Xeon E5 v3/v4 idle power consumption

[sergi0]

Hi,

I wish you all a happy new year !

I am building an ESXi server using an Asus Z10 motherboard and 1 CPU. I want somtething that is using as low power as possible when idle. I had a xeon-D motherboard for the old setup but it was running too hot, very limited versatility, etc... So i decided to use some spare part I had, ie, a xeon E5 2630L v3 and E5 2650L v3 CPU.
At first I thought that those processors will have the lowest idle power consumption, but the more I spent time reading posts, the more I find different information about this topic... .

Are those processor the best one to use in term of idle power consumption ?

I am also thinking to switch my 5960x cpu in my asus rampage extreme V for a xeon E5 v3/v4. my cpu draw 140w and the idle power consumption is too much. I read that the xeon E5 have a lower idle power consumption so I am thinking to migrate to something like E5 2696 v3...

Regards,

S.

 

[Rand__]

Lots of similar threads, eg https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...dle-power-draw-of-l-and-non-l-variants.39223/

Else, it totally depends on your expected workload and connectivity requirements (cpu, memory, networking, storage etc). Maybe you describe your old setup and your issues?

Idle power consumption only is relevant when the box is really idle, else we're looking at low load consumption (where the ability to make individual cores sleep is much more relevant).

 

[heromode]

When i built my Z10PA-D8 system with E5-2680v4, i did note down idle power consumption with 1CPU + 3x BeQuiet fans (probably 2x 140mm purewings2 casefans, and 1x silentwings3 towercooler fan). Nothing else, no IPMI, and it was 40W. I don't remember if i had done anything to BIOS CPU power settings by then.

Judging from that you could maybe get it down to 35W in best case, with only one case fan, 1 cpu fan and BIOS settings to max power save

I just found a text file from that time that reads:

1xCPU   3xpurewings2                                                        40W
1xCPU   3xpurewings2    1x p3700                                            45W     +5W
1xCPU   3xpurewings2    1x P3700    1x SFN7022F                             53W     +8W
1xCPU   3xpurewings2    1x P3700    1x SFN7022F    1x LSI3008               65W     +12W

But i assume 3xpurewings actually means 2x casefans and 1x cpu tower fan.
Also not sure, but i assume those are with IPMI chip connected installed, but no ethernet cable connected to it, which if connected to switch would pull about 7W idle, and 11W feeding a remote screen iirc) Hope this helps

 

[SnJ9MX]

I got a 1x e5-2690v4, 2x32GB 2400T, 2x480GB SSD, with a not great PSU down to 44W. This was with an Asrock EPC612D8. 3x 40mm fans in a 1U case.

 

[SnJ9MX]

Hi,

I wish you all a happy new year !

I am building an ESXi server using an Asus Z10 motherboard and 1 CPU. I want somtething that is using as low power as possible when idle. I had a xeon-D motherboard for the old setup but it was running too hot, very limited versatility, etc... So i decided to use some spare part I had, ie, a xeon E5 2630L v3 and E5 2650L v3 CPU.
At first I thought that those processors will have the lowest idle power consumption, but the more I spent time reading posts, the more I find different information about this topic... .

Are those processor the best one to use in term of idle power consumption ?

I am also thinking to switch my 5960x cpu in my asus rampage extreme V for a xeon E5 v3/v4. my cpu draw 140w and the idle power consumption is too much. I read that the xeon E5 have a lower idle power consumption so I am thinking to migrate to something like E5 2696 v3...

Regards,

S.

v4 will be better than v3 for power savings

 

[heromode]

I got a 1x e5-2690v4, 2x32GB 2400T, 2x480GB SSD, with a not great PSU down to 44W. This was with an Asrock EPC612D8. 3x 40mm fans in a 1U case.

Yes that is consistent with my findings, wish i had documented better when i added the second CPU, but from memory i conluded the 612 chipset pulls about 6-8W in idle with a single CPU, and a E5 V4 about 30W or so. I doubt it's possible to go much lower than that

 

[sergi0]

Thanks for the replies !

I have 2 systems with the same motherboard. I get the power consumption either via a PDU or via a watt measurer on the plug :

NAS :
- Asus Z10PA-D8
- xeon e5 2630L v3
- pcie ssd integrated on the motherboard port
- 96 gb of ram (on slot is defective)
- 4 * 120mm noctua fan
- Areca 1882-24
- 8 * 12 tb spinner
- 10 * 960 gb sata ssd
=> idle around 90w and 150 when accessing hard drive

ESX :
- Asus Z10PA-D8
- xeon e5 2630L v3
- pcie ssd integrated on the motherboard port
- 1 * 120mm noctua fan
- 2 * 180mm fan (Silverstone RM51 case)
- Areca 1883-8
- 2 * 1.92 tb sata ssd

The ESX is not yet configured and working so I only got the data entering the BIOS and looking with the watt measurer. it is around 50w.

I did not pay attention to BIOS setting regarding CPU state, so I will check that.

The NAS is mainly idle and the ESX have only a slight load (2 VM always on that does very little work). I am not concerned byt the power consumption under load but as the setups are going to stay on 24/7, I really prefer to have the lowest idle power consumption, or at least, the lowest power consumption.

I move from Supermicro x10SDV because it was a pain too cool (specific cpu holes placement) and not really upgradable.

I also spend a lot of tiime tuning the systems in order to have the lowest audible ones. The are in a "rack" in a closet so I need to have them super quiet.






S.

 

[Rand__]

Why are you running two systems if you basically have no load on it? Can't virtualize the NAS?

 

[sergi0]

I knew I would have questions on my setup... I have a VM that need to be always ON for security reason. On the other hand, when I am not at home, most of the systems are turned off. When I use the NAS I need to have not bottleneck, so VM it is not my first choice.

 

[Rand__]

ok. And why was the Xeon D limiting (for the ESX host) when all u run is 2 vms? What are you trying to expand to?

 

[sergi0]

The setup was too hot. I had a ethernet 10gb board and even with dedicated copper and noctua fan, it was never below 50c idle. The E5 is between 35-37 idle and I am able to use a SFP+ card, which was not possible using the X10SDV as it had only one PCIe port.
I could have gone for a SFP+ model but I did not know at the time copper will be way hotter.
On very special occasion I need to have more than 8 cores on a VM, so the 4c/8t I had was a little bit too small in term of power.

Most of the time the ESX is close to idle, but sometime I need to pop a VM with high horsepower (well, not high in term of STH ).

 

[SnJ9MX]

The setup was too hot. I had a ethernet 10gb board and even with dedicated copper and noctua fan, it was never below 50c idle. The E5 is between 35-37 idle and I am able to use a SFP+ card, which was not possible using the X10SDV as it had only one PCIe port.
I could have gone for a SFP+ model but I did not know at the time copper will be way hotter.
On very special occasion I need to have more than 8 cores on a VM, so the 4c/8t I had was a little bit too small in term of power.

Most of the time the ESX is close to idle, but sometime I need to pop a VM with high horsepower (well, not high in term of STH ).

isn't 50C well within normal operating ranges for these things? my xeon d-1541 I run at 60C +/- 3C (PID loop controlling fans). NICs regularly in the 60-70C range

 

[BlueFox]

isn't 50C well within normal operating ranges for these things? my xeon d-1541 I run at 60C +/- 3C (PID loop controlling fans). NICs regularly in the 60-70C range

Quite normal and acceptable. Anything under 100C is fine. If anything, cooling is more efficient at higher temperatures due to the higher delta from ambient.

 

[Rand__]

I also spend a lot of tiime tuning the systems in order to have the lowest audible ones. The are in a "rack" in a closet so I need to have them super quiet.

I assume cooler = less noise.
You could run an E3 for the always on system and just power on the current box for the high horsepower stuff (if the E3 does not suffice with 4 cores @ 3.x GHz)

 

[sergi0]

You're right, the temperature are perfectly normal for an x10sdv and I never had any stability problem. The problem is that I need to have to lower temp as possible within a specific acceptable noise. it is a complicated equation that balance heat, noise, horsepower. there are 2 other factors to take into account : I don;t want to spend too much on electricity and at the end, the WAF variable is very picky about noise...

I also want to minimise number of system, so one ESX and one NAS is the right number I was able to come for.

 

[sergi0]

So just to be sure, if I understand correctly, to summerize, there won't be a difference between ans idle 2630Lv3 and a 2699v3 ? And the v4 are better at idle thant the v3 ?

 

[RolloZ170]

there won't be a difference between ans idle 2630Lv3 and a 2699v3 ?

relative: 2699v3 need more because of core count.

 

[BlueFox]

You're right, the temperature are perfectly normal for an x10sdv and I never had any stability problem. The problem is that I need to have to lower temp as possible within a specific acceptable noise. it is a complicated equation that balance heat, noise, horsepower. there are 2 other factors to take into account : I don;t want to spend too much on electricity and at the end, the WAF variable is very picky about noise...

Why exactly the need for as low as possible temperatures? If you want lower noise and power consumption, then you want it to run hot.

 

[sergi0]

Why exactly the need for as low as possible temperatures? If you want lower noise and power consumption, then you want it to run hot.

the enclosure (read closet) tends to have a very poor airflow and I can't change this parameters. So I'd rather have a low temperature to avoid other devices to run hotter due to an elevation of the "local" temp of the closet.

 

[sergi0]

relative: 2699v3 need more because of core count.

thanks for the precision. that is usefull to know for my workstation as I have a 5960x rated for 140w-ish and I could have either a better core count for the same temp or a lower power draw for the same core number.