Overview

Industry-Standard Benchmarks Prove Sun Beats IBM on Raw Performance

The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 server runs up to four UltraSPARC T2 Plus processors. Each processor has eight cores with eight simultaneous compute threads on each core (64 threads total per chip). In addition to that the cores have the added functionality of cryptographic acceleration. The T5440 also includes integrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking and PCI-Express expansion.

The competition from IBM--the Power 550, Power 560, and Power 570 servers--employ the POWER6 processor in a variety of configurations. The Power 570 server, for instance, can use 16 POWER6 processors, for a total of 32 cores. The Power 560 can accommodate eight CPUs and 16 cores, while the Power 550 maxes out at four CPUs and eight cores.

The T5440 offers more cost-effective memory configurations. The memory modules required in all three of the Power series servers are more expensive than those in the T5440, and even more painful, the Power 570 requires an activation fee of approximately $1000 per gigabyte of memory.

To show the advantage this gives the T5440 system, compare the SPECjbb2005 benchmark (1). When compared to the 4 chip IBM Power 570 result, the 4 chip T5440 shows a 72% performance advantage. When the T5440 is compared to the 16RU IBM Power 570, the 8 chip Power 570 is 25% faster than the 4RU T5440, but it costs nearly four times as much and takes up four times the space.

Sun Delivers a 5x Price/Performance Advantage Over IBM

In today's datacenters, it's all about making the most of tight budgets and limited resources. Fortunately, you get much more bang for your buck from the T5440 than from IBM's Power systems.

To show the price/performance advantage the Sun SPARC Enterprise can deliver, please consider the SPECjAppServer2004 benchmark (2). The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 server cost for the Application Server portion of the benchmark is approximately US$150,000. For just a bit more money (approximately US$165,000), you can purchase a dual-processor, quad-core Power 570 server. The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 outperforms the IBM solution. This gives the T5440 a 5x price/performance advantage. For the submissions priced here the "Bill of Materials" (BOM) available in the SPECjAppServer2004 Full Disclosure report has been used as the basis for pricing.

For another example, consider the Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 server to the IBM Power 550 with 4 POWER6 chips running the SPECjbb2005 benchmark (3). The IBM system comes in around US$100,000. Even with a lower price, IBM cannot make up for the loss in performance, giving Sun a 28% price/performance advantage.

Avoid IBM's Hidden Licensing and Management Costs

With the Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440, there aren't any hidden licensing or management costs. IBM can't say the same about its Power series, where you'll end up paying for functionality that Sun provides free of charge.

The T5440 doesn't deliver any costly surprises because it's powered by the free and open-source Solaris 10 OS and the UltraSPARC T2 Plus processor. In addition, the T5440 has integrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking support and cryptographic acceleration.

See what IBM charges compared with what you get free of charge from Sun:

With IBM's Power series, you're forced to buy per-core licenses for the AIX operating system. In the case of a 32-core Power 570, that adds up to nearly $40,000 just for the OS license! You'll also pay significant charges for 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking and cryptographic acceleration, as much as $10,000 or more per server.

The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 also includes free, built in virtualization services through Logical Domains (LDoms) and Solaris Containers, the most open virtualization technology available. Solaris 8 and 9 applications will run unchanged on Solaris 10. PowerVM, IBM's proprietary virtualization technology, is not free. In the case of the Power 570, that can cost you another $10,000 or more.

Real-World ERP and CRM Deployments Yield Big Savings

Let's see how the T5440's advantages in raw performance, price/performance, and total cost of acquisition combine to pay off in two representative deployments. And if you need more proof, we'll take a look at how Sun can deliver big savings to companies that rely on Siebel's CRM solution.

Scenario #1

Mid-size ERP deployment at a manufacturer

To deliver comparable performance, six racks of IBM Power 570 servers are required compared with five T5440 servers and two Sun Fire X4450 servers. Here is the cost breakdown:

IBM hardware: More than $6 million
Sun hardware: Less than $850K

IBM estimated power/cooling: $60,000 annually
Sun estimated power/cooling: $22,000 annually

Scenario #2

28,000-user CRM deployment at a multinational

To deliver comparable performance, four racks of IBM Power 570 servers are required compared with two T5440 servers running Solaris Containers. Here is the cost breakdown:

IBM hardware: More than $2.3 million
Sun hardware: Less than $306K

IBM estimated power/cooling: $30,000 annually
Sun estimated power/cooling: $8,000 annually

Siebel CRM solution

A single Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 server supports up to 14,000 concurrent Siebel users, delivering space, cooling, and power efficiencies that can make a big difference in your bottom line. Learn more about the Sun-optimized Siebel CRM solution here, or read a Sun Blueprint (.pdf) on consolidating Siebel CRM on a single Sun server here.

CMT Servers Excels on IBM Websphere

Sun's CMT servers excel even on IBM's own software. For some of the best performance and efficiency available on IBM Websphere, check out our solution brief, and use IBM's Red Book to optimize.

Sun SPARC T5440 Saves on Space, Power, and Cooling Costs

These days, everyone's talking about green technology and eco-efficiency. That's great, and we think it's long overdue. A few years ago, only Sun was designing its upcoming servers with space and energy efficiency foremost in mind. Today, that vision is paying off for customers with systems that save money while they're helping save the environment.

The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440, for instance, is up to 4 times more eco-efficient than the Power 570. And its 4RU profile saves datacenter space compared with the 16RU Power 570.