Lenovo 7XG7A03979 SN550 Xeon 4110 8C/85W/2.1GHZ

Lenovo 7XG7A03979 Intel Xeon Silver 4110 Processor for ThinkSystem SN550

Overview

The Lenovo 7XG7A03979 is an Intel Xeon Silver 4110 processor upgrade kit for the ThinkSystem SN550 blade server — an 8-core, 85W part built on Intel's first-generation Scalable (Skylake) microarchitecture that slots into the LGA 3647 (Socket P) platform. At a 2.1 GHz base clock with a 3.0 GHz Turbo Boost ceiling, the Silver 4110 occupies a well-understood middle ground in the Xeon Scalable stack: enough core density and memory bandwidth for multi-threaded workloads like video analytics back-ends, surveillance storage servers, and enterprise virtualization, without the power and cost premium of Gold or Platinum SKUs. If you're scaling an Lenovo server environment and need a verified, factory-sourced CPU option for the SN550 blade, this is the part to specify.

Key Features

• 8 Cores / 16 Threads at 85W TDP: Sixteen hardware threads on an 85W thermal envelope means the SN550 blade's cooling design handles full load without thermal throttling — important in dense chassis deployments where per-blade heat budgets are tight. Compared to 12- or 16-core Gold variants, this part keeps power draw predictable in mixed-workload blades.
• 2.1 GHz Base / 3.0 GHz Turbo Boost: The 0.9 GHz headroom between base and turbo is meaningful for bursty workloads: a surveillance VMS indexing event clips or a video analytics engine processing motion-triggered frames gets the benefit of 3.0 GHz on active cores while idle cores park at lower frequencies, conserving the 85W envelope.
• 11 MB L3 Cache (Skylake Architecture): The 11 MB shared L3 cache on the Silver 4110 reduces main-memory round-trips for workloads with moderate working-set sizes — database query engines, analytics middleware, and log-aggregation services all benefit. If your workload has a larger hot working set, consider a Gold-tier part with a larger cache.
• LGA 3647 Socket P — SN550-Specific Fit: The Socket P form factor is specific to Intel's first-gen Scalable platform. This processor is qualified for the ThinkSystem SN550 blade; it is not cross-compatible with other socket standards. Verify your chassis and blade revision before ordering.
• DDR4-2400 Memory Support, up to 768 GB: The Silver 4110 supports DDR4-SDRAM at 2400 MHz with a per-processor addressable ceiling of 768 GB. In a dual-socket SN550 configuration, that scales to 1.5 TB of addressable RAM — sufficient for in-memory databases, large VM footprints, or high-channel-count NVR workloads requiring fast frame-buffer memory.
• 14nm Skylake Fabrication: The 14nm process node is a mature, stable lithography — not cutting edge, but thoroughly validated across enterprise deployments. Yields predictable power behavior and broad OS/hypervisor driver support without firmware surprises from newer process transitions.
• 64-bit Operating Mode: Full 64-bit instruction support is a baseline requirement for any modern server OS or hypervisor. Worth confirming only if migrating from legacy 32-bit workloads, which is rare in new deployments.
• 85W Thermal Design Power: The 85W TDP is the number your blade chassis cooling subsystem is designed around. Exceeding this with an unsupported higher-TDP part risks thermal throttling or chassis fan alarms. The Silver 4110's 85W rating keeps it within the SN550's validated thermal envelope for continuous operation.

Integration & Compatibility

The 7XG7A03979 is designed for installation in the ThinkSystem SN550 blade server platform. The LGA 3647 Socket P interface is specific to Intel's first-generation Xeon Scalable (Skylake) family; processors from later generations (Ice Lake, Sapphire Rapids) use different socket standards and are not compatible. Dual-processor configurations in the SN550 double the available cores, threads, memory channels, and addressable RAM — a common configuration for compute-heavy security server deployments running video analytics or multi-tenant virtualization. OS and hypervisor compatibility follows Intel's standard Skylake support matrix, which covers Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, VMware ESXi, and Hyper-V across all modern versions. Consult Lenovo's ServerProven database for validated memory DIMM configurations at the 2400 MHz speed grade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What server is the Lenovo 7XG7A03979 compatible with?

A: The 7XG7A03979 is a processor option for the Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 blade server. It uses the LGA 3647 (Socket P) interface specific to Intel's first-generation Xeon Scalable platform. It is not compatible with servers using different socket standards.

Q: How many cores and threads does the Xeon Silver 4110 provide?

A: The Intel Xeon Silver 4110 delivers 8 cores and 16 threads, operating at a 2.1 GHz base frequency with Turbo Boost up to 3.0 GHz, all within an 85W thermal design power envelope.

Q: What is the maximum memory this processor supports?

A: The Silver 4110 supports DDR4-SDRAM at 2400 MHz with a maximum addressable memory capacity of 768 GB per processor. In a dual-socket SN550 blade, total addressable RAM scales to 1.5 TB.

Q: What is the L3 cache size on the 7XG7A03979?

A: The processor includes 11 MB of shared L3 cache, which reduces memory latency for multi-threaded workloads with moderate working-set sizes.

Q: Is this processor compatible with newer Xeon Scalable generations?

A: No. The LGA 3647 (Socket P) interface is specific to Intel's first-generation Xeon Scalable (Skylake) family. Second-generation (Cascade Lake) and later processors use different platforms and are not drop-in replacements, though some second-gen parts are socket-compatible — verify with Lenovo's compatibility matrix before substituting.

Q: What operating systems and hypervisors does the Silver 4110 support?

A: The Skylake microarchitecture has broad OS and hypervisor support including Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, VMware ESXi, and Microsoft Hyper-V across current major versions. Consult Lenovo's ServerProven compatibility database for validated configurations.

James Everett

The 7XG7A03979 fills a specific, well-defined role: a mid-tier compute option for the SN550 blade that keeps power draw at 85W while delivering 8 cores and 16 threads — a configuration I'd reach for in blade deployments where per-slot thermal headroom is constrained and the workload doesn't justify the cost step to a Gold-class part.

Technical Highlights:

• Turbo Boost to 3.0 GHz: The 900 MHz spread between base (2.1 GHz) and turbo (3.0 GHz) matters for single-threaded bursts — analytics middleware and VMS event processing respond to this headroom during peak indexing windows without sustained power draw increase.
• 768 GB Max Memory per Socket: DDR4-2400 at up to 768 GB addressable per processor is substantial for blade-class hardware — enough to run large virtualized workloads or in-memory analytics without swapping, which is the real bottleneck in video analytics pipelines at scale.
• 11 MB L3 Cache on Mature 14nm Node: Skylake's 14nm process is well past the errata-heavy early production phase. In production environments, that means predictable firmware stability and no surprise microcode updates disrupting scheduled maintenance windows.

Deployment Considerations:

• Socket P (LGA 3647) is non-negotiable — confirm the SN550 blade revision and current processor population before ordering; a populated single-socket blade needs the second slot addressed if dual-socket performance is the goal.
• The 85W TDP is a hard ceiling for the SN550's cooling design; installing a higher-TDP part (e.g., a Gold 6138 at 125W) in an unsupported configuration risks chassis thermal alarms and throttling under sustained load.

For a ThinkSystem SN550 blade chassis running mixed virtualization and surveillance analytics back-end workloads where per-blade power budgets are fixed at the chassis level, the Silver 4110 at 85W is the pragmatic fit — sufficient compute without pushing the thermal envelope.