This year was bound to be a year of server refreshes, and in short succession HP and IBM have done just that. Respectively the HP ProLiant ranges and IBM System x have had an overhaul to take their servers forward another two years or so.

In both cases, the most important upgrade is the processor. The start of this year saw the release of the new Westmere architecture by Intel, and the big three can't afford to let the processor slip by. Its six cores (although four cores are still an option) and AES- encrypting/decrypting speeds are the most important improvements.

But besides adding Westmere EP to the System x3620 M3 and its bigger brother System x3650 M3, IBM did something else as well. The new iDataPlex dx360 M3 (also 'Westmered' by the way) has the option to add the Tesla graphics coprocessors of Nvidia. So far, server manufacturers have steered clear of the 'consumery' trash that is graphics cards. But with applications demanding more and more graphics power, and with the fact that the graphical processors don't just do graphics anymore, they become more bonafide within the server world. Even then, IBM is the first to use an Nvidia card.

HP is not on that route just yet. Last week, they released their updates of the ProLiant DL360 G7 and DL380 G7. Most exciting thing for data centers here is the 'Sea of Sensor' used by Thermal Logic. That means micro-tweaking power control is now a possibility.

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