AMD Opteron 3350 HE socket: AM3+

What the Opteron 3350 HE is

AMD Opteron 3350 HE is a 4 core Delhi server part that AMD released in December 2012 for single and dual socket servers. It uses the Piledriver core design on a 32 nm process, running at 2.8 GHz base with turbo to 3.8 GHz. The cache is 4 MB L2 and 8 MB L3. Power is 45 W. There are no integrated graphics, so console output depends on the board controller.

The cores have no Hyper-Threading, so threads equal cores at 4. The on die ECC memory controller suits virtualized hosting with small guests. The package integrates HyperTransport 3.1 links for socket topologies on die.

At 45 W the Opteron 3350 HE belongs to the low power efficiency group. The clocks suit scale out racks with directed airflow. Boards are vendor qualified designs with ECC RDIMM slots. The How to find your CPU socket type guide shows how to confirm the socket before ordering parts.

AMD sells Delhi as entry enterprise servers at desktop pricing in single socket boards, which is where the 45 W band makes sense.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Opteron 3350 HE fits AM3+ in PGA form with 942 contacts. Server and workstation boards with 9 series chipsets accept it where the maker CPU support list names the exact model, after a BIOS update. The generation needs a BIOS of the right age on boards bought for earlier parts.

Power delivery at 45 W suits 1U and 2U chassis with directed airflow and vendor heatsinks. Memory support decides more builds than power: the board must accept ECC RDIMMs. The CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide notes server sockets use board specific heatsinks. Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works covers the platform rules.

The 3350 HE pairs a 2.8 GHz base with a 2.0 GHz northbridge clock on C0 stepping silicon. Its 45 W band suits single socket hosting nodes that run warm aisles.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory support is ddr3 up to 1866 mt/s, two channels, ecc. ECC RDIMMs are the server choice, since they catch single bit errors in long running guests. Balance DIMMs across channels and sockets for NUMA fairness.

PCI Express comes from the chipset, not from the Opteron die. HyperTransport links tie the sockets together and feed the chipset, while PCIe Gen 2 slots hang off the board. Storage standards beyond SATA follow the board as well.

Cooling uses 1U and 2U server heatsinks with directed airflow. The 45 W envelope sizes the heatsink and fan wall.

HyperTransport runs at 5.2 gigatransfers per second on a single 16-bit link. Memory scales to 1866 MT/s with one DIMM per channel, falling back with two DIMMs per channel populated.

Upgrade paths

Within AM3+ the Opteron 3350 HE sits in the quad core group, with six to sixteen core parts above it. A same socket move adds cores or clocks where the board BIOS lists the target.

A real upgrade means a new platform. AMD moved servers to EPYC on SP3 and beyond with DDR4 memory and many more cores. That move needs a new board, new memory and often a new chassis. Keep the node for secondary duty or retire it whole.

Single socket use only: Delhi parts validate one processor per board, so density comes from more nodes rather than more sockets.