IBM System x3500 M3

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Highlights

Allows greater flexibility with storage upgrade options and increased memory capacity
Enables high availability (HA) with enhanced Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) support and integrated systems management tools
Leverages latest Intel® Xeon® technology for faster processing speeds and energy-smart design.

Grow at your own pace

A high-performance dual-socket tower server, the IBM System x3500 M3 provides generous bandwidth, storage and expanded memory capacity up to 192 GB. Start with a single Intel® Xeon® six-core processor and add a second to double your processing capability. You can even add processors, storage and memory independently of one another for maximum configuration flexibility.

Stay up and running

The x3500 M3 is designed to run your most demanding business applications reliably. It offers new 6 Gigabits per second (Gbps) RAID, storage, memory and input/output (I/O) flexibility and HA, while integrated systems management tools provide remote control of resources for simplified serviceability.

Product features

Dual-socket computing power optimised for up to 12 total cores standard at lower power usage per core
Generous storage capacity and greater storage choices
Energy-efficiency features to save electricity and cooling costs and reduce noise
IBM mainframe-inspired reliability features to help minimise interruptions
Extensive systems management with remote management standard and easy access to components for better serviceability and scalability
Energy-efficient design with IBM Systems Director and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager
Support for high-performance Serial Attached SCSi (SAS) or low-cost Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) Hard Disk Drives (HDDs)
Supports legacy PCI slots for smooth transition

Hardware summary

5U tower with optional rack-mount capability
Up to two six-core Intel® Xeon® X5690 3.46 GHz processors or four-core Intel® Xeon® X5687 3.60 GHz processors (configure to order only) with 12 MB of cache per processor socket
1333 MHz, DDR-3 registered DIMM memory
Up to seven high-performance PCIe I/O slots standard, additional two PCI-X slots available via configure to order only (requires the removal of one standard PCIe I/O slot)
Supports up to eight or 16 small form factor (SFF) (2.5") hot-swap SAS or SATA HDDs standard; additional options available to support maximum 24 SFF 2.5" SAS/SATA HDDs; up to four 3.5" simple-swap SATA HDDs or up to eight 3.5" hot-swap SAS or SATA HDDs (available via configure to order only)
6 Gbps RAID and 3 Gbps adapters standard

Feature	Benefits
Up to two six-core Intel® Xeon® X5680 3.33 GHz or four-core Intel® Xeon® X5677 3.46 GHz processors (configure to order only) with 12 MB cache per processor socket, Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology and Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI)	Extreme processor performance with 12 total cores using optimised cache Additional performance boost during peak demand times with Turbo Boost Faster execution and more concurrent processing of multi-threaded applications
Fast two DIMMs per channel at 1333 MHz, DDR-3 Registered DIMM (RDIMM) and Unregistered DIMM (UDIMM) memory	A new generation of high-performance memory matches the speed of the Intel® Xeon® processors to optimise throughput Improved application performance with interleaved memory Low-voltage memory support for energy efficiency
Support for up to 24 SFF 2.5" hot-swap SAS HDDs (model dependent)	Increased performance, simplified cabling and better fault isolation than parallel SCSI without cost premium of SAS Up to 14.4 TB of data storage capacity (model dependent) Eight or 16 HDDs standard Storage upgrade flexibility to increase the number of drives from eight to 16 to 24 with an optional HDD upgrade kit
Integrated 6 Gbps hardware RAID-0, -1, -1E	High speed 6 Gbps interface RAID support for improved performance Advanced RAID protection delivers basic HA to your HDDs efficiently without sacrificing performance Standard on all models of the x3500 M3
Up to eight available PCI input/output (I/O) slots for system expansion (available via configure to order only)	Extensive I/O bandwidth for greater performance and productivity
Six PCIe slots standard	Interconnect speeds significantly faster than PCI-X
Up to two PCI-X slots	Enables you to continue using legacy PCI-X adapters while you transition to the PCIe standard (available via configure to order only)
Optional hot-swap, redundant power and cooling	Potentially eliminates downtime by maintaining system availability if a fan or power supply needs to be replaced
Virtualisation support	Supports most major virtualisation environments Supports optional hypervisor Universal Serial Bus (USB) key
Externally visible light path diagnostics panel	Gives information about a failing component without interrupting system operation – visible without removing the system cover Expedites hardware repairs to dramatically reduce service time Provides a lighted path to failing components inside the system
Integrated dual Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)	Provides increased network throughput and redundancy with efficient slot-saving integration
IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager	Provides comprehensive systems management tools Helps increase uptime, reduce costs and improve productivity with advanced server management capabilities Allows continuous real-time monitoring, measuring and management of power consumption
IBM ServerGuide software	Assists with the installation of operating systems and drivers Gets your server up and running faster Simplifies installation and configuration of your IBM System x servers
Security capabilities	Offers ServeRAID with leadership disk encryption to help protect your data Provides side door with key lock to help protect data while allowing media access Trusted platform module technology
Standard three year customer replaceable unit (CRU) and on-site limited warranty	Provides peace of mind for an extended period of time

Form factor/height	Tower/5U (rack-mountable)
Processor (max)	Intel® Xeon® 5500/5600 processors (Six-core Intel® Xeon® X5680 3.33 GHz or quad-core Intel® Xeon® X5677 3.46 GHz up to 6.4 GT/s QPI system speed with 12 MB of cache per processor socket)
Number of processors (std/max)	One/two
Cache (max)	12 MB
Memory (max)	16 Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) slots maximum, 192 GB with Double Data Rate (DDR)-3 1333 MHz Registered DIMMs (RDIMMs) or 48 GB with DDR-3 1333 MHz Unregistered DIMMs (UDIMMs)
Expansion slots	Six PCIe and one PCI standard; additional two PCI-X available via configure to order and requires removal of one PCIe slot
Disk bays (total/hot-swap)	Eight/eight or 16/16 2.5" hot-swap standard; 24/24 2.5" hot-swap or eight/eight 3.5" hot-swap or four/0 3.5" simple swap (available via configure to order only)
Maximum internal storage	14.4 TB of 2.5" hot-swap Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)/Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) (hard disk drive (HDD) upgrade options required) or 16.0 TB of 3.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA (via configure to order only)
Network interface	Broadcom 5709S onboard Network Interface Card (NIC) with dual Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports with TCP/IP Offload Engine (TOE)
RAID support	Integrated 6 Gbps or 3 Gbps hardware RAID-0, -1, -1E, optional RAID-5, -6, -10, -50, -60
Systems management	Automatic Server Restart; Predictive Failure Analysis on HDDs, processors, voltage regulator modules (VRMs), fans and memory; light path diagnostics; integrated management module; remote presence; IBM Systems Director and IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager
Operating systems supported	Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 R2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux®, SUSE Linux Enterprise, VMware ESX and ESXi
Limited warranty	Three year customer replaceable unit (CRU) and on-site limited warranty