Lenovo 4XG7A38074 SR650 Xeon Gold 6256

Lenovo 4XG7A38074 Intel Xeon Gold 6256 Processor Option Kit

Overview

The Lenovo 4XG7A38074 is a factory-configured processor option kit delivering the 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Gold 6256 to the ThinkSystem SR650 platform. With 12 cores running at a 3.6 GHz base and a 4.5 GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, this kit targets compute-intensive server and workstation workloads — particularly environments where high per-core clock speed matters more than raw core count. If you're running latency-sensitive middleware, transactional databases, or high-frequency analytics on your Lenovo server infrastructure, the 6256 is built for that operating profile.

Key Features

• 3.6 GHz Base / 4.5 GHz Boost: Among the highest single-threaded frequencies available in the 2nd Gen Xeon Scalable family. Applications that cannot distribute work across dozens of threads — legacy ERP, compiled financial models, real-time signal processing — will benefit directly from this clock ceiling without requiring software re-architecture.
• 12 Cores / 24 Threads (Hyper-Threading): Provides enough parallelism for multi-tenant virtualization and containerized workloads while keeping the core count focused on frequency. Paired with a dual-socket SR650, you reach 24 physical cores / 48 threads per chassis — a viable configuration for mid-tier HCI nodes.
• 33 MB L3 Cache: A large L3 footprint relative to core count (2.75 MB per core) means working datasets for in-memory databases and analytics engines stay on-die longer, reducing DRAM latency cycles on hot-path queries.
• 4.5 GHz Intel Turbo Boost: In lightly threaded scenarios — single-job compilation, sequential ETL transforms, or peak-demand spikes on a single core — the processor will sustain clock rates up to 4.5 GHz, maximizing throughput without manual overclocking or BIOS tuning.
• LGA 3647 (Socket P) Interface: Mates directly with the SR650's Intel C620-series chipset motherboard. This is a factory-qualified server processor option — no third-party socket adapters, no compatibility guesswork. Slot it into a validated SR650 socket position and commission.
• 10.4 GT/s UPI System Bus: Ultra Path Interconnect at 10.4 GT/s enables high-bandwidth, low-latency coherency between sockets in a dual-processor SR650 configuration. Scale-up deployments sharing memory and I/O across both sockets won't encounter the inter-socket bottlenecks common on older QPI platforms.
• 205 W TDP: A 205 W thermal envelope is on the higher end of the Xeon Gold tier. Confirm your SR650 chassis cooling configuration and power supply headroom supports this TDP — especially in a dual-socket build where aggregate processor TDP alone can reach 410 W before accounting for memory, storage, and PCIe load.
• 14 nm Lithography: Cascade Lake architecture fabricated at 14 nm delivers proven stability and broad ecosystem support. Firmware, microcode, and security patches (including Spectre/Meltdown mitigations) are mature and production-hardened across this processor generation.
• 64-Bit Operating Mode: Full x86-64 support — compatible with all major hypervisors (VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM), Linux distributions, and Windows Server editions without mode restrictions.

Integration and Compatibility

The 4XG7A38074 is qualified for the ThinkSystem SR650 server platform. The 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processor family (Cascade Lake) uses the LGA 3647 Socket P interface, which is physically and electrically distinct from 1st Gen Skylake-SP and 3rd Gen Ice Lake-SP sockets. Before ordering, verify your SR650 board revision supports 2nd Gen processors — earlier SR650 boards may require a firmware update or board swap. Consult Lenovo's ServerProven compatibility guide for your specific SR650 configuration.

The cooler is not included with this processor option kit. For a server CPU upgrade at the 205 W TDP level, ensure the SR650's installed heatsink is rated for high-TDP operation. Lenovo offers performance heatsink options separately for configurations running processors above 150 W. Running a 205 W processor on a standard heatsink will cause thermal throttling under sustained load.

For environments consolidating workloads onto rack servers — whether deploying VMs, containers, or bare-metal high-performance computing — pairing this processor kit with adequate DDR4 memory channels is essential. The Xeon Gold 6256 supports up to six memory channels per socket on the SR650's memory subsystem; under-populating memory slots throttles bandwidth and undercuts the processor's throughput capability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What server platform is the Lenovo 4XG7A38074 compatible with?

A: The 4XG7A38074 is a processor option kit qualified for the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 server. It uses the LGA 3647 (Socket P) interface and is based on the 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable (Cascade Lake) architecture.

Q: Is a heatsink or cooler included with the 4XG7A38074?

A: No. The cooler is not included with this processor option kit. Given the 205 W TDP of the Xeon Gold 6256, confirm your SR650 is equipped with a heatsink rated for high-TDP processors before installation.

Q: What is the base and boost clock speed of the Xeon Gold 6256?

A: The Intel Xeon Gold 6256 runs at a 3.6 GHz base frequency and can boost up to 4.5 GHz under lightly threaded workloads via Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

Q: How many cores and threads does this processor provide?

A: The Xeon Gold 6256 provides 12 physical cores and 24 threads via Intel Hyper-Threading. In a dual-socket SR650 configuration with two of these processors, you would have 24 physical cores and 48 threads per chassis.

Q: What is the L3 cache size on the Xeon Gold 6256?

A: The processor includes 33 MB of L3 cache, which equates to approximately 2.75 MB per core — a relatively large per-core cache allocation that benefits in-memory databases and latency-sensitive analytics workloads.

Q: Can this processor be used in a dual-socket SR650 configuration?

A: Yes. The SR650 supports dual-socket configurations using the LGA 3647 platform. The 10.4 GT/s UPI interconnect on the Xeon Gold 6256 facilitates high-bandwidth inter-socket coherency. Note that a dual-socket 205 W TDP configuration requires careful power supply and cooling validation.

Marty Allison

The 4XG7A38074 is the processor option kit to reach for when your SR650 workload profile demands high per-core frequency rather than maximum core density — the Xeon Gold 6256's 4.5 GHz Turbo Boost ceiling is one of the highest in the 2nd Gen Xeon Scalable lineup, and it comes at a 205 W TDP that demands honest infrastructure planning before you commit a socket to it.

Technical Highlights:

• 3.6 GHz Base / 4.5 GHz Boost: In environments running latency-sensitive single-threaded or lightly threaded code paths — transactional databases, compiled financial models, certain ERP workloads — the frequency ceiling here outperforms higher core-count Xeon Gold variants that sacrifice clock speed for thread count.
• 33 MB L3 Cache at 12 Cores: 2.75 MB of L3 per core is generous. Working sets for in-memory analytics engines and real-time streaming platforms tend to stay on-die longer, which directly reduces round-trips to DRAM and flattens latency spikes under bursty query patterns.
• 10.4 GT/s UPI Interconnect: In a dual-socket SR650 build, this UPI speed maintains cache coherency between sockets without becoming the bottleneck. Scale-up configurations sharing workloads across both processors will see more predictable inter-socket latency than older platforms running at 9.6 GT/s.

Deployment Considerations:

• The cooler is not included — at 205 W TDP, verify the SR650's installed heatsink is rated for high-TDP operation before powering on. A standard heatsink on a 205 W processor will throttle under sustained load, undermining the clock-speed advantage you paid for.
• This is a 2nd Gen Xeon Scalable (Cascade Lake) processor. Earlier SR650 board revisions may need a firmware update to recognize it — check Lenovo's ServerProven database against your exact SR650 board part number before ordering to avoid a compatibility mismatch.

This processor option is a strong fit for SR650 nodes running latency-sensitive middleware, high-frequency trading infrastructure, or in-memory database tiers where the 4.5 GHz burst frequency directly translates to measurable response-time improvements — not for bulk-compute HPC jobs where a higher core-count Xeon Gold would deliver better throughput per dollar.