Apple Upgrades Xserve G5

Apple today upgraded its Xserve 1U rack-optimised server to deliver dual 64-bit 2.3GHz PowerPC G5 processors with over 35 gigaflops of processing power per system and the industry's fastest frontside 1U server system bus, running at up to 1.15GHz, providing up to 9.2GBps of bandwidth per processor and up to three 400GB drives, achieving a groundbreaking 1.2TB of hot-plug storage. With configurations starting at just £2,199 (inc VAT), it is the ideal server for everything from file and print serving to computational clusters.

“We improved the best 1U server in the industry with more power and more storage for the same breakthrough price”, said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With 64-bit processing power coupled with Apple's legendary ease-of-use, Xserve G5 delivers unbeatable price performance and manageability. Xserve G5 ships with an unlimited client access licence of Mac OS X Server that allows users to connect an unlimited number of Mac, Windows or Linux clients to the server without additional software licensing fees”.

“The 2.3GHz Xserve formed the basis of Virginia Tech's upgraded System X supercomputer cluster. 1,100 Xserve servers are now achieving over 12.25 trillion operations per second, a speed increase of 20 percent over the original system's performance”, said Srinidhi Varadarajan, director of the Terascale Computing Facility at Virginia Tech. “The Xserve G5 cluster delivers unrivalled computing power per unit density, low power consumption and lower heat dissipation at a fraction of the cost of other supercomputers”.

Now equipped with dual 2.3GHz PowerPC G5 processors and up to 8GB of 400MHz DDR memory, the new Xserve packs phenomenal computational power, revolutionary I/O and storage performance along with best-in-class management tools in an optimised 1U rack-optimised enclosure. Xserve G5 supports up to three 7200 rpm 400GB Serial ATA Apple Drive modules, offering an industry-leading 1.2TB of internal storage that can deliver 800GB of internal RAID 5 protected storage when combined with Apple's PCI Hardware RAID card. Two full-length 64-bit, 133MHz PCI-X slots provide up to 1GBps throughput and allow easy expansion to high performance storage and networking cards, such as SCSI, Fibre Channel and third-party solutions such as InfiniBand.

Xserve G5 ships with an unlimited client edition of Mac OS X Server version 10.3 “Panther” software pre-installed. Panther Server integrates leading open source and open standards software with easy-to-use management tools that make it easy to deploy popular open source solutions for Mac, Windows and Linux clients.

Apple offers a choice of world-class services and support programmes for Xserve including AppleCare Premium Service that offers four hour on-site response and 24x7 technical support. For self-servicing customers, Apple offers complete Service Parts Kits, which address over ninety percent of potential field problems.

Pricing & Availability:

Xserve G5 is available immediately through the Apple Store and Apple Authorised Resellers. Xserve G5 comes in three standard configurations or can be fully customised to meet specific customer requirements. The three standard Xserve G5 configurations include:

Press Contacts:
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