Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 Server

Description

Outfitted with dual Intel Xeon Scalable processors the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 Server can deliver a maximum of 3TB of memory. There are two basic chassis configurations, one with 12 x 3.5-inch drives up front, and a 2.5-inch drive chassis that can support 8, 16, or up to 24 storage devices. You can also install two high performance Nvidia Quadro GPUs. Workloads supported on this system include database, virtualization and cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), enterprise applications, collaboration/email, business analytics, and big data.

Performance

One or two Intel Xeon Scalable processors from the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum families can be installed on the Lenovo SR650 server but are limited to 205W. Each processor supports six memory channels. For graphics-intensive applications this system supports two double-wide Nvidia Quadro graphics processing units (GPU).

Storage

Choose from two basic chassis configurations, either a 2.5-inch chassis that features 8, 16, or 24 storage bays or a 12-bay 3.5-inch chassis configuration that supports 8, 12, or 14 drives. Lenovo’s AnyBay design lets you use SATA, SAS SSDs or HDDs, and NVMe SSDs in the same bay. That includes up to 24 x U.2 NVMe storage devices but there are only two NVMe PCie connectors on the system board with one supporting drives 0 and 1 and the other drives 2 and 3. For configurations supporting more than four NVMe drives you will need separate PCIe cards. Two more 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives can be installed in an optional rear drive enclosure that will replace the three-slot Primary Riser. There’s also a x8 connector next to the optional secondary riser that supports a dual M.2 module connector that can support your OS in mirror mode for failsafe redundancy.

Memory

With twelve memory module slots per processor, each memory channel has two memory module slots, and there are 24 active memory module slots total with dual processors. Only DDR4 Registered (RDIMM), Load-Reduced (LRDIMM) or 3DS RDIMM memory modules are supported and offer transfer speeds of up to 2666MHz. 3DS RDIMM memory modules will provide the highest capacity at up to 3TB using 128GB memory modules in all 24 memory module slots.

Expansion

Without the rear drive cage the system supports up to six PCIe Gen 3.0 slots using a primary and secondary riser, plus a single PCIe slot located between the risers. A dedicated rear slot houses a LAN on Motherboard (LOM) module that can be purchased with different connection speeds and ports. And as mentioned above, there is a dedicated slot adjacent to the secondary riser that supports a PCIe module for dual M.2 modules.

Management

Lenovo’s new ThinkSystem product line introduces an improved XClarity controller (XCC) including the XClarity Administrator for remote and at chassis management of the system. It has very useful tools to help you set up, provision, and maintain the server throughout its lifecycle. A Lenovo XClarity app, available through your app store, helps you manage the system on the go from anywhere with a network connection. Depending on your storage configuration, there are a few options for an integrated control panel with integrated crash-cart ports and status LEDs.

Summary

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 Server is a very well designed and offers many of the same features found on Dell R740 Server or HPE’s DL380 Gen10 server. (MAKE THOSE SERVER NAMES LINK BACK TO THE EXISTING PAGES) Outfitted with dual intel Xeon Scalable processors this system offers the performance you need to tackle a wide range of workloads including graphics-intensive applications with support from two Nvidia Quadro GPUs.