My 8 core Intel Xeon D-1541 arrives by mid February, no ETA on 12 and 16 core models

It's time. By mid-February, I'll have a new Supermicro SYS-5028D-TN4T mini-tower to tinker with for a bit. Since word got out last November, perhaps you've been patiently waiting for this 2nd wave to arrive, of the beloved Xeon D-1500 SoC (System on a Chip). This article gives you a summary of what to expect.

Here's what I know, so far

• This SuperServer system SKU of SYS-5028D-TN4T stays the same

• The included motherboard SKU X10SDV-TLN4F also stays the same, note the specs page for the motherboard already show both CPUs:

  Intel® Xeon® processor D-1540/1541,
  Single socket FCBGA 1667;
  8-Core, 16 Threads, 45W

• Same SKUs also means no changes in order pages at TinkerTry or Wiredzone:
  Order a TinkerTry'd Supermicro SuperServer Bundle - powerful and efficient home virtualization lab solutions

• I plan to make sure that SR-IOV works under VMware ESXi 6.0 Update 1b

• I will have a good look at the BIOS, and see if there are any changes since my recommended 1.0b settings, other than just the addition of SR-IOV

• The availability of Supermicro's 12 core and 16 core variants of the growing Intel Xeon D 1500 product line aren't yet known, the family is called X10 UP (Uni-processor), 45W for the current 8-Cores and upcoming 12-Cores model, 65W for the 16-Cores, seen pictured below - that extra 20 watts would be about $26 extra cost per year, if left running 24x7

• I don't yet know how to determine what date the Wiredzone inventory will cut over, but I suspect by the 3rd week of February it's likely any new orders will have the Xeon D-1541 on board, I'll keep the order page information up to date

Here's what I'm currently planning to test

• On my very nearly identical Xeon D-1540, I've also begun to tinker with basic NVMe compatibility and 10GbE support for Red Hat, SuSE, Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview / Hyper-V, various Linux live CDs, and even Nutanix Acropolis. It's going well. I'll fire up some of these OSs on the Xeon D-1541 as well, just in case

Here's in depth coverage you might enjoy

• If you're interested in the more affordable 4 core 35 watt variants, see the excellent STH article New Flex ATX Supermicro Xeon D motherboards

• If you want more details on the new 10GbE SFP-equipped Gigabyte offerings, see STH's Gigabyte Launches four new Intel Xeon D motherboards

• Finally, if you really just want to know more about the 12 core / 24 thread X10-SDV-12C-TLN4F and 16 core / 32 thread X10SDV-16C+-TLN4F, see Supermicro's Xeon D Page, and STH's New Supermicro Intel Xeon D Motherboards – Even with 12 and 16 core chips!, and PC Perspective's Report: Intel Xeon D SoC to Reach 16 Cores

• The 12 core processor model may be called Xeon D-1557 or Xeon D-1567. The 16 core model will likely be called the Xeon D-1577.

• The 1U version of the SYS-5028D-TN4T/X10SDV-TLN4F combo is the 5018D-FN4T/X10SDV-8C-TLN4F combo, but its description only says Xeon D-1540 without mention of the Xeon D-1541, this is just an oversight, because the motherboard specs page does list both CPUs

Intel ARK (CPU specs)

Here's the relevant ARK pages:

• All Intel® Xeon® Processor D-15xx models
• Intel® Xeon® Processor D-1540
• Intel® Xeon® Processor D-1541

and here's the comparison page, Xeon D-1540 versus Xeon D-1541:

• ark.intel.com/compare/87039,91199

See also at TinkerTry

• Intel Xeon D-1540 gets 5% speed bump as D-1541 with SR-IOV in a Supermicro SuperServer Feb. 2016, comparison with Core i7 6700K (Skylake), should I wait?
  Dec 15 2015

• Intel grows the Xeon D Platform, with 8 new Xeon D CPUs announced today, and 16 core version arriving in Q1 2016
  Nov 09 2015

• Order a TinkerTry'd Supermicro SuperServer Bundle - powerful and efficient home virtualization lab solutions
  Oct 30 2015

I also plan to do some thermal testing of my various SSDs, should be fun!