Lenovo ThinkServers get Xeon E5-2600 v2 for virtualisation and cloud workloads

Lenovo delivers rack-mount servers for compute-intensive data centre workloads

Lenovo is growing its ThinkServer lineup with new systems designed to handle demanding virtualisation, cloud and compute-intensive workloads, marking an expansion beyond its traditional focus of servers for the small business market.

Due to be available from late November, the ThinkServer RD540 and ThinkServer RD640 are rack-mount systems based on Intel's latest server chips, the Xeon E5-2600 v2 family which officially launched in September.

Lenovo said that the two systems provide uncompromising performance for scale-out data analytics, virtualised business workloads and compute-intensive applications, despite being budget friendly. Pricing will start at approximately €1,300 (£1,100) for the ThinkServer RD540 and €2,000 (£1,695) for the ThinkServer RD640 (pictured above).

Roy Guillen, vice president for Lenovo's Enterprise Product Group, said that the new servers perfectly illustrate the firm's enterprise strategy.

"These workhorse servers are a winning choice for customers who demand no-compromise performance and open standards-based architecture to fit easily in their hybrid networks," he said.

Both servers are twin-socket designs, with the chief difference between the two being the chassis size. The 2U form factor of the ThinkServer RD640 means it can be configured with up to twice as much storage as its sibling, up to 32TB using 3.5in Sata drives or 24TB with SAS drives. Customers can also opt for 2.5in drives instead, all hot swappable.

The two feature high-performance hardware RAID support and ship with a powerful, easy-to-use management tool suite, according to Lenovo, plus an integrated ThinkServer Management Module inside the chassis.

While both can be configured with up to 320GB of memory, the ThinkServer RD640 has an additional PCI Express slot for expansion, while both feature twin 1Gbps Ethernet ports, plus a third for the ThinkServer Management Module.

Lenovo said the new ThinkServers are Certified for VMware's vSphere 5 with Operations Management and also support the latest plug-in tools for VMware vCenter and Microsoft System Center Essentials.

Intel's Xeon E5-2600 v2 family, also known as Ivy Bridge EP, feature up to 12 cores per chip, allowing the new ThinkServers to offer up to 24 cores. The Xeon E5-2600 v2 can deliver up to 50 percent more performance while fitting within the same power envelope as the previous generation, according to Intel.