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I have a Dell R510 used for a SQl server. Can I go from E5620 to X5690? They are both in the same Intel Xeon 5600 series. But the i did not know if a X (Performance) is interchangeable E (Mainstream). If not then the fastest upgrade i can make will be to another E.

thx

Intel® Xeon® Processor E5620 (Current)
http://ark.intel.com/products/47925

Intel® Xeon® Processor X5690 (Proposed Upgrade)
http://ark.intel.com/products/52576

Intel® Xeon® Processor E5649 (Fall back Upgrade)
(cant post link)

NJinPHX
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1 Answers1

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I can speak to the HP side of this. On the ProLiant DL380 G7 systems, I'd routinely make this type of switch, using the X5690 as a step-up for existing E5620 installations. This is a seamless switch and typically a safe upgrade. The only considerations were cooling requirements for 1U servers, but your R510 is a 2U box. You may also want to ensure that your server's firmware is up-to-date. Use Dell CPU kits/heatsinks.

I have had issues making this type of switch from Nehalem 5500-series CPUs to the newest of the Westmere line (X5690, 5649), even though some Westmeres (X5670) worked fine. Use the normal caution and be prepared to back-out if needed, but you should be fine.

Edit:

The only quick example I have of the CPU change performance impact (with my application) is the difference between Week 36 and Week 38 in the graph below.

enter image description here

ewwhite
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  • ewwhite, what kind of performance gains have you seen going from E5620 to X5690? – NJinPHX Oct 18 '13 at 03:04
  • @NJinPHX See edit above. – ewwhite Oct 18 '13 at 13:15
  • @ewwhite is there a reason you chose to upgrade the CPU when the old one wasn't averaging higher than 50% utilization? Do you have some apps that aren't multi-threaded? – MDMarra Oct 18 '13 at 13:20
  • This was a single-threaded app that relies heavily on clock speed (database lock-read/write-unlock cycles). It can't leverage the multiple cores. So it needs fast CPU and low-latency storage. Going to SSD at the end of **Week 38** removed all of the `iowait`, so right now, the solution is as optimal as it will get. – ewwhite Oct 18 '13 at 13:32