IBM tops HP on virtualization test

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Sep 2005

In a benchmark from independent testing firm VeriTest, the X3 Architecture-based IBM xSeries 366 outperformed a similarly configured and priced HP AMD Opteronbased ProLiant server, delivering response times that were up to 41 percent faster.

The X3 Architecture, introduced in February, is the culmination of a threeyear, $100 million development effort to bring mainframe-inspired capabilities and sophisticated high-end technology to the company's next-generation 64-bit Intel Xeon processor MP-based xSeries servers.

The recent benchmark further indicates that IBM's X3 Architecture is ideal for virtualization. VeriTest measured the performance advantages of the x366 for virtualized environments, running a "real-world" mixed application virtualized environment for VMware ESX Server 2.5.1. VeriTest found that Intel Xeon-based IBM xSeries 366 server outperformed a similarly configured and priced AMD Opteron-based HP ProLiant DL585 server on Exchange and SQL workloads, delivering response times that were up to 41 percent faster.

The x366, combined with IBM's chipset technology expertise, can improve overall system performance compared to the previous generation by up to 47 percent when 64GB of memory is used. IBM incorporates a custom chipset into its Intel-based servers, enabling IBM's xSeries offerings to outperform the competition. The x366 eliminates the price discontinuity between two-way and four-way commercial platforms and is optimized for virtualization, server consolidation and enterprise applications.