Hardware

The world of server hardware revolved around newfangled 64-bit systems this year, with AMD's Opteron generating most of the buzz until late summer, when Intel’s answer to x86-compatible 64-bitness — the Xeon processor with EM64T (Extended Memory 64 Technology) — finally arrived. In our benchmarking tests, the new Xeon proved far superior to the old model in 32-bit performance. Although it edged the Opteron in our floating-point tests, it was soundly defeated by AMD’s chip in our real-world Web server and database tests when running 64-bit code. A server is more than a processor, of course. We saw some first-rate servers based on Opteron from Hewlett-Packard, Newisys, and Pogo Linux, and some disappointments, notably from IBM and Sun Microsystems. HP also makes great Xeon-based servers and workstations, and delivered an interesting PC blade system last spring. Management software also got better, courtesy of vendors such as Microsoft, which added smart app management capabilities to MOM 2005; RLX, which improved on the best blade server management software going; and Vieo, whose management appliance is leading the way.

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END-USER HARDWARE

Apple Power Mac G5
Apple
Excellent. 8.8
Cost: Starts at $1,799; $4,498 as tested
Bottom Line: Power Mac G5 presents the ideal balance of compatibility, performance, usability, and value. This high-performance workstation has serious number-crunching capabilities, and outshines Intel-based systems when performing complex operations on massive disk and/or RAM-based data sets.

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HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure
Hewlett-Packard
Excellent. 8.6
Cost: Custom solutions, including implementation, training and support, start at $1,399 per seat
Bottom Line: Combining other vendors’ popular management tools with its own thin clients, blade PCs, and management software, HP CCI aims to dramatically reduce the cost and pain of managing user applications while offering unrivaled reliability and scalability.

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HP Workstation xw8000
Hewlett-Packard
Excellent. 8.9
Cost: $1,944 (refurbished)
Bottom Line: HP's xw8000 is a well-designed, very capable workstation that easily handles the heaviest workloads. It comes with single or dual Xeon processors running as fast as 3.06GHz and offers tool-free maintenance. It sets the standard for dual-processor workstations, and it bested Opteron in heavy multitasking tests.

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