Intel SC5650HCBRP Product Specification page 54

Functional Architecture
Current RAS mode of operation
Existing DDR3 DIMM population
DDR3 DIMM characteristics
Optimization techniques used by the Intel
memory bandwidth
In the Independent Channel mode, all the DDR3 channels operate independently. Also, you can
use the Independent Channel mode to support single DIMM configuration in Channel A and in
the Single Channel mode.
You must observe and apply the following general rules when selecting and configuring memory
to obtain the best performance from the system:
1. Mixing RDIMMs and UDIMMs is not supported.
2. You must populate CPU1 socket first in order to enable and operate CPU2 socket.
3. When CPU2 socket is empty, DIMMs populated in slots D1 through F2 are unusable.
4. If both CPU sockets are populated, but Channels A through C are empty, the platform
can still function with remote memory in Channels D through F. However, platform
performance suffers latency due to remote memory.
5. Must always start populating DDR3 DIMMs in the first slot on each memory channel
(Memory slot A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, or F1). For example, if memory slot A1 is empty, slot
A2 is not available.
6. Must always populate the Quad-Rank DIMM starting with the first slot (Memory slot A1,
B1, C1, D1, E1, or F1) on each memory channel. For example, when installing one
Quad-Rank RDIMM with one Single- or Dual-Rank RDIMM in memory channel A, you
must populate the Quad-Rank RDIMM in slot A1.
7. If an installed DDR3 DIMM has faulty or incompatible SPD data, it is ignored during
memory initialization and is (essentially) disabled by the BIOS. If a DDR3 DIMM has no
or missing SPD information, the slot in which it is placed is treated as empty by the BIOS.
8. The memory operational mode is configurable at the channel level. The following two
modes are supported: Independent Channel Mode and Mirrored Channel Mode.
9. The BIOS selects the mode that enables all the installed memory by default. Since the
Independent Channel Mode enables all the channels simultaneously, this mode
becomes the default mode of operation.
10. When only CPU1 socket is populated, Mirrored Channel mode is selected only if the
DIMMs are populated to conform to that channel RAS mode. If it fails to comply with the
population rule, then the BIOS configures the CPU1 socket to default to the Independent
Channel mode.
11. If both CPU sockets are populated and the installed DIMMs are associated with both
CPU sockets, then Mirrored Channel Mode can only be selected if both the CPU
sockets are populated to conform to that mode. If either or both sockets fail to comply
with the population rule, the BIOS configures both the CPU sockets to default to the
Independent Channel mode.
12. DIMM parameters matching requirements for Mirrored Channel Mode is local to the CPU
socket. For example, while CPU1 memory channels A, B, and C have one match of
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®
Xeon
Intel order number E81443-002
Intel® Server System SC5650HCBRP TPS
®
Processor 5500 Series to maximize
Revision 1.2