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Technical Documentation: High-Density Performance Benchmarking Server Configuration (Model: HPC-PBX-9000)
- Document Version: 1.2
- Date: 2024-10-27
- Author: Senior Server Hardware Engineering Team
This document details the specifications, performance characteristics, and operational guidelines for the HPC-PBX-9000 server configuration, specifically optimized for rigorous Workload Simulation and System Performance Testing. This configuration prioritizes high core count, massive memory bandwidth, and ultra-low latency storage access to accurately simulate demanding enterprise and HPC workloads.
1. Hardware Specifications
The HPC-PBX-9000 is built upon a dual-socket, 4U rackmount chassis designed for maximum thermal dissipation and power delivery stability. Every component has been selected to minimize bottlenecks during intensive benchmarking scenarios, focusing on sustained throughput rather than burst performance.
1.1 Chassis and Platform
The foundation is a purpose-built platform supporting the latest generation of high-core-count processors and extensive PCIe lane allocation.
| Feature | Specification | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis Model | 4U Rackmount (Optimized Airflow) | Chassis Dimensions (H x W x D) | 177mm x 442mm x 790mm |
| Motherboard | Dual-Socket Custom EATX Platform (PCH-X9900 Series) | BIOS/UEFI Support | Redundant Flash, Remote Management (IPMI 2.0) |
| Cooling Solution | High-Static Pressure Fans (12 x 80mm, Hot-Swappable) + Custom Heatsinks | Maximum TDP Support | Up to 1200W total CPU TDP envelope |
| Power Supplies (PSU) | 2 x 2800W 80+ Titanium, Redundant (1+1) | Power Efficiency Rating | >96% at 50% load |
1.2 Central Processing Units (CPUs)
The selection criteria focused on maximizing Instruction Per Cycle (IPC) while providing a high thread count, critical for modern Parallel Processing benchmarks.
| Parameter | CPU 1 (Socket 0) | CPU 2 (Socket 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Model | Intel Xeon Platinum 8592+ (Codename: Sapphire Rapids Refresh) | Intel Xeon Platinum 8592+ (Codename: Sapphire Rapids Refresh) |
| Core Count (Physical) | 64 Cores | 64 Cores |
| Thread Count (Logical) | 128 Threads | 128 Threads |
| Base Clock Frequency | 2.1 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency (Single Core) | Up to 4.0 GHz | Up to 4.0 GHz |
| Total Cores/Threads | 128 Cores / 256 Threads | N/A |
| L3 Cache (Total) | 128 MB per CPU (256 MB total) | N/A |
| PCIe Lanes Supported | 80 Lanes (PCIe Gen 5.0) | 80 Lanes (PCIe Gen 5.0) |
The total system offers 128 physical cores and 256 logical threads, supported by 512 MB of shared L3 cache across the two sockets, facilitating high-speed inter-core communication vital for Inter-Process Communication Latency testing.
1.3 Memory Subsystem (RAM)
Memory capacity is balanced with speed, utilizing the maximum supported DIMM configuration to maximize memory bandwidth, a key constraint in many data-intensive benchmarks.
| Parameter | Specification | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Capacity | 4096 GB (4 TB) | ||
| DIMM Type | DDR5 ECC Registered (RDIMM) | Memory Speed | 6400 MT/s (JEDEC Profile: M3) |
| Configuration | 32 x 128 GB DIMMs (32 DIMMs utilized) | Memory Channels Utilized | 8 Channels per CPU (Fully Populated) |
| Memory Bandwidth (Theoretical Peak) | ~819.2 GB/s per CPU socket (1.6 TB/s total) | Memory Latency (Measured CL) | CL40 (at 6400 MT/s) |
All memory modules are sourced from the same validated lot to ensure uniformity in timing performance across all 32 populated slots, minimizing variability during Memory Latency Testing.
1.4 Storage Architecture
The storage subsystem is configured for extreme IOPS and sequential throughput, employing a layered approach: a small, ultra-fast boot volume and a large, high-speed scratch/data volume for benchmarking datasets.
| Tier | Device Type | Quantity | Capacity / Spec | Connection Interface |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS/Boot | NVMe SSD (Enterprise Grade) | 2 (RAID 1 Mirror) | 1.92 TB each | PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 (via dedicated motherboard slot) |
| Benchmark Scratch Space (Tier 1) | U.2 NVMe SSD (High Endurance) | 8 | 7.68 TB each | PCIe Gen 5.0 via Dedicated HBA (Broadcom 9700 Series) |
| Secondary High-Capacity Storage (Tier 2) | SATA SSD (High Throughput) | 16 | 15.36 TB each | SAS 4.0 (via RAID Controller) |
| Total Raw Storage Capacity | N/A | N/A | ~150 TB (Tier 1 & 2 combined) | N/A |
The Tier 1 NVMe array is configured in a highly parallelized RAID 0 stripe across the 8 U.2 drives, managed by a high-lane-count HBA to bypass standard CPU virtualization overheads where possible, ensuring near-bare-metal storage performance for IOPS Benchmarking.
1.5 Networking and I/O
High-speed, low-latency networking is crucial for distributed application testing and Network Throughput Analysis.
| Port Type | Quantity | Speed | Interface Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Data Uplink | 2 | 400 GbE (QSFP-DD) | PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 (Direct Connect) |
| Management (BMC/IPMI) | 1 | 1 GbE | Dedicated RJ-45 |
| Internal Interconnect (Optional) | 2 | 200 Gb InfiniBand (HDR) | PCIe Gen 5.0 x8 |
The 400 GbE adapters are directly wired to the CPU's PCIe lanes via bifurcated connections to ensure minimal hop latency during network-intensive tests like Distributed Database Performance.
2. Performance Characteristics
This section details the quantitative results obtained from standardized benchmarks run on the HPC-PBX-9000 configuration under controlled environmental conditions (22°C ambient, 30% relative humidity). All tests were run with OS Kernel Bypass features enabled where applicable.
2.1 Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetic tests provide baseline metrics on the theoretical limits of the hardware combination.
2.1.1 CPU Compute Performance (SPEC CPU 2017)
The system was configured with aggressive power limits (Turbo Boost allowed but Power Limits set to 'Unlimited' within vendor constraints) to prioritize peak frequency maintenance.
| Benchmark Suite | Result Score (Higher is Better) |
|---|---|
| SPECrate 2017 Integer | 1150 |
| SPECspeed 2017 Integer | 585 |
| SPECrate 2017 Floating Point | 1320 |
| SPECspeed 2017 Floating Point | 650 |
- Note: These scores reflect the aggregation across all 256 logical threads running concurrently.*
2.1.2 Memory Bandwidth and Latency
Testing utilized the `STREAM` benchmark suite, focusing on the triad operation, which is highly sensitive to memory controller efficiency and DIMM population density.
| Metric | Result (GB/s) | Latency (ns) |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Read Bandwidth (Total System) | 1588 GB/s | N/A |
| Peak Triad Bandwidth (Total System) | 1575 GB/s | N/A |
| Average Random Read Latency (128-byte block) | N/A | 58.2 ns |
The achieved bandwidth of 1.58 TB/s demonstrates near-theoretical saturation of the 8-channel DDR5 configuration, critical for memory-bound applications like In-Memory Database Processing.
2.2 Storage Performance Benchmarks
Storage evaluation focused on the Tier 1 NVMe array (8 x 7.68 TB U.2 drives in RAID 0).
2.2.1 IOPS and Throughput (FIO Testing)
Tests were conducted using 128 outstanding I/O operations and aligned 128KB/4KB block sizes.
| Workload Type | Block Size | Queue Depth (QD) | Result (IOPS) | Result (Throughput MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read | 1MB | 32 | 1,850,000 | 1,850,000 MB/s (1.85 TB/s) |
| Sequential Write | 1MB | 32 | 1,520,000 | 1,520,000 MB/s (1.52 TB/s) |
| Random Read (4K) | 4K | 128 | 4,500,000 | 18,432 MB/s |
| Random Write (4K) | 4K | 128 | 3,900,000 | 15,974 MB/s |
The sustained random read IOPS of 4.5 million confirms the effectiveness of the PCIe Gen 5.0 HBA architecture in delivering massive parallel I/O operations, essential for high-concurrency Transactional Database Loading.
2.3 Real-World Application Simulation
To validate synthetic results, the system was subjected to industry-standard application benchmarks.
2.3.1 HPC Simulation (LINPACK)
The High-Performance Linpack (HPL) benchmark, executed using optimized MKL libraries, simulates dense matrix computations common in scientific modeling.
- **Result:** 24.8 TeraFLOPS (Double Precision - FP64)
- **Analysis:** This reflects a sustained utilization efficiency of approximately 68% relative to the theoretical peak FP64 compute power of the dual CPUs. The bottleneck appears to be slightly elevated memory access latency under maximal stress, preventing saturation of the theoretical floating-point units.
2.3.2 Virtualization Density Testing
Using an industry-standard virtualization hypervisor (e.g., KVM/ESXi), the system was tested for maximum stable VM density running standard Linux server loads (Apache/MySQL).
- **Maximum Stable Density:** 280 Virtual Machines (VMs)
- **VM Specification:** 4 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 100 GB vDisk (Thin Provisioned)
- **Observation:** Performance degradation only became noticeable when the total system CPU utilization exceeded 92% for sustained periods (>30 minutes), suggesting excellent resource isolation and scheduling overhead management. This highlights the benefit of the 128 physical cores for Virtual Machine Density Scaling.
3. Recommended Use Cases
The HPC-PBX-9000 configuration is designed for environments where performance consistency, massive parallelism, and high-speed data movement are primary requirements. It is generally over-specified for standard web serving or basic virtualization tasks.
3.1 High-Performance Computing (HPC) Workloads
This server excels in tightly coupled computational tasks requiring rapid data exchange between cores and high memory throughput.
- **Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD):** Simulations relying heavily on iterative solvers benefit directly from the 256 threads and high memory bandwidth to manage large mesh structures.
- **Molecular Dynamics (MD):** The system supports large ensemble simulations where the memory capacity (4TB) allows for complex interaction models without swapping or memory paging.
- **Large-Scale Monte Carlo Simulations:** Ideal for parallelizing thousands of independent, yet statistically correlated, trials.
3.2 Big Data Analytics and In-Memory Databases
The combination of vast RAM, fast CPU, and ultra-fast NVMe storage makes this configuration a premier choice for data-intensive processing engines.
- **In-Memory Data Warehousing (e.g., SAP HANA, Apache Ignite):** The 4TB capacity allows for the loading of multi-terabyte datasets entirely into RAM, eliminating disk I/O latency during query execution.
- **Real-Time Stream Processing (e.g., Kafka/Flink Clusters):** Excellent for handling high-volume data ingestion and complex stateful processing due to the low-latency network I/O and high computational density.
3.3 Advanced Simulation and AI/ML Training
While not GPU-centric, this platform serves excellently as a powerful CPU-based training node or as a high-speed data feeder for GPU clusters.
- **ML Pre-processing and Feature Engineering:** Rapidly transforming massive datasets into training features before feeding them to specialized accelerators.
- **Graph Analytics (e.g., Neo4j, GraphX):** The high core count and fast random I/O are essential for traversing massive graph structures efficiently. This is excellent for Graph Database Performance Tuning.
3.4 Extreme Density Virtualization
For environments requiring consolidation of hundreds of lightweight workloads onto minimal physical hardware, this configuration offers superior density compared to standard dual-socket servers, provided the workloads are CPU-bound rather than storage-I/O bound. Hypervisor Optimization Techniques must be applied to maximize core allocation efficiency.
4. Comparison with Similar Configurations
To contextualize the HPC-PBX-9000, we compare it against two common alternative configurations: a previous-generation high-end server (HPC-PBX-7000, based on Cascade Lake architecture) and a density-optimized, single-socket configuration (DENSITY-S1).
4.1 Comparative Analysis Table
| Feature | HPC-PBX-9000 (Current) | HPC-PBX-7000 (Previous Gen Dual Socket) | DENSITY-S1 (Modern Single Socket) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Architecture | Sapphire Rapids Refresh (5th Gen Xeon Scalable) | Cascade Lake (2nd Gen Xeon Scalable) | Genoa-X (AMD EPYC) |
| Total Cores / Threads | 128 / 256 | 96 / 192 | 96 / 192 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 4 TB (DDR5 6400 MT/s) | 2 TB (DDR4 2933 MT/s) | 3 TB (DDR5 4800 MT/s) |
| Primary Storage Interface | PCIe Gen 5.0 (x16 HBA) | PCIe Gen 3.0 (x8 HBA) | PCIe Gen 5.0 (x16 HBA) |
| Tier 1 Random 4K IOPS (Est.) | 4.5 Million | 1.2 Million | 3.8 Million |
| Theoretical FP64 Peak (TFLOPS) | ~36.5 TFLOPS | ~18.5 TFLOPS | ~32.0 TFLOPS |
| Power Efficiency (Performance/Watt) | Excellent (New Process Node) | Moderate | Very Good |
4.2 Key Differentiation Points
- **CPU Performance Leap:** The shift from Cascade Lake (HPC-PBX-7000) to Sapphire Rapids Refresh provides significant gains not just in core count, but critically in Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX-512) performance and memory controller efficiency, leading to a near 2x improvement in floating-point throughput despite similar TDP envelopes.
- **I/O Revolution:** The move from PCIe Gen 3.0 to Gen 5.0 (as seen in the HPC-PBX-9000) is the single largest differentiator for storage and networking. The 7000 series would be severely bottlenecked by the 400 GbE links and the NVMe storage array.
- **Density vs. Raw Power:** The DENSITY-S1 configuration, utilizing high-core-count AMD processors, offers competitive core density and excellent power efficiency due to the single-socket design and larger L3 cache (if X-series). However, the HPC-PBX-9000 offers higher total memory capacity (4TB vs 3TB) and superior raw aggregate throughput due to the dual-socket memory channels, making it preferable for memory-bound tasks.
The HPC-PBX-9000 is the superior choice when absolute peak throughput across CPU, Memory, and I/O is required, even if it sacrifices some power efficiency compared to the single-socket alternative. Server Component Selection Criteria must always drive the final choice.
5. Maintenance Considerations
Operating the HPC-PBX-9000 at peak performance generates substantial thermal and electrical loads. Proper maintenance protocols are essential to ensure long-term stability and adherence to warranty specifications.
5.1 Power Requirements
Given the dual 2800W Titanium PSUs, the system requires robust power infrastructure.
- **Maximum Sustained Power Draw:** Under full load (100% CPU utilization, saturation of all NVMe drives), the system typically draws between 1900W and 2100W continuously.
- **Input Requirements:** Must be connected to a clean, conditioned power source capable of supplying 240V/30A circuits (minimum requirement for dual 2800W PSUs operating simultaneously).
- **Power Budgeting:** When deploying multiple units, ensure the rack PDU load does not exceed 80% of its rating for continuous operation, accounting for potential inrush currents during startup or failover events. Refer to Data Center Power Density Planning.
5.2 Thermal Management and Cooling
The system’s 4U chassis design relies heavily on high static pressure fans pushing air across dense component stacks.
- **Recommended Ambient Temperature:** 18°C to 24°C (ASHRAE Class A1/A2). Operating above 27°C will force the BMC to throttle CPU turbo ratios aggressively, reducing benchmark scores significantly.
- **Airflow Direction:** Front-to-Rear cooling path is mandatory. Ensure no obstructions (cabling, blanking panels) impede front intake or rear exhaust flow, as this directly impacts the CPU Thermal Throttling Thresholds.
- **Noise Profile:** Due to the high fan speeds required for cooling 1200W+ TDPs, this configuration is unsuitable for office environments or proximity to noise-sensitive areas.
5.3 Component Lifespan and Replacement
High-stress benchmarking accelerates wear on components. Specific attention must be paid to the following:
- **NVMe Endurance:** The Tier 1 NVMe drives are rated for high endurance (typically 5-7 Drive Writes Per Day - DWPD). Benchmarking cycles involving heavy random writes will consume this endurance rapidly. Regular monitoring of the **SMART Data (Media Wearout Indicator)** is mandatory. See Storage Health Monitoring Protocols.
- **Fan Replacement Cycle:** Fans should be scheduled for preventive replacement every 36 months, or sooner if fan RPM readings consistently exceed 85% of maximum capacity under nominal load.
- **Firmware Management:** Due to the dependency on PCIe Gen 5.0 speed negotiation and complex memory timings, the Motherboard BIOS/UEFI and HBA firmware must be kept current to maintain stability, especially after major OS kernel updates. Server Firmware Update Strategy documentation must be followed strictly.
5.4 Logical Maintenance
Benchmarking requires pristine, repeatable environments.
- **Configuration Drift:** Implement strict configuration management (e.g., Ansible/Puppet) to prevent unauthorized changes to BIOS settings, power profiles, or driver versions between test runs.
- **Data Scrubbing:** For the large 4TB RAM pool, enable hardware memory scrubbing (if supported by the BIOS settings) to proactively correct soft errors, which are more likely to manifest under continuous high utilization. This relates closely to ECC Memory Error Handling.
The HPC-PBX-9000 represents the apex of current dual-socket, CPU-centric server design, providing unprecedented capability for deep system analysis and high-end computational tasks.
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️