Thermal Specifications

transitioning to the minimum frequency and corresponding voltage (using Freq/VID control). Clock modulation is not activated in this case. The TCC will remain active until the system de-asserts PROCHOT#.

Use of PROCHOT# in bi-directional mode can allow VR thermal designs to target maximum sustained current instead of maximum current. Systems should still provide proper cooling for the VR, and rely on PROCHOT# only as a backup in case of system cooling failure. The system thermal design should allow the power delivery circuitry to operate within its temperature specification even while the processor is operating at its Thermal Design Power.

6.2.3THERMTRIP# Signal

Regardless of whether or not Adaptive Thermal Monitor is enabled, in the event of a catastrophic cooling failure, the processor will automatically shut down when the silicon has reached an elevated temperature (refer to the THERMTRIP# definition in the EDS). At this point, the THERMTRIP# signal will go active and stay active as described in the EDS. THERMTRIP# activation is independent of processor activity. If THERMTRIP# is asserted, processor core voltage (VCC) must be removed within the timeframe defined in EDS. The temperature at which THERMTRIP# asserts is not user configurable and is not software visible.

6.3Intel® Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology is a feature that allows the processor to opportunistically and automatically run faster than its rated operating core and/or render clock frequency when there is sufficient power headroom, and the product is within specified temperature and current limits. The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology feature is designed to increase performance of both multi-threaded and single- threaded workloads. The processor supports a Turbo mode where the processor can utilize the thermal capacitance associated with the package and run at power levels higher than TDP power for short durations. This improves the system responsiveness for short, bursty usage conditions. The turbo feature needs to be properly enabled by BIOS for the processor to operate with maximum performance. Since the turbo feature is configurable and dependent on many platform design limits outside of the processor control, the maximum performance cannot be guaranteed.

Turbo Mode availability is independent of the number of active cores; however, the Turbo Mode frequency is dynamic and dependent on the instantaneous application power load, the number of active cores, user configurable settings, operating environment and system design. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology may not be available on all SKUs.

6.3.1Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Frequency

The processor’s rated frequency assumes that all execution cores are running an application at the Thermal Design Power (TDP). However, under typical operation, not all cores are active. Therefore most applications are consuming less than the TDP at the rated frequency. To take advantage of the available TDP headroom, the active cores can increase their operating frequency.

To determine the highest performance frequency amongst active cores, the processor takes the following into consideration:

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Thermal/Mechanical Specifications and Design Guidelines