38 PowerEdge R720 and R720xd Technical Guide
8 Power, thermal, and acoustics
Lower overall system-level power draw is a result of Dell’s breakthrough system design. PowerEdge
servers maximize performance per watt through a combination of power and cooling, energy
efficient technologies, and tools. Additionally, PowerEdge servers have an extensive collection of
sensors that automatically track thermal activity, which helps regulate temperature thereby reducing
server noise and power consumption.
Power consumption and energy efficiency
With the rise in the cost of energy coupled with increasing data center density, Dell provides tools
and technologies to help you realize greater performance with less energy cost and waste. More
efficient data center usage can reduce costs by slowing the need for additional data center space.
Table 19 lists the tools and technologies Dell offers to help you achieve your data center goals by
lowering power consumption and increasing energy efficiency.
Table 19. Power tools and technologies
Power supply units (PSU)
portfolio
Dell’s PSU portfolio includes intelligent features such as dynamically
optimizing efficiency while maintaining availability and redundancy. Find
additional information in the Power supply units section.
Energy Smart Solution Advisor (ESSA) is a tool that can help you determine
the most efficient configuration possible. With Dell’s ESSA, you can calculate
the power consumption of your hardware, power infrastructure, and storage.
ESSA can help you determine exactly how much power your server will use
at a given workload, and the PSU Advisor can help you choose the best,
most efficient PSU for your workload. Learn more at Dell.com/ESSA.
Dell’s servers are compliant with all relevant industry certifications and
guidelines, including 80 PLUS, Climate Savers, and ENERGY STAR.
Power monitoring
accuracy
PSU power monitoring improvements include:
Dell’s power monitoring accuracy is currently 1%, whereas the industry
standard is 5%
More accurate reporting of power
Better performance under a power cap
Use Dell’s systems management to set the power cap limit for your systems
to limit the output of a PSU and reduce system power consumption. Dell is
the first hardware vendor to leverage Intel Node Manager for circuit-breaker
fast capping.
iDRAC7 Enterprise provides server-level management that monitors, reports,
and controls power consumption at the processor, memory, and system
level.
Dell OpenManage Power Center delivers group power management at the
rack, row, and data center level for servers, power distribution units, and
uninterruptible power supplies.