Intel E5-2600 Processor Core Thermal Features, Processor Temperature, Adaptive Thermal Monitor

5.2Processor Core Thermal Features

5.2.1Processor Temperature

A new feature in the processor is a software readable field in the

TEMPERATURE_TARGET MSR register that contains the minimum temperature at which the TCC will be activated and PROCHOT_N will be asserted. The TCC activation temperature is calibrated on a part-by-part basis and normal factory variation may result in the actual TCC activation temperature being higher than the value listed in the register. TCC activation temperatures may change based on processor stepping, frequency or manufacturing efficiencies.

5.2.2Adaptive Thermal Monitor

The Adaptive Thermal Monitor feature provides an enhanced method for controlling the processor temperature when the processor silicon reaches its maximum operating temperature. Adaptive Thermal Monitor uses Thermal Control Circuit (TCC) activation to reduce processor power via a combination of methods. The first method (Frequency/ SVID control) involves the processor adjusting its operating frequency (via the core ratio multiplier) and input voltage (via the SVID signals). This combination of reduced frequency and voltage results in a reduction to the processor power consumption. The second method (clock modulation) reduces power consumption by modulating (starting and stopping) the internal processor core clocks. The processor intelligently selects the appropriate TCC method to use on a dynamic basis. BIOS is not required to select a specific method.

The Adaptive Thermal Monitor feature must be enabled for the processor to be operating within specifications. Snooping and interrupt processing are performed in the normal manner while the TCC is active.

With a properly designed and characterized thermal solution, it is anticipated that the TCC would be activated for very short periods of time when running the most power intensive applications. The processor performance impact due to these brief periods of TCC activation is expected to be so minor that it would be immeasurable. An under- designed thermal solution that is not able to prevent excessive activation of the TCC in the anticipated ambient environment may cause a noticeable performance loss, and in some cases may result in a TC that exceeds the specified maximum temperature which may affect the long-term reliability of the processor. In addition, a thermal solution that is significantly under-designed may not be capable of cooling the processor even when the TCC is active continuously. Refer to the Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1600/E5-2600/E5-4600 Product Families Thermal/Mechanical Design Guide for information on designing a compliant thermal solution.

The duty cycle for the TCC, when activated by the Thermal Monitor, is factory configured and cannot be modified. The Thermal Monitor does not require any additional hardware, software drivers, or interrupt handling routines.

138	Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1600/E5-2600/E5-4600 Product Families
	Datasheet Volume One