Sun’s T2000 “Coolthreads” Server: First Impressions and Experiences
by Johan De Gelas on March 24, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- IT Computing
First x86 competitor: MSI’s K2-102A2M and Opteron 275 HE
The MSI K2-102A2M was one of the first servers to arrive in the lab. It is not really a direct competitor to our T2000, but one of the main reasons why we liked to have the MSI server in this test is its support for the Opteron 275 HE. The recently launched 275 HE is a dual core Opteron running at 2.2 GHz and consuming only 55W at the most.
So, while the MSI K2-102A2M aims at a lower priced sector of the market than the T2000, it gives an idea of what the best x86 servers will be capable of in terms of performance/watt in the next months. The MSI K2-102A2M allows us to answer the question of whether or not the T2000 can outperform the x86 competition performance/watt-wise by a large enough margin. The MSI K2-102A2M supports two 940-pin AMD Opteron, thanks to the ServerWorks HT2000 Chipset. Eight 144-bit DDR DIMM slots allow up to 16 GB of registered ECC DIMMs. Upgrading is possible via one PCI Express x8 slot and one PCI-X 133 slot. The ServerWorks HT1000 Serial ATA host controller supports two SATA-II drives.
A slightly negative point is the use of a slim CD-ROM drive. Some of the current software is delivered on DVD, so we like to see at least a DVD-ROM drive.
On the positive side, there are the excellent dual-ported BCM5780 controller and the integrated MSI Server Management IPMI 1.5 with the MSI-9549 BMC card. We’ll discuss remote management options in more detail in one of our upcoming server reviews.
The MSI K2-102A2M was one of the first servers to arrive in the lab. It is not really a direct competitor to our T2000, but one of the main reasons why we liked to have the MSI server in this test is its support for the Opteron 275 HE. The recently launched 275 HE is a dual core Opteron running at 2.2 GHz and consuming only 55W at the most.
So, while the MSI K2-102A2M aims at a lower priced sector of the market than the T2000, it gives an idea of what the best x86 servers will be capable of in terms of performance/watt in the next months. The MSI K2-102A2M allows us to answer the question of whether or not the T2000 can outperform the x86 competition performance/watt-wise by a large enough margin. The MSI K2-102A2M supports two 940-pin AMD Opteron, thanks to the ServerWorks HT2000 Chipset. Eight 144-bit DDR DIMM slots allow up to 16 GB of registered ECC DIMMs. Upgrading is possible via one PCI Express x8 slot and one PCI-X 133 slot. The ServerWorks HT1000 Serial ATA host controller supports two SATA-II drives.
A slightly negative point is the use of a slim CD-ROM drive. Some of the current software is delivered on DVD, so we like to see at least a DVD-ROM drive.
On the positive side, there are the excellent dual-ported BCM5780 controller and the integrated MSI Server Management IPMI 1.5 with the MSI-9549 BMC card. We’ll discuss remote management options in more detail in one of our upcoming server reviews.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
26 Comments
View All Comments
JackPack - Friday, March 24, 2006 - link
Pleasant to read as usual, Johan.BTW, are they letting you keep the T2000?
http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonathan?entry=ni...">http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/jonathan?entry=ni...
PandaBear - Friday, March 24, 2006 - link
In terms of Branded server it is a good price, but as benchmark have shown, a Dual Opteron running Linux both perform better and use less power. I think people who buy these class of server want support and service (and build quality) and in that case Sun certain would win the whitebox builder no matter how good a Dual Opteron is.Nonetheless it is a good product, for the one who demand this kind of quality. Now Intel's solution really looks bad.
Calin - Friday, March 24, 2006 - link
I don't know what you are talking about - if you would up the memory on the Opteron HE (2CPU of 2 cores) to 32GB, the power consumption would be almost the same (assuming 6W per 4GB of RAM, it would be at 234W. Close enough to be considered equal, I'd say.Also, wouldn't populating all the possible memory slots on the Opteron decrease a bit its performance? I don't know about Opteron, but Athlon64 decrease its command rate (Help, Johan! :) ) when working with all the memory channels filled.
I agree about the better performance of the Opteron server, but regarding the power use, it is the same as the Sun's recent offering. Maybe the introduction of the DDR2 Opterons would change the power envelope, but until then, the T1 might have some aces up its sleeve
JohanAnandtech - Friday, March 24, 2006 - link
You must calculate about 4-5 Watt per 2 GB Dimm. Based on the measurements I did and slightly guessing I think a 32 GB Opteron HE with 32 GB would definitely consume more than The T2000 as also have to count a few Watts per memory channel.Indeed, fully loaded DIMM channels will probably throttle back to lower speeds. I am not sure about Command rate though (BTW, it increases on the Athlon 64 not decreases :-), as it is possible less important with buffered DIMMs.
About performance, we still have to test a lot of scenario's (jsp, databases). The impression of the T2000 might still change.
Zoomer - Sunday, April 9, 2006 - link
2xx Opterons use rigistered ram, so its not an issue like with the 1xx 939s.Calin - Friday, March 24, 2006 - link
I just took the difference measured between the 2xOpteron HE with 4 and 8 GB or RAM (192 and 198W), shown in the table on the last page. I know that even rounding errors might change that between 4 and 8W, but anyway, Opterons won't use less power than the T1.Very interesting article, and I eagerly await for the sequels :D