for the 6-core Intel® Xeon® Processor L7400 Series and 

 and 

 for the 4-core Intel® Xeon® Processor L7400 Series). Thermal solutions not 

designed to provide this level of thermal capability may affect the long-term reliability 
of the processor and system. For more details on thermal solution design, please refer 
to the Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series Thermal Mechanical Design Guide.

The Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series implement a methodology for managing 
processor temperatures which 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) bus as described in 

. If the value 

reported via PECI is less than TCONTROL, then the case temperature is permitted to 
exceed the Thermal Profile. If the value reported via PECI is greater than or equal to 
TCONTROL, then the processor case temperature must remain at or below the 
temperature as specified by 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 

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.

Intel has developed a thermal profile of which can be implemented with the Intel® 
Xeon® X7460 Processor to ensure adherence to Intel reliability requirements. The 
Intel® Xeon® X7460 Processor Thermal Profile (see 

representative of a volumetrically unconstrained thermal solution (that is, industry