Intel Xeon 6516P-B socket: BGA 4368

What the Xeon 6516P-B is

The Intel Xeon 6516P-B is the higher-clock 20-core member of the Xeon 6 Granite Rapids-D soldered edge stack on BGA 4368. It runs 20 Performance-cores with Hyper-Threading for 40 threads at 2.3 GHz base with boost to 3.5 GHz, backed by 80 MB of cache and a 145 W TDP. Intel launched the P-B range in the first quarter of 2025, built on Intel 3 for single-socket edge servers.

Twenty cores at 145 W suit branch servers, test beds, retail controllers and light virtualization hosts where a mid power budget matters more than peak clocks. The 2.3 GHz base keeps sustained work moving, while bursts to 3.5 GHz clear interactive spikes. The 80 MB cache pool keeps control plane data near the cores.

Against the 20-core Intel Xeon 6513P-B below it, the 6516P-B adds base frequency at a higher 145 W class. Against the 32-core Intel Xeon 6543P-B above it, the 6516P-B trims cores for a lower price. Zero UPI links confirm single-socket-only topologies. See Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works for how socket, platform and firmware fit together on server boards.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The 6516P-B fits BGA 4368, a 4,368-ball soldered package measuring 77.5 × 50 mm. The chip is soldered once at the factory and stays with the board for life, so there is no retention mechanism and no aftermarket mounting choice. Cooling is part of the board design for the 145 W class with an 85 degree case limit.

Board choice follows the server vendor list for Granite Rapids-D edge systems. Memory is 4-channel DDR5 ECC fixed per board, and expansion rides on 32 Gen 5 plus 16 Gen 4 PCIe lanes. A board revision needs firmware that knows the Granite Rapids-D stepping. Moving from any other socket is a full platform change with board, memory and heatsinks replaced together.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory on BGA 4368 is DDR5 ECC in 4 channels, up to 6400 MT/s on qualified boards. Four channels keep 40 threads supplied in branch and lab mixes. Some boards qualify at 5600 MT/s instead, so the vendor memory list governs exact speeds and population rules.

PCI Express connectivity is Gen 5 with x32 lanes plus Gen 4 with x16 lanes from the CPU. That lane budget feeds NVMe storage and 25-gigabit networking on a small edge node. AVX-512 with two FMA ports and DL Boost accelerate inference where the workload uses them.

Cooling follows the board vendor list for the 145 W class with vendor-qualified heatsinks. No cooler ships with the tray server part. Firmware power limits can cap draw below the default where a compact cabinet demands it, at some cost in sustained clocks.

Upgrade paths

On the same package, the path up from the 6516P-B starts with the 32-core Intel Xeon 6543P-B for more cores on BGA 4368 boards where power and cooling allow. The 32-core Intel Xeon 6546P-B follows for higher clocks. Each move needs a board and BIOS that already support Granite Rapids-D.

The step down to the 20-core Intel Xeon 6513P-B trims clocks for the 130 W class. A move to LGA 1700 Xeon 6300P is a different socketed platform with fewer cores for tiny towers. That change replaces board, memory and cooling from scratch.