Modular System CPU and Memory Configurations can affect Performance.

This Blog will try to help you understand how CPU and memory choices affect performance in Dell Modular servers, as it relates to new Skylake processors.

The new Skylake Processors have 6 Memory channels per CPU. These memory channels must be populated in certain ways and combined with the right processor choice to achieve the best memory performance that Dell PowerEdge Modular Servers can deliver.

Some of the Dell Modular Systems only have 8 memory slots per CPU (C6420, FC640, and M640) vs. Dell Rack systems that have 12.

If the system configuration of these systems is allowed to populate all 8 memory slots per CPU, this will reduce the overall memory performance of the system. This blog will provide information that will allow you to make the correct CPU and memory choices, and get the best performance from the Dell C6420 & FCM640 PowerEdge Systems.

Let’s start with the Skylake Processors architecture. The Skylake Processor has 2 internal memory controllers, each handling 3 memory channels. See the figure below to better visualize how this is implemented.

Read the entire article here, Modular System CPU and Memory Configurations can affect Performance.

Via the fine folks at Dell