Component Selection

We focus on selecting the industry's most energy-efficient technologies and incorporating those features into our server offerings. The greatest gains in energy efficiency typically derive from the following component choices:

• high-efficiency power supplies
• multi-core and low-voltage processors
• energy-efficient hard disk drives

These technologies are core components of our product line. Beyond the attention paid to the energy efficiency of individual components, we also offer a line of blade and twin servers, form factors that provide outstanding density and power efficiency.

Not All Power Supplies Are Created Equal

Rackmount server components operate on DC power (direct current), but most power transmission and distribution is conducted in AC form (alternating current). The primary function of a rackmount server's AC power supply is to convert input power (AC) into usable DC power. Energy is always consumed to facilitate this conversion, but the amount of consumption (wasted power) can be reduced through the use of highly efficient power supplies.

The efficiency of a power supply is determined by taking the DC output of a power supply and dividing it by the AC input. If a power supply draws less AC to produce more DC, then that power supply is more efficient than one that draws more AC to produce the same amount of DC.

(DC Output) / (AC Input) = Efficiency
"Power Supply Efficiency"

Most of the power supplies featured in Silicon Mechanics servers have an efficiency rating of 85% or greater. In the case of the Bladeform 8100 Series Blade Server Platform, the power supply achieves a remarkable 90%+ efficiency. High-efficiency power supplies require significantly less energy and maintain cooler internal temperatures than less efficient power supplies.

Multi-Core and Low-Voltage Processors

Silicon Mechanics offers servers based on Intel and AMD multi-core processor technologies. Dual- and quad-core processors are designed to increase performance per watt by providing broad parallel computing capability inside a single processor package, while lowering clock speed and voltage per core. By taking advantage of new design and manufacturing technologies, multi-core processors are able to supply significantly greater performance than their single-core predecessors, typically consuming less power in the process. Low-voltage processors go a step further, using less power to provide the same performance as a regular-voltage model of identical speed.

Energy-Efficient Storage

Silicon Mechanics storage products provide enterprise-class performance and reliability fused with energy-efficient design. SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) storage offerings provide maximum performance, and with the advent of 2.5-inch SFF (Small Form Factor) drives, can do so with enhanced I/O density and at significant power savings when compared to traditional 3.5-inch models.

For less I/O-intensive applications, SATA (Serial ATA) offerings yield maximum capacity per watt along with excellent sequential read and write performance. Additionally, Western Digital GreenPower™ products, available in Silicon Mechanics' SATA offerings, have further increased the gigabyte-per-watt advantage already inherent in SATA storage solutions.