Filed under: Enterprise, Hardware, Xserve
Xserve gets a performance boost
Astute readers noticed some Apple store downtime earlier this morning. While I was hoping for something soaked in Unicorn tears, I guess I'll settle for a drool-worthy Xserve update.The rumors were right on target, and the new Xserve sports Intel's "Nehalem" Xeon processor (just like the recent Mac Pro refresh), which Apple is touting as offering "twice the performance" when compared to last year's model.*
* There is always an asterisk in these types of comparison so please read the fine print before taking any marketing slogans as gospel.
The new Xserve systems look really hot. Check out these specs for the $2999US base model:
- a single 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Xeon 5500 series processor with 8MB of fully shared L3 cache
- 3GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC RAM
- a single 160GB 7200 rpm SATA Apple Drive Module
- dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board
- two PCI Express 2.0 x16 expansion slots
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 256 MB with Mini DisplayPort output
- two FireWire® 800 and three USB 2.0 ports
If the standard offerings aren't powerful enough, the Xserve can be customized to include two Quad-Core Xeon's running at 2.26, 2.66 or 2.93 GHz. An 8-core 2.26 Xserve configure like the base system runs $3599US.
The new Xserve also offers an optional 128-GB SSD boot drive, as well as options for RAID cards, and dual or quad channel 4Gb Fibre channel cards.
This generation of chipsets is more energy efficient and Apple is touting the newest Xserve as the "greenest ever."
The new Xserve is available now at Apple.com and at your local Apple store or authorized dealer.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
serenity said 10:37AM on 4-07-2009
Unicorn tears? I thought unicorns were always happy. Also, why would you want them to cry? ;)
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Christina Warren said 10:54AM on 4-07-2009
LOL. I was referring to this quote from a Microsoft ad guy, referring to Apple users:
"Not everyone wants a machine that's been washed with unicorn tears," he says.
from: http://www.newsweek.com/id/192459
Randy said 10:59AM on 4-07-2009
Unicorn tears... LOL. Question, I've never seen an Xserve in person. Are they just as loud as any other rack mount server?
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WalrusCP said 11:05AM on 4-07-2009
Our IT Director is drooling now that I pointed this release out to him. He would so love to start moving everything towards the Mac side of the aisle - only concern is how a mac server with play with SharePoint. If any of you server geeks know, please let me know!
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Joseph said 1:03AM on 4-08-2009
Leopard is an amazing network citizen. Have him call apple and they will show him video and walk him through it.
stephan said 12:06PM on 4-07-2009
I've heard louder, but I wouldn't call them quiet. Hard for me to judge as they're in a room with other loud servers. When you add the 2nd power supply that obviously increases the noise too.
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Kyle said 4:55PM on 4-07-2009
It looks like this model can only be configured with 24GB of memory (down from 32GB). Is this an omission on the part of the online Apple Store, or are there fewer memory slots?
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Kyle said 4:24PM on 4-07-2009
Upon closer inspection, it looks like you can configure that 24GB as 12x2GB or 6x4GB, which seems to imply that it can support 12x4GB, or 48GB, even though such an option isn't available on the online store. However, according to the Tech Specs page, only up to 32GB are supported by OSX Server 10.5.
Jerod said 7:28PM on 4-07-2009
Why do the servers cost so much more than a mac pro? I know that rack mounting is amazing for saving space, but is it really worth pathetic specs for an insane price?
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titaniumws said 7:35PM on 4-07-2009
well.. unicorn tears arn't cheap!
Jerod said 7:45PM on 4-07-2009
I suppose not. I wonder if they're made in China.
Joseph said 1:06AM on 4-08-2009
leopard server aint free.
Aek said 12:26AM on 4-16-2009
Hefty price tag aside the SSD boot disk is very welcomed. When downtime works against your business you want your servers to startup as quickly as they can.
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