The Power4+ processor made its debut at 1.2GHz and 1.45GHz last November in the pSeries 650, which is an eight-way server. The dual-core chip has been dramatically shrunk compared to the Power4 using a new 0.13 micron copper/SOI process; the Power4 was made using a 0.18 micron process. The smaller Power4+ chip uses less voltage, generates less heat, and is about 267 square millimeters in size even though it has a slightly larger shared L2 cache (1.5MB compared to 1.44MB with the Power4). The dual Power cores on the Power4 and Power4+ chips share these L2 caches. The original Power4 was only available as a multichip module (spanning from two to eight processor cores active, but with four to eight cores physically in the MCMs), and each Power4 chip was 414 square millimeters in size. The bigger chip had a much lower yield, ran hot, and had a lower clock speed.

The Power4 ran at 1GHz, 1.1GHz, and 1.3GHz. Sources tell us that IBM plans to ratchet up the clock speed on the Power4+ chips to 1.7GHz or so sometime this year. These faster chips will eventually make their way into the 32-way pSeries 690, the eight-way pSeries 650, and probably the pSeries 630; whether or not IBM puts them in the 16-way pSeries 670 is a matter of debate, since the machine has been eclipsed to a certain extend by the pSeries 650. For a given amount of aggregate computing, customers will always choose a machine with a fewer number of fast processors over a machine with a larger number of slower processors because many applications are still single-threaded, monolithic monsters. In any event, the pSeries 630+ machine has two two-way processor cards, each with 8MB of L3 cache.

The pSeries 630+ server is not just the same chassis as the pSeries 630 with faster processors. The new machine requires redundant cooling fans, so they are in the box by default, not just as an option like in the earlier pSeries 630s. IBM is also announcing 36GB and 73GB 15K RPM disks for these servers. Also, the updated entry pSeries machine has a six slot riser card that includes an extra SCSI controller and two more PCI-X slots; the prior machine had a riser card with four PCI-X slots. The new riser will not work in the old pSeries 630s, and is required on the new ones. It costs $2,000 and must be ordered as part of an upgrade.

Using IBM’s rPerf relative performance benchmark, which is based loosely on TPC-C, a uniprocessor pSeries 630+ with a single 1.45GHz has about 41% more power than a uniprocessor pSeries 630 using a 1GHz chip. This means that performance on the uniprocessor scales with clock speed. But the two-way and four-way versions of the new machine only provide about 33% more processing power on rPerf. (Specifically, the one-way machine is rated at 2.39 rPerf, the two-way is rated at 4.41 rPerf, and the four-way is rated at 7.89 rPerf.)

Here’s how the pricing works out on the new pSeries 630+ machine. A uniprocessor pSeries 630+ using the 1.45GHz chip plus two 36GB disks, 2GB of main memory, AIX, and one year’s worth of software maintenance (which is required on all IBM midrange machines these days) has a list price of $20,525 (no Express configuration discounts are available); the same machine with AIX and software maintenance stripped out costs $19,875 at list and $19,025 in an Express preconfiguration. A two-way machine with 4GB of main memory running AIX and with software maintenance lists for $31,632 but sells for $27,950 in an Express AIX configuration (an 11.6% discount) and for $24,950 in an Express Linux configuration (a 17.7% discount). A four-way AIX machine with 8GB of memory sells for $56,537. An Express AIX setup sells for $53,450 and an Express Linux setup sells for $48,450. Just for comparison’s sake, a four-way pSeries 650 using the same 1.45GHz Power4+ processors lists for $86,423 and sells for $64,995 in an Express AIX configuration.

The pSeries 630+ machines will be available starting February 28.

Source: Computerwire