In the summer of 2004, Dell introduced new dual-processor Power- Edge™ servers and Dell Precision™ workstations equipped with Intel® Xeon™ processors with Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T). The workstations are based on the Intel E7525 chip set, formerly code-named “Tumwater,” and most of the servers are based on the Intel E7520 chip set, formerly code-named “Lindenhurst.” These chip sets support the latest memory technology, Double Data Rate 2 (DDR2).1 The new DDR2 interface enables the industry to continue to implement faster and higher-density main memory solutions. As processor performance improves at the rate of Moore's Law, DDR2 technology provides the memory subsystem performance improvements needed to balance overall system performance.

The E7520 and E7525 chip sets have flexible DDR2 memory subsystem implementation options. Dell worked closely with Intel to design server and workstation platforms that provide flexible DDR2 memory configuration options that meet a variety of customer requirements. These platforms feature dual-channel, 400-MHz DDR2 memory architectures and have six DIMM slots. Customers can choose different memory configurations to meet capacity, performance, and other requirements of the applications that will  run on thesystems.

In this white paper, we provide guidance on how to configure Dell PowerEdge and Dell Precision systems based on the E7520 and E7525 chip sets. We begin with a discussion of the memory support provided by these chip sets on Dell platforms. A glossary of the memory terminology used in this paper is presented on page 2. We continue with memory configuration guidance, supported by performance benchmarks, where helpful.