Intel Xeon E5-2608L v3 socket: LGA 2011-v3

What the Xeon E5-2608L v3 is

The Xeon E5-2608L v3 is a low voltage Haswell-EP six core for dense efficient servers on LGA 2011-v3. Intel set six cores and 12 threads at a fixed 2.0 GHz with no turbo. Fifteen megabytes of Smart Cache cover scale out services. Power is 52 W on 22 nm from September 2014. Fixed clocks keep power even across many nodes where turbo variance would complicate provisioning.

Six cores with 12 threads consolidate light services per watt with ECC protection. A fixed 2.0 GHz rate keeps timing even for control planes. Cache size matches standard six core parts for similar density. No integrated graphics exist. Fabric and SSDs shape throughput more than clocks at this power. Buyers pick the L where 85 W parts would exceed rack power but six threads are still needed.

DDR4 ECC over four channels feeds each socket with two QPI links between dual nodes. The mix is a server socket for dense operators who buy fixed threads per watt at 52 W.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The E5-2608L v3 fits LGA 2011-v3 on C612 Grantley boards with low power support. Vendor tables list L parts with reduced thermal guidance. Check the minimum BIOS with v3 microcode. X99 desktop boards never suit low voltage server chips.

ECC RDIMMs over four channels carry memory. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide is desktop focused, so use server population rules. Cooling uses vendor 52 W heatsinks with rack airflow.

A standard 85 W six core on the same socket adds clocks where power allows. Confirm cooling before swapping L for standard parts.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

DDR4 ECC quad channel per socket suits efficient services. Even maps protect NUMA fairness. Large RDIMMs reach high counts. Speed steps with population per manual.

Forty PCIe lanes per socket feed NICs and HBAs for scale out nodes. Dual socket I/O should respect NUMA locality. Vendor slot maps guide choices.

Vendor 52 W cooling sustains fixed loads quietly with cool inlets. No retail cooler exists. Fixed clocks remove turbo planning from provisioning.

Upgrade paths

Within the socket the Intel Xeon E5-2620 v3 at 2.4 GHz to 3.2 GHz is a higher clock 85 W step on similar boards. The Intel Xeon E5-2603 v3 with six fixed threads is a lower cost entry without Hyper-Threading. Both share C612 mounting.

Newer efficient sockets replace Grantley. The E5-2608L v3 covers dense hosts where six fixed threads at 52 W are required.