IBM has quietly added the newer low-power Xeons into its server range along with several new servers to their System X lin

Some of the servers come with AMD Opterons and these again relying on the low-power "HE" and "EE" low-power models.

Out of that lot the AMD's "EE" model Opteron is still the best for power consumption, operating at 1.8GHz and requiring 40W of power, along with being coupled to DDR2 modules that use less power than comparable Intel FB-DIMMs. The move is interesting because it shows that IBM is pushing low power consumption as a key feature in its server ranges.

This is because analysts are starting to tout power consumption and cooling as one of the key factors that businesses need to consider when buying kit.

More here.