Intel Xeon X3440 BX80605X3440 User Manual

Product codes
BX80605X3440
Page of 106
Document Number: 424077 Revision: 2.0Thermal/Mechanical Specifications and Design Guidelines
37
Thermal Specifications
6
Thermal Specifications
The processor 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 chapter provides data necessary for developing a complete thermal solution. For 
more information on 1U collaboration thermal solution design, refer to 
.
6.1
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. For more details on thermal solution 
design, refer to the 
The processors 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 Digital Temperature Sensor (DTS). The 
DTS can be read using the Platform Environment Control Interface (PECI) as described 
in 
. Alternatively, when PECI is monitored by the PCH, the processor 
temperature can be read from the PCH using the SMBus protocol defined in 
Embedded 
Controller Support Provided by Platform Controller Hub (PCH). 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 ensure 
the case temperature meets the thermal profile specifications.
A single integer change in the PECI value corresponds to approximately 1 °C change in 
processor temperature. Although each processors DTS is factory calibrated, the 
accuracy of the DTS will vary from part to part and may also vary slightly with 
temperature and voltage. In general, each integer change in PECI should equal a 
temperature change between 0.9 °C and 1.1 °C.
Analysis indicates that real applications are unlikely to cause the processor to consume 
maximum power dissipation for sustained time periods. Intel recommends that 
complete thermal solution designs target the Thermal Design Power (TDP), instead of 
the maximum processor power consumption. The Adaptive Thermal Monitor feature is 
intended to help protect the processor in the event that an application exceeds the TDP 
recommendation for a sustained time period. For more details on this feature, refer to