5Thermal Metrology

The system designer must make temperature measurements to accurately determine the thermal performance of the system. Intel has established guidelines for proper techniques to measure the NB/XMB die temperatures. Section 5.1 provides guidelines on how to accurately measure the NB/XMB die temperatures. Section 5.2 contains information on running an application program that will emulate anticipated maximum thermal design power. The flowchart in Figure 5-1offers useful guidelines for thermal performance and evaluation.

5.1Die Case Temperature Measurements

To ensure functionality and reliability, the Tcase of the NB/XMB must be maintained at or between the maximum/minimum operating range of the temperature specification as noted in Table 3-1and Table 3-3. The surface temperature at the geometric center of the die corresponds to Tcase.

Measuring Tcase requires special care to ensure an accurate temperature measurement.

Temperature differences between the temperature of a surface and the surrounding local ambient air can introduce errors in the measurements. The measurement errors could be due to a poor thermal contact between the thermocouple junction and the surface of the package, heat loss by radiation and/or convection, conduction through thermocouple leads, and/or contact between the thermocouple cement and the heatsink base (if a heatsink is used). For maximize measurement accuracy, only the 0° thermocouple attach approach is recommended.

Zero Degree Angle Attach Methodology

1.Mill a 3.3 mm (0.13 in.) diameter and 1.5 mm (0.06 in.) deep hole centered on the bottom of the heatsink base.

2.Mill a 1.3 mm (0.05 in.) wide and 0.5 mm (0.02 in.) deep slot from the centered hole to one edge of the heatsink. The slot should be parallel to the heatsink fins (see Figure 5-2).

3.Attach thermal interface material (TIM) to the bottom of the heatsink base.

4.Cut out portions of the TIM to make room for the thermocouple wire and bead. The cutouts should match the slot and hole milled into the heatsink base.

5.Attach a 36 gauge or smaller calibrated K-type thermocouple bead or junction to the center of the top surface of the die using a high thermal conductivity cement. During this step, ensure no contact is present between the thermocouple cement and the heatsink base because any contact will affect the thermocouple reading. It is critical that the thermocouple bead makes contact with the die (see Figure 5-3).

6.Attach heatsink assembly to the NB/XMB and route thermocouple wires out through the milled slot.

Intel® E8500/E8501 Chipset North Bridge (NB) and eXternal Memory

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Bridge (XMB) Thermal/Mechanical Design Guide

 

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Intel E8501 manual Thermal Metrology, Die Case Temperature Measurements
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E8501 specifications

The Intel E8501 is a high-performance server processor that belongs to the Intel Itanium 2 family, designed primarily for enterprise-level demands. With its advanced architecture, the E8501 targets mission-critical applications that require reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) alongside superior computational power.

One of the key features of the Intel E8501 is its 64-bit architecture, allowing for the handling of larger data sets and improved performance for applications that demand extensive computations. This architecture is built on Intel's Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) design, which enhances instruction-level parallelism and enables efficient processing of multiple instructions simultaneously, resulting in faster execution of complex tasks.

The E8501 processor is equipped with a maximum clock speed of 1.6 GHz and supports 4MB of L3 cache, significantly improving data retrieval speeds and overall throughput. The chipset accommodates up to 64GB of RAM across four DIMM slots, thus providing ample memory for demanding applications, such as databases and high-performance computing.

Additionally, the E8501 incorporates Intel's Advanced Smart Cache technology, which allows multiple cores to share the cache dynamically. This enhances performance by reducing latency and improving bandwidth for multi-threaded workloads. The processor also employs a dual-core design, which means it can execute multiple threads concurrently, thus maximizing processing efficiency.

Furthermore, the E8501 processor provides support for advanced virtualization technologies, enabling multiple operating systems to run on a single server instance. This capability is essential for data centers managing diverse workloads and consolidating IT resources.

Power efficiency is another significant characteristic of the Intel E8501, featuring enhancements that reduce power consumption while maintaining performance. This is critically important in enterprise environments where energy costs are a substantial concern.

The processor is also equipped with built-in security features, including data encryption capabilities and mechanisms to protect against certain types of cyber threats. These features ensure that sensitive enterprise data remains secure.

In summary, the Intel E8501 stands out as a robust server processor designed to meet the rigorous demands of enterprise-level applications. Its combination of 64-bit architecture, advanced caching mechanisms, virtualization support, and exceptional performance makes it a compelling choice for organizations seeking to enhance their computational capabilities and maintain high levels of reliability. As businesses continue to evolve and require more from their computing environments, the E8501's technologies and features position it as a reliable foundation for mission-critical applications.
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