Datasheet

Intel
®
Xeon
®
Processor E5-1600/E5-2600/E5-4600 v2 Product Families 113
Datasheet Volume One of Two
Thermal Management Specifications
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 T
C
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-
1600/2600/4600 and E5-1600 v2/E5-2600 v2 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.