P02984-L21

This is the P02984-L21 processor kit: an Intel Xeon Platinum 8280 for the HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen10, with 28 cores at a 2.7 GHz base clock and a 205 W TDP.

28 cores per socket is a consolidation part. Fill all 4 sockets of this server and you are at 112 cores and 224 threads in one chassis, which is where the cost per virtual machine starts to fall properly: fewer hosts, fewer hypervisor licences, fewer switch ports, less rack. The trade is the 2.7 GHz base clock and the 205 W draw, so size cooling and power against the final configuration rather than the chassis defaults.

Specifications

This is an L21 factory-installed kit

The -L21 part number is HPE’s FIO (factory-installed option) kit. It is intended to be ordered alongside a configure-to-order server so the processor arrives already fitted, with the matching heatsink and the airflow parts the chassis expects. The equivalent -B21 part is the standard option kit for adding a processor to a server you already have. The processor inside is the same; what differs is how it is supplied and whether HPE installs it. If you are upgrading an existing machine rather than buying a new one, ask us for the -B21 version and we will quote it.

Fitment

HPE lists this kit for the HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen10, the four-socket server in a 2U chassis, which is its whole reason for existing: four-socket core count and memory capacity at half the rack height of a traditional scale-up box. Processor kits are specific to a server generation: Gen10 processors are not interchangeable with Gen9 or with Gen10 Plus, because the socket and platform differ.

All processors in this 4-socket server must be the same model, and not every processor in the range is rated for 4-socket operation. Tell us how many sockets you intend to populate and we will confirm this part suits that configuration before despatch.

Worth checking before you order

• Adding a processor to an existing server? It must match the others exactly. Send us the part number already fitted and we will confirm the match before you order.
• At 205 W this is one of the higher-power parts in the range. Check the server’s power supply configuration and the heatsink specified for high-TDP processors — the standard heatsink is often not the right one.
• Memory is populated per processor. Check how your DIMMs are distributed across the six channels of each socket, since an unbalanced layout costs real bandwidth.
• Update system firmware before or alongside a processor change. A server shipped on older firmware may not recognise a newer processor stepping.
• Not sure this is the right part? Tell us the server’s serial or product number and what it runs, and we will confirm the processor and quote alternatives.