New IBM Servers lift performance and efficiency for consolidation

IBM has completely revamped its line up of two-socket x86 servers. The all-new line delivers 50% more cores and can provide 40%-60% better performance than previous generations, enabling users in some scenarios to consolidate some 20 servers down to one and potentially to recoup acquisition costs in as little as three months.

The new System x M3 and Blade Center systems include:

Two new rack servers, the x3650 M3 and the x3550 M3 deliver 50% more memory capacity and 60% more internal storage than the previous IBM generation. The x3650 M3 is also 50% more power-efficient than the previous generation, which was the industry leader in power efficiency.

Two new enterprise tower servers -- the x3500 M3 and x3400 M3 -- feature twice the storage capacity of previous generations and lower power and facilities costs.

The BladeCenter HS22 and the virtualization-optimized BladeCenter HS22V allows clients to fit 30%-50% more virtual machines on a single blade server. Both feature new memory that consumes 15% less power. The HS22V runs Java applications up to 43% faster than IBM's prior-generation, two-socket blades.

A new iDataPlex server, the dx360 M3, increases iDataPlex compute performance by 50% for HPC workloads. It is the first two-socket server to achieve 3,000 operations per watt, a 36% improvement from the previous generation of iDataPlex servers. New redundant power allows the new iDataPlex server to remain running even during service to power supplies.

The new systems run on Intel Xeon 5600-series processors. This announcement builds on IBM's announcement earlier this month of new eX5 servers that improve the economics of operating enterprise-sized, x86-based systems. IBM has now renewed its entire portfolio of x86-based systems to meet the broadest set of client needs.