803087-B21 HPE 2.10GHz 8.00GT/s QPI 20MB L3 Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 8 Core Processor

Main Information about HPE 803087-B21

The HPE 803087-B21 is a high-performance Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4 8-Core Processor engineered for enterprise-grade servers. With a frequency of 2.10GHz, 20MB L3 cache, and 8.00GT/s QPI, it ensures optimal data handling, advanced multi-tasking, and reliability for business-critical workloads.

Product Details

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number / SKU: 803087-B21
• Product Type: Processor
• Processor Sub-Type: 2.10GHz 8.00GT/s QPI
• Processor Series: Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4
• Core Count: 8 Cores
• Cache Memory: 20MB L3 Cache

Key Features of HPE 803087-B21

This CPU integrates robust processing capabilities designed to maximize efficiency in server infrastructures:

• 8-Core configuration for enhanced parallel performance
• 2.10GHz base frequency to maintain stability in operations
• 8.00GT/s QPI speed for faster interconnect bandwidth
• 20MB L3 Cache providing rapid data access
• Compatibility with HPE ProLiant server platforms
• Energy-efficient design with improved thermal management

Performance Advantages

Efficient Multi-Core Processing

The HPE 803087-B21 Xeon Processor delivers excellent parallelism by supporting multiple cores, enabling better scalability for virtual machines, cloud computing, and data-intensive workloads.

Accelerated Data Exchange

With 8.00GT/s QPI, data transfer between CPU and other components is streamlined, reducing latency and improving response times across enterprise applications.

Enhanced Cache Capacity

The 20MB shared L3 cache ensures faster execution of frequently accessed instructions, improving overall system responsiveness and throughput.

Compatibility and Server Integration

The 803087-B21 processor is engineered to integrate seamlessly with multiple HPE ProLiant Gen9 server systems, offering reliability and optimized performance for demanding IT environments.

Supported Use Cases

• Virtualization and cloud hosting
• Database management systems
• High-performance computing (HPC)
• Enterprise applications and ERP systems
• Data analytics and processing workloads

Technical Specifications

Processor Attributes

• Model: Intel Xeon E5-2620 v4
• Clock Speed: 2.10GHz
• Number of Cores: 8
• Threads: 16 (Hyper-Threading enabled)
• L3 Cache: 20MB
• QPI Speed: 8.00GT/s
• Socket Compatibility: FCLGA2011-3

Energy and Reliability

• Advanced Power Efficiency for reduced operating costs
• Thermal Design Power (TDP) optimized for stable operation
• Reliability features for mission-critical deployments

Processor architecture and micro-architecture details

Built on Intel’s Broadwell microarchitecture, the E5-2620 v4 strikes a balance between IPC improvements and power efficiency. Key architectural highlights include improved branch prediction, refined cache prefetchers, and support for DDR4 memory at higher speeds compared to previous generations. These refinements translate into higher real-world throughput for virtualization, web serving, database workloads, and mid-tier enterprise applications.

Fabric, thermal design, and power envelope

The thermal design power (TDP) for this processor is engineered to fit common 2U/1U server chassis configurations, enabling dense rack deployments while managing thermal budgets. The 8.00GT/s QPI link provides low-latency communication to other sockets and chipset devices. Its power profile and thermal characteristics make it suitable for mixed workload environments where sustained performance and thermals must be balanced.

Memory and I/O: Practical considerations for system builders

The E5-2620 v4 supports DDR4 registered (RDIMM) and load-reduced (LRDIMM) memory modules across multiple memory channels depending on the server platform. Typical HPE ProLiant configurations for this SKU allow multi-channel memory configurations to maximize bandwidth and reduce latency for memory-sensitive workloads such as in-memory databases and virtualization hosts.

Recommended memory configurations

• For virtualization and consolidation: Populate all memory channels with equal-sized RDIMMs for optimal NUMA balance.
• For memory-heavy databases: Consider LRDIMMs to reach higher total memory capacities while maintaining signal integrity.
• For balanced web and application servers: A moderate memory footprint (32GB–128GB per socket) using ECC RDIMMs provides a good cost/performance tradeoff.

I/O lanes and expansion options

Server platforms using the E5-2620 v4 typically provide a mix of PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU and chipset, enabling high-throughput networking, NVMe storage adapters, and accelerators. When planning storage and network expansion, account for available PCIe slots and line allocation so that NICs and storage controllers get direct CPU access for lowest latency.

Performance characteristics and workload suitability

The E5-2620 v4 is a mid-range enterprise processor targeted at environments where core count, reasonable single-thread performance, and power-efficiency matter. It excels in these common workload categories:

Virtualization and cloud infrastructure

With eight cores and SMT, the processor can host multiple virtual machines with predictable performance. Hypervisor features such as Intel VT-x and VT-d are supported, enabling hardware-assisted virtualization and device assignment for I/O intensive VMs.

Web, application, and middleware servers

Multi-threaded application servers (Java application servers, .NET stacks) benefit from the balanced core-to-frequency ratio. The shared L3 cache helps reduce memory-bound stalls, improving throughput for request-serving workloads and microservices.

Databases and analytics

Small-to-midsize database instances (OLTP or OLAP) often prefer more cores over extreme single-thread performance, which makes the E5-2620 v4 an apt choice when combined with sufficient memory and fast storage (SSD or NVMe). The CPU’s cache and memory channel support help accelerate index and join operations.

Compatibility matrix: Which HPE systems support 803087-B21

This SKU is commonly sold as an HPE-qualified CPU for a range of ProLiant servers, especially Gen9 platforms. Compatibility depends on BIOS/UEFI firmware level, power and thermals of the specific chassis, and the motherboard’s socket support. When integrating the E5-2620 v4, verify:

• Server model and generation (ProLiant DL, ML, or BL series)
• BIOS/firmware revisions that include Broadwell CPU microcode updates
• Supported memory part numbers and maximum DIMM population rules
• Required heat sink and power supply wattage for multi-socket systems

Single-socket vs dual-socket deployments

Many deployments choose the E5-2620 v4 in dual-socket configurations to double core count and memory channels, but be aware of the following:

• Dual-socket systems benefit from increased memory bandwidth and aggregate PCIe lanes.
• NUMA-aware software and hypervisors will provide better performance in multi-socket setups by optimizing memory locality.
• Power draw and cooling requirements scale with additional sockets—ensure chassis and datacenter power design meet the needs.

Firmware, microcode, and BIOS best practices

For stable operation and maximum performance, keeping platform firmware up to date is critical. Firmware updates may include microcode patches for enhanced security, improved frequency scaling behavior, and stability fixes for multi-socket coherency. Follow HPE’s published firmware bundles for the exact server model when updating.

Security microcode and mitigations

Like all modern processors, Broadwell-based E5 processors have benefited from microcode updates addressing speculative execution and side-channel vulnerabilities. Apply vendor-provided microcode that balances performance and security according to your organization’s risk tolerance and performance targets.

Storage and network pairing recommendations

The CPU is only part of a system’s performance profile—pairing it with fast storage and appropriate network bandwidth is essential. For typical mid-range servers using 803087-B21:

Storage options and configuration

• SSD/NVMe for OS and hot data sets: reduces I/O wait times and allows the CPU to remain compute-bound.
• RAID controller compatibility: ensure the RAID controller firmware is HPE-validated for the chosen storage media.
• Hybrid storage tiers: combine high-capacity HDDs with SSD caches for cost-effective large datasets.

Networking and throughput

For web front-ends and scale-out clusters, choose NICs that match expected bandwidth (1GbE, 10GbE, or 25/40GbE). Offloading features (SR-IOV, TOE, etc.) are available on many NICs and can reduce CPU overhead for heavy networking loads.

Compatibility with modern software stacks

The E5 family is widely supported by mainstream OSes (multiple Linux distributions, Windows Server, VMware ESXi), container runtimes (Docker, containerd), and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes). Always verify the compatibility matrix of enterprise software to ensure official support for Broadwell-class CPUs in production environments.

Regulatory and environmental compliance

HPE-branded server components typically comply with common regulatory standards (CE, FCC) and environmental guidelines (RoHS). When deploying at scale, capture the relevant compliance documents for audits and recycling programs for end-of-life equipment.

End-of-life handling and recycling

Follow local regulations for electronics disposal. Consider secure data-erasure procedures for storage devices and decommissioning checklists for servers that once housed the CPU.

Accessibility and localization notes for global merchants

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