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Server Processors: Identifying Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC
GTR Supply buys and sells server processors by the lot, quoted against the exact part number rather than a description, and this page shows you how to read the number off the chip in your hand. Both families print it on the metal. On an Intel part it is a short spec code on the heat spreader that resolves to one exact model and stepping. On an AMD part it is the ordering part number laser marked on the package. Get that string and everything else follows: generation, core count, socket and whether two chips are a genuine matched pair. Sockets gate all of it, and they are hard walls rather than preferences. Every part number and family name on this page is identification help for the reader, never a stock listing. Send the codes with a quantity against each and we will tell you where we stand.
How to identify it
Work out what you have.
Where the identifying number physically sits, how to read each field in it, and what it tells a buyer. Useful whether or not you ever trade anything with us.
Intel: the spec code on the heat spreader
Look at the metal lid of the processor. Alongside the marketing name you will find a short code beginning with S and then three characters, printed in the block of text laser marked on the heat spreader. That is the spec code, and it is the identifier that matters.
It resolves to one exact part: model, base frequency, thermal rating and stepping. Two processors carrying the same marketing name can have different spec codes because they are different steppings, and for a dual socket board that difference is the whole question, since a matched pair means the same spec code rather than merely the same model number.
A code beginning with Q rather than S is a qualification sample. These are pre production parts. They may run perfectly well and they are not the same item as a production processor, so they need to be listed separately and described as what they are.
Beneath the spec code you will usually see a batch code and the country of manufacture. Neither identifies the part, so photograph the whole block of text rather than one line.
Intel families and how the number decodes
Two eras dominate what circulates. The E5 line, in v3 from 2014 and v4 from 2016, sat on one socket across both and is still common in older rooms. Xeon Scalable replaced it in 2017 and is where most current material sits.
Scalable parts carry a tier word and a four digit number. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum run from lowest to highest capability, and the tier is reflected in the first digit: three for Bronze, four for Silver, five and six for Gold, eight for Platinum.
The second digit is the generation, and this is the most useful decode on the page. A 61 hundred part is first generation, a 62 hundred is second, a 63 hundred is third, a 64 hundred is fourth and a 65 hundred is fifth. So a Gold 6248 and a Gold 6348 are two generations apart on two different sockets, despite reading almost identically.
Suffix letters change the part materially. Among them, a U means the part is single socket only and will not work as one of a pair.
AMD: the ordering part number and the generation
AMD prints an ordering part number on the package, a long numeric string laser marked alongside the EPYC name and the model number. That string is the precise identifier and it resolves to one exact part, in the same way an Intel spec code does.
The model number itself decodes cleanly. The 7001 series is the first EPYC generation from 2017, 7002 the second from 2019 and 7003 the third from 2021, all on the same physical socket. The 9004 series from 2022 moved to a new and much larger socket, with the dense core count parts in the same family, and the current generation continues on that socket.
Two suffixes are worth knowing. A P on the end of the model number means the part is single socket only, so a 7302P cannot be used as one of a matched pair however much it looks like a 7302. An F marks the high frequency parts within a generation.
As with Intel, photograph the whole marked area rather than one line of it.
Sockets, matched pairs, packaging and pin condition
Sockets are hard walls. On Intel, E5 v3 and v4 share one socket, the first and second generations of Scalable share another, the third moved again and the fourth and fifth share a fourth. On AMD, the 7001, 7002 and 7003 generations share the SP3 socket, and 9004 and later use SP5. A 9004 part will not go into an SP3 board, and no firmware changes that.
Within a socket, firmware still gates things. A later generation part in an early board of the same socket needs a system firmware level that supports it, and some early boards never received one.
For dual socket work, a matched pair means the same model and the same stepping: the same spec code on Intel, the same ordering part number on AMD. Flag pairs at quote stage.
Tray parts arrive without a cooler or packaging, boxed parts with both. Separate them on a list.
Processors with bent or damaged pins are refused. On the current server sockets the pins sit in the board rather than on the chip, so what to inspect on the processor is the contact pad area. On older pin grid parts the pins are on the package and a single bent one will stop a machine posting.
What is in circulation
The families you will meet.
Placing your hardware in the right family does most of the work of describing it. Each note below says what separates that family from the one above it.
Intel Xeon E5 v3 and v4
The two socket workhorses of the mid 2010s, sharing one socket across both versions. Still common in older estates and still traded in volume.
Intel Xeon Scalable, first and second generation
The Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers on their first socket. Identified by a 41, 51, 61 or 81 hundred number for the first generation and 42, 52, 62 or 82 hundred for the second.
Intel Xeon Scalable, third generation
A new socket and a new memory platform, numbered in the 43, 53, 63 and 83 hundreds. Does not interchange with the generations either side of it.
Intel Xeon Scalable, fourth and fifth generation
The current two socket line, numbered in the 44 and 54 hundreds and the 45 and 55 hundreds, sharing one socket across both generations.
AMD EPYC 7001, 7002 and 7003
Three generations on the SP3 socket, known in the market as Naples, Rome and Milan. Firmware support rather than the socket is what limits which board takes which.
AMD EPYC 9004 and the dense core parts
The move to the SP5 socket and DDR5, with the high core count dense variants in the same family. A hard wall against everything on SP3.
Single socket only parts
Present in both families and easy to miss. A U suffix on Intel and a P suffix on AMD mark parts that cannot be used as one of a pair in a two socket board.
OEM specific and platform fused parts
Some processors are built as variants for one server vendor, and some can be fused to the platform they were first installed in. Recording which machine a part came out of is worth the two seconds it takes.
Desktop and workstation processors
Often in the same lot as server parts, particularly out of a fleet refresh, and valued separately. List them on their own lines rather than mixing them in.
The same categories, every manufacturer
The families above are this manufacturer's own lines. The category pages carry the wider list, everything that circulates in each category whoever built it, with the part number prefix or physical marker that identifies each one. They are identification help rather than stock lists.
None of this is a stock list
Every model name and part number on this page is identification help for the reader. None of it is a stock listing, and nothing here says that GTR Supply holds a particular item. Send the part number and the quantity you need and we will tell you where we stand.
What it is worth
What decides the number.
Condition is only part of it. These are the things that genuinely move a valuation in this line, and most of them are still in your hands when you write the list.
- The exact part number, because core count alone can separate two parts on the same socket by several times over in value
- Generation, since the socket it belongs to decides how many boards in the world can still use it
- Whether the parts are genuine matched pairs, meaning the same spec code or the same ordering part number rather than the same model name
- One part number in real volume rather than fifty part numbers in ones and twos
- Whether the part is a single socket only variant, which narrows the buyers considerably
- Tray against boxed, listed separately, since retail packaging is a different item
- Pin and contact pad condition, since parts with bent or damaged pins are refused
- Whether the processors are still installed in the nodes they came from, which is usually the better way to sell them
- Qualification samples separated from production parts rather than counted in with them
Both sides of the desk
We supply it, and we buy it.
If you are buying
On the selling side GTR Supply supplies server processors in volume, quoted against the exact part number rather than a description, because that is the only honest way to price them. Send the part number and the quantity and pricing normally comes back the same business day. Matched pairs for dual socket builds are supplied where a deployment needs them, and it is worth flagging at quote stage rather than afterwards, because pulling genuinely matched parts is a different exercise from taking two of the same model number from separate lots. If you are building a cluster rather than one machine, send the node count as well, since matching across a whole batch is different again. Nothing on this page is a stock list. If the requirement is one we are not competitive on, you will be told that plainly rather than quoted a number that wastes your time.
If you are clearing
On the buying side GTR Supply buys server processors by the lot, in whatever state they arrive: loose in trays, still boxed, or still seated in the nodes they came out of. Leaving them installed is usually the better route, because a complete node is a straightforward thing to value and the parts pulled out first are always the ones carrying the value. List by part number with a quantity against each rather than by a general description, and keep tray and boxed on separate lines. Processors with bent or damaged pins are refused, so it is worth a look before they are packed and worth using the original trays if you have them, because loose chips in a box damage each other in transit. If you are unsure what you have, photograph the marked area of the lid and the count. That is enough to work from.
Common questions
Server Processors, answered.
Where is the part number on a server processor?
It is laser marked on the metal lid of the processor, in the block of small text alongside the model name.
On an Intel part, look for a short code beginning with S and three characters. That is the spec code and it resolves to one exact model and stepping. A code beginning with Q instead means a pre production qualification sample, which is a different item and should be listed separately.
On an AMD part, look for the long numeric ordering part number marked alongside the EPYC name and model number. That string is the precise identifier.
There will also be a batch code and a country of manufacture, and neither identifies the part.
The practical advice is to photograph the whole marked area rather than transcribing one line, because the text is small, the codes are easy to mistype and a single wrong character points at a completely different processor. One photograph per part number plus a count is enough for GTR Supply to price a lot.
Will an EPYC 9004 processor fit an SP3 board?
No. The 9004 generation uses the SP5 socket and it is physically incompatible with SP3, which carried the 7001, 7002 and 7003 generations. It is a hard wall rather than a compatibility list, and no firmware update crosses it.
Inside a socket the picture is more nuanced and worth knowing. The three SP3 generations share the socket, but a later part in an earlier board needs a system firmware level that recognises it, and some early boards never received one. So a Milan generation part will not necessarily run in a board that shipped in the Naples era even though it fits.
The same pattern holds on Intel. E5 v3 and v4 share a socket, the first and second generations of Xeon Scalable share another, the third moved again, and the fourth and fifth share a fourth.
When you send a list to GTR Supply, give the processor part number and, if you know it, the board or server it came out of. Between those two the socket is settled.
What is a matched pair, and does it matter when I sell processors?
A matched pair is two processors of the same model and the same stepping, intended to run together in a two socket board. On Intel that means the same spec code rather than merely the same model number. On AMD it means the same ordering part number.
It matters because dual socket boards expect both processors to be identical. Mixing steppings can produce instability that is difficult to diagnose, since the machine will often boot and run normally before misbehaving under load.
When you are selling, the easiest way to preserve pairs is to leave the processors in the nodes they came out of. Once a hundred chips are in a tray, the pairing information is gone and cannot be reconstructed from the model number alone.
If they are already out, say so rather than describing them as pairs. GTR Supply would far rather have an accurate list than a flattering one, because a valuation built on pairs that turn out not to be pairs has to be revised.
Guides
Identifying it is half the job. These cover what a buyer actually does with your list once you send it, and what the words on a quote mean before you agree to any of them.
Grade A vs Grade B Hardware Explained
What a condition grade covers, what it cannot cover, and why the same letter means two different things at two suppliers.
What Is a Hardware Lot Manifest
The document that lets you price a mixed lot line by line instead of guessing at an average.
How Much Is My Used Server Worth
The four things that set a number, why no price list exists, and what indicative really means.
Hardware we hold
Clearing it rather than buying
Trademarks
All product and company names are the trademarks of their respective owners. GTR Supply is an independent trader with no affiliation to, authorization from, or endorsement by any manufacturer named on this page.
Tell us the part number and the quantity.
Buying or selling. Send what you are looking for, or a photograph of what you are holding, and we will tell you where we stand. Pricing and valuations normally come back the same business day.
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