Configuration and Benchmark Selection - Assessing IBM's POWER8, Part 1: A Low Level Look at Little E

Publish date: 2024-09-08

Benchmark Selection

Our testing was conducted on Ubuntu Server 15.10 (kernel 4.2.0) with gcc compiler version 5.2.1.

The choice of comparing the IBM POWER8 2.92 10-core with the Xeon E5-2699 v4 22-core might seem weird, as the latter is three-times as expensive as the former. However, for this review, where we evaluate single thread/core performance, pricing does not matter. As this is one of the lowest clocked POWER8 CPUs, an Intel Xeon with a high base clock - something that's common for Intel's chips with fewer cores - would make it harder to compare the two microarchitectures. We also wanted an Intel chip that could reach high turbo clockspeeds thanks to a high TDP.

And last but not least we did not have very many Xeon E5 v4 SKUs in the lab...

Configuration

IBM S812LC (2U)

The IBM S812LC is based up on Tyan's "Habanero" platform. The board inside the IBM server is thus designed by Tyan.

CPU	One IBM POWER8 2.92 GHz (up to 3.5 GHz Turbo)
RAM	256 GB (16x16GB) DDR3-1333
Internal Disks	2x Samsung 850Pro 960 GB
Motherboard	Tyan SP012
PSU	Delta Electronics DSP-1200AB 1200W

Intel's Xeon E5 Server – S2600WT (2U Chassis)

This is the same server that we used in our latest Xeon v4 review.

CPU	Xeon E5-2699 v4 Xeon E5-2640 v4 (2.4 GHz, 10 cores, 90 W TDP)
RAM	256 GB (8x32GB) Samsung DDR4-2400
Internal Disks	2x Samsung 850Pro 960 GB
Motherboard	Intel Server Board Wildcat Pass
PSU	Delta Electronics 750W DPS-750XB A (80+ Platinum)

Hyperthreading, Turbo, C1 and C6 were enabled in the BIOS.

Other Notes

All servers are fed by a standard European 230V (16 Amps max.) power line. The room temperature is monitored and kept at 23°C by our Airwell CRACs in our Sizing Servers Lab.