IBM System x3200 M3
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Key features
The single-socket IBM System x3200 M3, incorporating IBM X-Architecture features, is an affordable,
single-socket tower server that offers more performance, configuration flexibility and availability features
than many other servers in its class. From network infrastructure to distributed applications to front-end
workloads, the x3200 M3 is designed to meet a wide range of business needs and help you adapt to
changing business requirements.
Performance
The x3200 M3 offers numerous features to boost performance and reduce costs:
Supports a single processor, including the quad-core Intel® Xeon® 3400 Series processor, designed
with fast 1333 MHz memory access and 8 MB of L3 cache, to help provide the computing power you
need to match your business needs and growth.
Six DIMMs of registered 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC memory provide speed, high availability. Supports up
to 32 GB of memory with four 8GB DIMMs.
High-performance 6 Gbps SAS RAID controllers and 15K RPM 6 Gbps SAS disk drives in a variety of
capacities to suit your local storage requirements.
The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) instead of or along with traditional spinning drives (HDDs) can
significantly improve I/O performance. An SSD can support 20,000 I/O operations per second (IOPS)
whereas a typical HDD handles fewer than 500 IOPS.
Flexibility and scalability
The x3200 M3 has the ability to grow with your application requirements with these features:
Tower design that can be converted to a 5U rack system if needed.
A choice of 2-core or 4-core processors with clock rates up to 3.06 GHz.
Six DIMM sockets allowing memory expansion of up to 48 GB.
A choice of power supplies either one fixed 401 W AC power supply or two 430 W AC hot-swap
redundant power supplies (model dependent).
Seven USB 2.0 ports available - two front, four rear, and one internal for an embedded hypervisor.
Storage bay flexibility: Up to four 3.5" simple-swap SATA HDDs, or up to four 3.5" hot-swap
SAS/SATA HDDs, or up to eight 2.5" hot-swap SAS HDDs (model dependent). Additional internal
optical drive bay and tape drive bay.
Direct-attach SAS storage with the EXP2512, EXP2524, and EXP3000 storage enclosures is
supported. IBM System Storage servers, including network-attached storage (NAS), and iSCSI or
Fibre Channel-attached storage, can also be attached.
Six total PCI Express 2.0 (PCIe 2.0) and PCI-X I/O slots for increased network or storage
connectivity. One slot dedicated to the optional RAID controller.
Manageability and security
Powerful systems management features simplify local and remote management of the x3200 M3:
The x3200 M3 includes an Integrated Management Module (IMM) to monitor server availability,
perform Predictive Failure Analysis, and trigger IBM Systems Director alerts.
An optional Virtual Media Key enables additional systems management capabilities, including
web-based out-of-band remote control (keyboard video and mouse), remote optical drive support,
Windows “blue screen” error capture, and support for LDAP and SSL protocols.
