Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 Server Sets a New World Record Single-Chip SPECint_rate2006 Performance with gccfss Compiler

(As of Tuesday, 12 February 2008)

Oracle’s Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 server, based on the innovative UltraSPARC T2 processor, achieved the highest ever single-chip integer throughput result on SPEC CPU2006 benchmark, while outperforming IBM systems based on the fastest 4.7GHz POWER6 processor by 38 percent and beating the best published results for Intel Xeon-based systems by up to 15 percent.

The SPEC CPU2006 benchmark exercises a computer's processor, memory architecture, and compilers on a variety of real-world compute intensive workloads and consists of two benchmark suites. One suite measures and compares compute-intensive integer performance and the other measures and compares floating-point performance. For each of these suites, two metrics are collected: One measures how fast the computer completes a single task and the other measures how many tasks a computer can accomplish in a certain amount of time (the throughput).

The gccfs compiler allows one to use Oracle’s optimization tools, developed for Sun SPARC architectures, along with the popular gcc coding conventions and deliver performance that has not been possible before without time-consuming code changes.

Competitive Comparisons Table

• The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 server, equipped with the 1.4GHz UltraSPARC T2 processor, achieved world record integer throughput performance on the SPEC CPU2006 benchmark.
• On the integer-intensive tests, the Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 server delivered 38% higher performance than the 4.7GHz dual core POWER6-based IBM System p570 server and 15% more performance than the 3.16GHz quad-core Intel Xeon-based HP Proliant DL360 G5 server.
• These results demonstrate that the UltraSPARC T2 processor provides more integer computing capacity than any other chip on the market.
• The operating system (OS) and compiler software often help to deliver the best performance by providing optimizations tailored to a specific hardware platform or microprocessor architecture. The advanced optimization techniques in Oracle Solaris Studio 12 compiler software, used in combination with the popular gcc coding conventions, allowed the Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 server module to successfully claim the top spot on the industry-standard SPECint_rate2006 benchmark suite.

• Benchmark results

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Competitive data obtained from www.spec.org as of the date located next to the respective claim. See the Website for latest results. Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 server (1xUltraSPARC T2 1.4GHz) (1 chip, 8 cores, 64 threads) 83.9 SPECint_rate2006. Competitive results from www.spec.org as of February 12, 2008. IBM System p570 (4.7GHz POWER6 processor, 1 chip, 2 cores, 4 threads) 60.9 SPECint_rate2006. HP Proliant DL360 G5 (3.16 GHz, Intel Xeon processor X5460,1 chip, 4 cores, 4 threads) 73.0 SPECint_rate2006.