Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550: Blade Server Product Overview and Insight

See the full list of Top Blade Servers

Bottom Line:

ThinkSystem S550 blades are not the cheapest or the densest, and don’t have the most compute power. But they rank third in this guide on memory behind two far more expensive blades. In other words, this is a good mid-level machine, packed with memory, at a reasonable price point given all that is offered. SMBs and other budget-sensitive companies may consider this, yet it can also scale to do some enterprise work.

Integration with IBM/Lenovo hardware and software is another big plus. Hence, the truly ideal customer for this unit is an SMB that uses a lot of IBM and/or Lenovo hardware already.

Product Description:

The Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 offers security, efficiency, and reliability features to handle business-critical workloads. It incorporates up to two Intel Xeon Scalable processors with up to 28 cores each and up to 3 TB of memory, which runs at speeds up to 2,666 MHz.

Its Flex System Enterprise Chassis was engineered to support high-speed networking and multiple generations of Xeon processors. The SN550 is suitable for cloud, server virtualization, departmental databases, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), as well as server consolidation. It includes the Lenovo XClarity management suite to compose compute, external storage, and networking resources to adapt to changing workload and capacity requirements.

Benefits include fast virtual machine deployment and movement, and storage flexibility (no drives to mix-and-match up to two 2.5-inch SAS/SATA HDDs/SSDs or U.2/NVMe). The chassis houses up to 14 ThinkSystem SN550 blades and up to four integrated switches in a high-density design. Zoned adaptive cooling varies system fan speeds to reduce energy costs.

“It is perfect for medium to light applications and workloads,” said an Infrastructure Manager in financial services.

Max Processors/Cores:

Two Xeon Scalable CPUs, 56 cores

Maximum Memory:

3 TB

Form Factor:

Full width blade

Key Markets and Use Cases:

• Cloud

• Server virtualization

• Departmental databases

• Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

• Server consolidation

“If we talk about scalability, ThinkSystem is quite expensive , especially when you need to buy more blades. It’s even more expensive if you configure them for high performance parts,” said the Hardware Manager at an IT firm.

Price:

From $4,000