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| System Name | Rocinante |
|---|---|
| Processor | I9 14900KS |
| Motherboard | EVGA z690 Dark KINGPIN (modded BIOS) |
| Cooling | EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB |
| Memory | 64GB Gskill Trident Z5 DDR5 6000 @6400 |
| Video Card(s) | MSI SUPRIM Liquid X 4090 |
| Storage | 1x 500GB 980 Pro | 1x 1TB 980 Pro | 1x 8TB Corsair MP400 |
| Display(s) | Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC |
| Case | Lian Li o11 Evo Dynamic White |
| Audio Device(s) | Moondrop S8's on Schiit Hel 2e |
| Power Supply | Bequiet! Power Pro 12 1500w |
| Mouse | Lamzu Atlantis mini (White) |
| Keyboard | Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Akko Crystal Blues |
| VR HMD | Quest 3 |
| Software | Windows 11 |
| Benchmark Scores | I dont have time for that. |
Hiya,
I would like to clear up some misconceptions. But first I will water it down for the OP:
You should make sure the processors are the same. If you are using a non-server motherboard IE: an asus/gigabyte/evga workstation (WS) motherboard you should make sure the steppings are also the same.
Now let's get down to business. I work with QUAD and DUAL socket servers everyday. I also deal with blade systems (multiple server connected to a single chassis backplane).
Most of the information in this thread is correct, however there is a lot wrong with the explanations, as some of these "rules" affect certain points in time only.
"The CPUs must be the same stepping"
This is no longer true. It was only true for 55XX and E5-XXXXv1 CPUs. Starting with v2 CPUs many restraints were lifted:
www.intel.com
Intel itself tests mixed CPU configurations and supports them, this is the blurb:
CPUs of similar families albeit different models only need to adhere to a few basic rules:
Processors operate with the same Intel:
Additionally as bolded above, Intel supports stepping differences as long as it is no more than 1 ahead (S and S+1).
Server chipsets are not generally tinkered with, so Intels vanilla rules of engagement will likely apply, if using a board from supermicro, dell, HPE etc. This gets tricker with "gaming" or "workstation" boards as they do not always adhere to the standards or modify the BIOS's of the respective boards.
Current system checks DO NOT take week batch into consideration.
Now given that rules 1-4 diminish the CPU compatibility pool by a significant margin it is generally "easier" to simply get 2 CPUs of the same model. IE: E5-2630v3.
Further, passed v2 Intel generally does not release multiple "Spec Codes (S-Spec)" (not to be confused with design "stepping") with , save for ES samples on scalable Xeon CPUs. Which means that you generally only need to go by the CPU model anyway.
Case in point for the E5-2630v3:
Intel also is pretty good about listing production "steppings (S-SPECs)" should they exist on the ARK page for the CPU in question if they are newer (IIRC past v4). If multiple production steppings exist a field will exist for it, the absence of such usually indicating only 1 such stepping was produced for that specific model.
Production: SR206
ES: QGZX
ark.intel.com
Finally: The OS in question also needs to support mixed CPUs, but this ONLY APPLIES too different models. The stepping is checked only on a chipset level. The OS cares about voltage and clock speed as the task scheduler and powerplan needs to be happy about it.
Thankfully this is supported on almost all new OSs.
Remember however, that in windows land, you will need Pro and up as home does not support NUMA IIRC (multiple sockets).
BONUS: As alluded too previously, Dual+ socket has no issues with current OSs and current software, the task schedulers for Windows and Linux are more than capable of understanding it. The task scheduler only differs between kernels, and windows builds, so 1804 and 1909 may have different schedulers, but Hom/Pro/Ent/Server do not matter as NUMA is scheduler agnostic. Compatibility for NUMA is software locked based on edition, but the scheduler is not different.
Hope this clears it up for some ppl.
FUN FACT: Specifications generally require chipsets on dual+ socket motherboards to support multi CPU generations 1 generation at a time.
IE: v1 and v2 CPUs can share a board, v3 v4 can also share a board etc. This is part of Intel's chipset specifications.
I would like to clear up some misconceptions. But first I will water it down for the OP:
You should make sure the processors are the same. If you are using a non-server motherboard IE: an asus/gigabyte/evga workstation (WS) motherboard you should make sure the steppings are also the same.
Now let's get down to business. I work with QUAD and DUAL socket servers everyday. I also deal with blade systems (multiple server connected to a single chassis backplane).
Most of the information in this thread is correct, however there is a lot wrong with the explanations, as some of these "rules" affect certain points in time only.
"The CPUs must be the same stepping"
This is no longer true. It was only true for 55XX and E5-XXXXv1 CPUs. Starting with v2 CPUs many restraints were lifted:
Intel® Processors for PC, Laptops, Servers, and AI | Intel®
Find Intel's processors and microprocessors including computer processors for PCs, desktops, laptops and servers. Designed to provide top processing power.
www.intel.com
Intel itself tests mixed CPU configurations and supports them, this is the blurb:
CPUs of similar families albeit different models only need to adhere to a few basic rules:
Processors operate with the same Intel:
- QuickPath Interconnect frequency
- core frequency
- power segment
- have the same internal cache sizes
- Within 1 stepping version
Additionally as bolded above, Intel supports stepping differences as long as it is no more than 1 ahead (S and S+1).
Server chipsets are not generally tinkered with, so Intels vanilla rules of engagement will likely apply, if using a board from supermicro, dell, HPE etc. This gets tricker with "gaming" or "workstation" boards as they do not always adhere to the standards or modify the BIOS's of the respective boards.
Current system checks DO NOT take week batch into consideration.
Now given that rules 1-4 diminish the CPU compatibility pool by a significant margin it is generally "easier" to simply get 2 CPUs of the same model. IE: E5-2630v3.
Further, passed v2 Intel generally does not release multiple "Spec Codes (S-Spec)" (not to be confused with design "stepping") with , save for ES samples on scalable Xeon CPUs. Which means that you generally only need to go by the CPU model anyway.
Case in point for the E5-2630v3:
Intel also is pretty good about listing production "steppings (S-SPECs)" should they exist on the ARK page for the CPU in question if they are newer (IIRC past v4). If multiple production steppings exist a field will exist for it, the absence of such usually indicating only 1 such stepping was produced for that specific model.
Production: SR206
ES: QGZX
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2630 v3 (20M Cache, 2.40 GHz) Product Specifications
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2630 v3 (20M Cache, 2.40 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.
ark.intel.com
Finally: The OS in question also needs to support mixed CPUs, but this ONLY APPLIES too different models. The stepping is checked only on a chipset level. The OS cares about voltage and clock speed as the task scheduler and powerplan needs to be happy about it.
Thankfully this is supported on almost all new OSs.
Remember however, that in windows land, you will need Pro and up as home does not support NUMA IIRC (multiple sockets).
BONUS: As alluded too previously, Dual+ socket has no issues with current OSs and current software, the task schedulers for Windows and Linux are more than capable of understanding it. The task scheduler only differs between kernels, and windows builds, so 1804 and 1909 may have different schedulers, but Hom/Pro/Ent/Server do not matter as NUMA is scheduler agnostic. Compatibility for NUMA is software locked based on edition, but the scheduler is not different.
Hope this clears it up for some ppl.
FUN FACT: Specifications generally require chipsets on dual+ socket motherboards to support multi CPU generations 1 generation at a time.
IE: v1 and v2 CPUs can share a board, v3 v4 can also share a board etc. This is part of Intel's chipset specifications.
Last edited:
