Xeon D-1540 Processor Operating Temperatures

[MSchr9]

I'm working with a Xeon D-1540 processor and attempting to establish what temperatures are normal for this processor to operate within. The processor is part of a Supermicro Motherboard, specifically a X10SDV-F motherboard. The system in factory form comes without a fan for the very small processor heatsink. I've since added a fan to the heatsink. In testing with ambient temperatures of around 85F (29.5C) I see processor temps of around 50C at idle and at 100% processor usage I see temps of around 80-85C. The system shows no sign of throttling at these temperatures.

Looking through the product datasheet for the Xeon D-1540 I find Tj,max to be 108C. Obviously I don't want to be anywhere near those kinds of temperatures, so what I'm trying to establish is what would be considered an acceptable operating range for processor temperature. I know this is not something that Intel can give a definitive answer on, since there are numerous variables, but often times there are guidelines which could be used to narrow down the acceptable range.

My assumption is that for a 45w part, running 8 cores and 16 threads at 100% usage at 85F ambient and getting 80-85C on the processor seems about right to me. Since this is Broadwell, my assumption is the heat spreader uses thermal paste as opposed to solder, and given the 14nm size and associated heat production, these temps seem in-line. The heatsink included on the motherboard/processor package is very small, it's a 2.35" square by only about 1/2 inch tall. Seems odd that a larger heatsink wasn't used, especially because it's passively cooled in stock form.

Any input or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks

[MSchr9]

Anyone have any input or suggestions? Anyone from Intel?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Hi,

The maximum temperature recommended at the processor Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) is 80 Celsius degrees.

The normal temperature range will be between 45 °C and 90 °C. Intel® Xeon® Processor D-1500 Product Family may not operate above +108 °C. I suggest you to add new thermal compound over the cpu metal plate.

Take a look into Supermicro recommendations. Check Chassis Notes

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/d/x10sdv-f.cfm Supermicro | Products | Motherboards | Xeon® Boards | X10SDV-F

Regards,

Mike C

[MSchr9]

Thanks for the follow up. I guess I'll have no choice but to remove the heatsink and try and apply my own thermal compound to see if that improves things. I can only assume that Supermicro just did not do a good job of applying the thermal compound in the first place if these temperatures are high. I don't know how they expected the system to work with such a small passive heatsink, especially if the TIM application was not very good.

Thanks for the help, I'll try and remove the heatsink and do a reapplication.