Dueling Cores: Intel's Fires Back With Its Bensley Platform

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

Intel, wounded by the increasing strength of Advanced Micro Devices’ Opteron processor, is getting ready to fire back in what is shaping up to be a bloody duel over market share this year. In one of its first parries in 2006, the world’s largest chip maker plans to ship this month its first batch of lower-power dual-core processors to large system builders on a new platform that is aimed at improving overall server performance and manageability.

\

\

Those processors, code-named Dempsey, will run on a platform for single- and dual-socket servers, code-named Bensley. Servers based on the new platform are expected to ship within 60 to 90 days.

\

\

The combination of the Dempsey and Bensley is believed by many system builders to be Intel’s first chance to even up performance-per-watt with the Opteron in a volume server category that is favored by most small and midsize businesses.

\

\

Those system builders said success of the Bensley platform is crucial if Intel is to hang onto its current server market share. Intel, after all, is staking its future on dual-core processors and hopes to move the bulk of the market off single-core processors by the end of the year.

\

\

“Intel has a lot at stake with this platform and they really need to deliver on it,” said Erik Logan, chief technology officer of Pogo Linux, a Seattle-based custom-system builder and systems integrator specializing in Linux servers.

\

On the strength of the Opteron, AMD more than doubled its x86 server market share in 2005, according to figures from Mercury Research. AMD’s server market share rose to 16.4 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 7.4 percent share in the first quarter. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company had a particularly strong fourth quarter, during which it increased its share 3.7 percent from the third quarter.

\

\

After AMD released its first dual-core Opteron last April, Intel pushed up the release of its Xeon dual-core processors to the fourth quarter. However, those processors were available for Intel’s existing “Lindenhurst” platform and were built around an architecture that many system builders considered to be inferior to the AMD option.

\

\

In particular, AMD’s chips contain a memory controller that is integrated directly into the CPU, resulting in faster performance and power advantages. Intel’s current CPU architecture keeps the memory controller off die and is connected to the dual-core processor by a single bus. That bogs down communication between the components and requires more power, because the memory controller tends to be “something of a power consumer,” said Dean McCarron, an analyst at Mercury Research.

\

\

At press time, AMD’s plans for midyear were to increase the clock frequencies of its dual-core processors as well as add hardware-assist virtualization and move to DDR2 memory from DDR1, according to an AMD spokeswoman.

\

\

FIRING THE FIRST SHOT

\

Intel is promising that the new Dempsey chips combined with the Bensley platform will improve processing speed and power consumption over its previous dual-core options through some specific architectural changes.

\

\

To improve processing speed, Intel built in a dedicated bus from each core to the chipset, rather than requiring both cores to share a bus, as Intel’s current dual-core architecture does. The platform supports frontside bus speeds of 1033MHz, up from the current maximum of 800MHz.

\

\

Moreover, Intel does not skimp on the core cache in the Dempsey chips to help speed up processing times by buffering between the chip and the memory controller. Intel’s first Dempsey chips are expected to have 4 Mbytes of on-board cache, or 2 Mbytes per core. AMD currently offers 2 Mbytes of cache in its dual-core Opteron systems.

\

\

Together, these architectural improvements should help increase processing speeds, though many in the industry believe AMD will still maintain a technology advantage with its integrated memory controller.

\

\

Reducing power consumption is trickier. Intel’s new Dempsey chips—the first server chips manufactured using Intel’s 65-nanometer technology—are expected to run at 95 watts to 120 watts, depending on the model, according to Boyd Davis, general manager of Intel’s Server Platforms Group Marketing. The highest clock speed available will be 3.73GHz. Davis said Intel will have several models, some offering higher performance with a higher thermal envelope and others focusing on power savings with somewhat lower clock speeds.

\

\

The more significant reduction in power consumption and increase in capabilities will come in the second half, when Intel releases its first dual-core server chip based on its mobile power-saving technology. That chip, code-named Woodcrest, will run at 80 watts or lower and also will work on the Dempsey platform, Davis said. And, they will be affordable. “The Woodcrest price stack will be the same price stack we are using today,” he said.

\

\

Intel’s current dual-core processors run at 135 watts to 150 watts, Davis said. The company also offers a new specialized chip, code-named Sossaman, that runs at about 31 watts. By comparison, AMD’s dual-core processor runs at 55 watts to 95 watts, depending on the model.

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

FB-DIMM AND OTHER CHANGES

\

Intel also has added some new features to the Bensley platform, including new memory technology called Fully-Buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM), hardware-assisted virtualization technology, I/O Acceleration and management capabilities.

\

\

The most controversial change is Intel’s move to FB-DIMM. While most of the industry is getting comfortable with DDR1 and DDR2 memory, Intel’s jump ahead is cause for concern among a good number of system builders.

\

\

Intel’s move comes just as AMD prepares to make the migration to DDR2, a tested memory technology with ample supply on the market.

\

\

Edward Liu, sales and marketing manager at Arima Computer North America, a Newark, Calif.-based maker of high-performance computing motherboards, said Intel’s frequent changes in memory technology make it difficult for solution providers to juggle inventory.

\

\

He said getting performance benefits out of FB-DIMM will vary depending on the application. But he worried about memory supply available at the Dempsey launch.

\

\

“DDR2 is out there, it works, it is stable,” Liu said. “Manufacturing capabilities from all manufacturers are there.”

\

\

Intel’s Davis said the chip giant has been working with manufacturers and distributors to ensure adequate supply of FB-DIMM at launch. And he noted that FB-DIMM adds some benefits that make it worth the trouble.

\

\

Chief among them is the Bensley platform’s ability to support more memory on-board with FB-DIMM than with previous DDR2. System builders can plug in 12 to 16 memory modules, up from eight to 12 in current Intel server platforms. That is particularly important because the memory system is now supporting twice the number of cores.

\

\

Scott Holcomb, CEO of Holcomb Enterprises, Mission Viejo, Calif., said besides supporting more physical memory, additional DIMM slots offer system builders the option of assembling less costly systems for customers. He noted that extra DIMM slots mean system builders can use smaller, less pricey memory modules in more slots, rather than a few expensive DIMMs that support a larger amount of memory. “It’s cheaper to give customers 32 Gbytes of RAM if you have 16 slots [rather] than 8 slots,” he said.

\

\

Other system builders said additional memory slots will come in handy for high-performance computing applications and the new emphasis on virtualized environments.

\

\

Though AMD has lambasted Intel for moving to FD-DIMM too quickly and taking an additional power hit because FD-DIMM requires more energy than DDR, Intel is quick to point to new features that it says will make the tradeoff worthwhile.

\

\

Davis pointed out that FD-DIMM can simultaneously read and write, while DDR can only do one at a time. FD-DIMM also checks for errors every time it reads from cache. That is an added precaution for high-reliability systems, he said, though he acknowledged it also will add a small performance hit as well.

\

\

System builders said it is too early to know how FD-DIMM will fare in the market. Arima’s Liu said once system builders start playing around with the servers on a wide scale, “some will be disappointed and others will be elated.”

\

\

Less controversial is Intel’s support for hardware-assisted virtualization technology. Built into the chip and supported by VMware, Xen and Microsoft’s forthcoming virtualization in Windows Server 2005, Intel’s technology seeks to shift some of the heavy lifting necessary to run multiple operating systems on one server from software to the processor. Intel said servers using its hardware-assisted virtualization technology perform virtualization more efficiently and enable 64-bit guest operating support in VMware.

\

\

AMD’s own virtualization technology, which AMD officials said also will support major virtualization software in the industry, is slated to show up in servers at about the same time Dempsey systems hit the market.

\

\

For the first time, Intel also is adding I/O Acceleration to the servers, which the company said will speed the interaction between network data and server applications by as much as 30 percent.

\

\

Finally, Intel is building management technology into the servers that Eric Thompson, Intel’s North American marketing manager for the channel, said is a platform that Intel plans to leverage the channel to exploit. In particular, Intel said the platform will improve a solution provider’s ability to manage the server remotely, which includes allowing diagnostics even when the server is not running.

\

\

“We want to show them how they can build servers that allow them to become more of an IT shop for their clientele,” Thompson said.

\

\

By integrating the management technology into its platform, Intel is opening up more opportunities for the system builder channel, Logan said. “It brings the technology down to smaller systems integrators,” he said. “It is more assessable by a wider number of systems integrators.”

\

\

NO CLEAR WINNERS

\

Will all these changes be enough for Intel to reclaim its mojo in the server market?

\

\

System builders believe Intel has taken the biggest hit in the high-performance computing market, where AMD’s combination of performance and lower power requirements has taken root.

\

\

Intel, meanwhile, still has the lion’s share of the business and customer loyalty. Intel’s white-box servers and Intel motherboards are considered the gold standard for system builders because of the level of testing and service involved.

\

\

“I don’t think Intel has lost a lot of street credibility yet,” Pogo Linux’s Logan said. “A lot of people are happy with Intel and they are OK with waiting for the new servers to come out. If they do not see the performance Intel is claiming, that will be a big hit for Intel.”

\

\

Intel may have fired the first shot, but the industry is waiting to see if it hits its target.

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

\

•

Mini Boom

\

While AOpen viewed its slick-looking miniPC as a consumer product, system builders had other ideas, snapping up inventory for a variety of commercial niches.

\

\

•

Dueling Cores

\

Intel prepares to fire back at AMD with its dual-core server platform in what is shaping up to be a bloody battle for market share.

\

\

•

AMD On The Channel

\

AMD's Henri Richard talks with

CRN

Editor Heather Clancy about the company's priorities and channel plans.

\

\

•

Prime Time For SAS

\

SAS drives are ready to go, but now system builders have to prime the market.

\

\

•

Disties Push Solutions

\

Distributors say system builders need to become solution builders, and they want to help.

\

\

•

Market Report

\

Custom systems are under pressure, but easing component shortages could help,

CRN

polling indicates.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post