Intel X3370 INXEON3370 Data Sheet

Datasheet

75

The processor requires a thermal solution to maintain temperatures within the 

operating limits as set forth in 

. 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 thermal 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.

For more information on designing a component level thermal solution, refer to the 

Yorkfield Processor Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines Addendum.

The boxed processor will ship with a component thermal solution. Refer to 

for details on the boxed processor.

To allow for the optimal operation and long-term reliability of Intel processor-based 

systems, the system/processor thermal solution should be designed such that the 

processor remains within the minimum and maximum case temperature (T

C

) 

specifications when operating at or below the Thermal Design Power (TDP) value listed 

per frequency in 

. 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, refer to the Yorkfield Processor Thermal and 

Mechanical Design Guidelines Addendum.

The processor uses a methodology for managing processor temperatures which is 

intended to support acoustic noise reduction through fan speed control. 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 T

CONTROL

, then the case 

temperature is permitted to exceed the Thermal Profile. If the value reported via PECI 

is greater than or equal to T

CONTROL

, 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 

Systems that implement fan speed control must be designed to take these conditions in 

to account. Systems that do not alter the fan speed only need to ensure the case 

temperature meets the thermal profile specifications.

In order to determine a processor's case temperature specification based on the 

thermal profile, it is necessary to accurately measure processor power dissipation. Intel 

has developed a methodology for accurate power measurement that correlates to Intel 

test temperature and voltage conditions. Refer to the Yorkfield Processor Thermal and 

Mechanical Design Guidelines Addendum and the Live Die System Thermal Testing 

Basics for the details of this methodology.