AMD Processors

EPYC generations and the PowerEdge servers that take them

All three EPYC 7000-series generations use socket SP3, but the server has to support the generation and the socket count: Dell's 14th-generation manuals list 7001-series chips for the one-socket R6415 and R7415 and the two-socket R7425, while Dell rates the R6515 and R7515 (one socket) and the R6525 and R7525 (two sockets) for 2nd or 3rd Gen EPYC. The 9004 and 9005 series move to socket SP5 and DDR5, so they are a different platform.

Reading an EPYC model number

The last digit of a 7000-series model number gives its generation: 7xx1 parts are 1st Gen, 7xx2 parts 2nd Gen and 7xx3 parts 3rd Gen, the pattern AMD's own model lists follow. A P suffix marks a single-socket part, and AMD's 7002 data sheet lists each P model as 1P only. Read the data sheet footnotes as well: AMD lists the EPYC 7282 with eight DDR4-3200 channels but footnotes it as performance-optimized for four channels with DDR4-2667 DIMMs. Memory for these servers is on DDR4 Memory and DDR5 Memory, Intel-based servers take the chips on Intel Xeon processors, and both families share the Processors (CPUs) parent.

The 2nd Gen chips also have a page of their own: AMD EPYC 7002 Series processors.

Moving virtual machines from Xeon to EPYC

Plan a move between CPU vendors as a cold migration. Broadcom's VMware guidance says vMotion requires the source and destination hosts to present the same CPU feature set, defines its EVC baselines separately for Intel and AMD, and advises a powered-off migration when a live vMotion is not possible. Proxmox VE says live migrations between Intel and AMD host CPUs have no guarantee to work, and recommends the lowest compatible virtual CPU type for clusters that mix the two. Our Proxmox hardware guide covers sizing an EPYC host.

What Dell Locked means for compatibility

A Dell Locked EPYC is bound to Dell's platform: it runs in a Dell PowerEdge AMD server that supports its generation, and it is the wrong buy for a server from another maker. Dell's PowerEdge engineering note on AMD security explains that the first time a CPU powers on in a Dell server, the AMD Secure Processor permanently stores a unique Dell ID inside it, and that a CPU moved from a Dell server to a non-Dell server may not boot. On later platforms Dell asks before it fuses an unfused CPU, and its support article states that enabling Platform Secure Boot permanently fuses the CPU to work only on Dell platforms. Before you order an EPYC for any server, ask us to confirm the listing's lock status against your platform.

AMD EPYC processor questions

Can I move VMs from Intel servers to AMD EPYC servers?

Yes, with a powered-off migration rather than a live one. Broadcom's VMware documentation says vMotion needs the same CPU feature set on both hosts, sets separate EVC baselines for Intel and AMD, and recommends a powered-off migration when live vMotion is not possible. Proxmox VE warns that live migration between Intel and AMD hosts has no guarantee to work. Shut the VM down, move it, then boot it on the EPYC host.

Will a vendor-locked EPYC work in another server?

Not in another maker's server. Dell's note on AMD security in PowerEdge servers explains that a CPU's first power-on in a Dell server permanently stores a Dell ID in it, and that a CPU moved to a non-Dell server may not boot; Dell's support article adds that enabling Platform Secure Boot permanently fuses the CPU to Dell platforms. A Dell Locked EPYC belongs in a Dell PowerEdge AMD server of a supported generation.