Maximizing Capacity for Xeon 5600s and E5-2600 Series of Servers
How you use memory — and which type you use — requires an understanding of how to balance low power, capacity and performance. In this document, one in
a series of Kingston® Best Practice Guides for configuring memory, Kingston offers guidance and advice on how to optimize capacity for Xeon 5600 and Xeon E5-2600 processors.
Keep in Mind
- Some applications, such as virtualization, require the maximum memory capacity a platform can support.
- Select the largest capacity memory modules a server can support. This avoids costly upgrades in the future should selected lower capacity modules prove insufficient.
Step 1
Know Your Processor’s Options for Module Types
- Xeon 5600 processors support Single/Dual/Quad Rank Registered DIMMs.
- Xeon E5-2600 processors support Single/Dual/Quad Rank Registered DIMMs as well as Load Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs).
- Maximum capacities available are:
– 16GB Dual Rank RDIMM
– 16GB Quad Rank RDIMM
– 32GB Quad Rank RDIMM
– 32GB LRDIMM
Step 2
Maximize Memory Capacity
Check the memory support rules for the server platform you are configuring. In general (based on Intel chipset specifications), the maximum capacity memory rules are:
- Xeon 5600 processors:
– Up to six Quad Rank RDIMMs per processor: A 2-way server memory reaches 192GB (twelve 16GB Quad Rank modules) or 384GB (twelve 32GB Quad Rank modules).
– Up to nine Dual Rank RDIMMs per processor: A 2-way server memory reaches 288GB (eighteen 16GB Dual Rank modules).
- Xeon E5-2600 Processors:
– Up to eight Quad Rank RDIMMs per processor: A 2-way server memory reaches 256GB (sixteen 16GB Quad Rank modules) or 512GB (sixteen 32GB Quad Rank modules).
– Up to twelve Dual Rank RDIMMs per processor: A 2-way server memory reaches 384GB (twenty-four 16GB Dual Rank modules).
– Up to twelve LRDIMMs per processor: A 2-way server memory reaches 768GB (twenty-four 32GB LRDIMMs).
Suggested Kingston Memory Modules
- Xeon 5600:
– 8GB, 16GB 1333MHz Dual Rank memory (1.5V or 1.35V)
– 8GB, 16GB, 32GB 1066MHz Quad Rank memory (1.5V or 1.35V)
- Xeon E5-2600:
– 8GB, 16GB Dual Rank 1600MHz (1.5V) or 1333MHz memory (1.5V or 1.35V).
– 8GB, 16GB, 32GB 1066MHz Quad Rank memory (1.5V or 1.35V)
– 16GB, 32GB LRDIMM 1333MHz (1.5V or 1.35V)
– Mixing of memory technology types within a system, or of different rank types within a bank, is not allowed. Mixing 1.5V and 1.35V within a system defaults the memory to 1.5V.
Kingston offers a full range of server memory modules and products to support configuration options that optimize performance, capacity or energy usage.
At a glance
This guide to maximizing memory capacity is one in a series of “Kingston Memory Best Practices” for configuring memory. Other guides in the series provide the information and product considerations needed to maximize performance and minimize power usage. Kingston also offers an experienced pre-sales technical support staff to help you determine which configuration is ideal for your environment. Find the memory you need or contact a Kingston expert for help.