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WORKSTATION HEAT, SOUND, AND POWER USAGE:

LENOVO THINKSTATION C30 VS. DELL PRECISION T5600

NOVEMBER 2012

A PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES REPORT

Commissioned by Lenovo

When selecting a workstation, it’s important to consider how it will

contribute to a reliable and comfortable work environment for the user and

how much electricity it will require. Workstations vary considerably in the

amount of heat and noise they generate and in the amount of power they

consume. A system with a cooler operating temperature helps you two ways: by

being less likely to fail and by requiring less air conditioning to keep the office at

a comfortable temperature. A quieter system provides a more pleasant user

experience and a more power-efficient system lowers your electric bill by using

less electricity and running cooler, which reduces the amount of cooling

required.

In our labs, Principled Technologies (PT) tested the Lenovo ThinkStation

C30 and the Dell Precision T5600 workstation. We found that the Lenovo

workstation was quieter and less power-hungry than the Dell workstation, and

had lower surface temperatures while idle and while under load. These findings

show that the Lenovo ThinkStation C30 could contribute to a reliable user

experience and a comfortable office environment and save on electricity costs.

Summary of content (14 pages)

PAGE 1
WORKSTATION HEAT, SOUND, AND POWER USAGE: LENOVO THINKSTATION C30 VS. DELL PRECISION T5600 When selecting a workstation, it’s important to consider how it will contribute to a reliable and comfortable work environment for the user and how much electricity it will require. Workstations vary considerably in the amount of heat and noise they generate and in the amount of power they consume.
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WHICH WORKSTATION MAKES FOR A RELIABLE, PLEASANT, AND POWER-EFFICIENT WORK ENVIRONMENT? A workstation that generates more heat and noise and uses more power than necessary can be more prone to system failure, can be distracting and uncomfortable for workers, and can boost electricity bills—both because of the power the system itself draws and the power that additional air conditioning uses.
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COOL UNDER PRESSURE The operating temperatures of computers vary considerably. While one advantage of a cooler workstation is obvious—no one wants a hot office— workstations running at cooler temperatures also bring other benefits. It is well known within the IT industry that operating temperatures degrade hardware reliability. Excess heat can cause hard drives, CPUs, memory, and other components to fail. For example, overheating can expand hard drive platters, causing hard drive failure.
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QUIETER IS BETTER Any user, given a choice, would prefer a quiet system to a noisy one. As Figure 2 shows, the Lenovo ThinkStation C30 was considerably quieter than the Dell Precision T5600 under both load conditions. We calculated the difference in perceived volume with the two workstations using the following formula2 for sound level change: The change in sound level (L) is related to the ratio for loudness (or volume) by using the calculated L as follows: For example, if the level change (L) is 6.
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LESS POWER USED IS BETTER A workstation that uses less power saves you money when the electric bill comes. As Figure 3 shows, the Lenovo ThinkStation C30 used less power than the Dell Precision T5600—23.7 percent less when the systems were idle and 4.5 percent less when they were under load. We used an Extech® Power Analyzer to measure power consumption while the systems were idle and under load. Power usage (lower is better) 160 140 128.7 134.7 120 Figure 3: The Lenovo ThinkStation C30 used up to 23.
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APPENDIX A: DETAILED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION Figure 4 presents detailed configuration information for the two systems we tested.
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Lenovo ThinkStation C30 System Total amount of system RAM (GB) Chip organization (singlesided/double-sided) Channel (single/dual/quad) Hard disk Vendor and model number Number of disks in system Size (GB) Buffer size (MB) RPM Type Controller Driver Operating system Name Build number Service Pack File system Kernel Language Microsoft DirectX version Graphics Vendor and model number Type Chipset BIOS version Total available graphics memory (MB) Dedicated video memory (MB) System video memory (MB) Shared syst
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Lenovo ThinkStation C30 System Ethernet #1 Vendor and model number Driver Ethernet #2 Vendor and model number Driver Optical drive(s) Vendor and model number Type USB ports Number Type Other IEEE 1394 ports Number Monitor Type Screen size (inches) Refresh rate (Hz) Dell Precision T5600 Intel 82579LM Gigabit Intel 11.15.16.0 (01/11/2012) Intel 82579LM Gigabit Intel 11.15.12.0 (11/30/2011) N/A N/A N/A N/A LG DH40N DVD-ROM TSSTcorp SN-208BB DVD-RW 12 10 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.
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APPENDIX B: DETAILED TEST METHODOLOGY Measuring surface temperature Test requirements    Fluke® 2680A Data Acquisition System PassMark BurnInTest Professional Linpack benchmark Measuring system temperature and power while idle Setting up the test 1. Set the power plan to the manufacturer’s default setting. Set the display brightness to 100 percent: a. Click Start. b. In the Start menu’s quick search field, type Power Options c. Move the Screen brightness slider all the way to the right. 2.
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. Connect the power cord from the workstation to the Extech Instruments 380803 Power Analyzer’s DC output load power outlet. 11. Plug the power cord from the Power Analyzer’s DC input voltage connection into a power outlet. 12. Connect a separate host computer to the Power Analyzer using an RS-232 cable. This computer will monitor and collect the power measurement data. 13. Turn on the Extech Power Analyzer by pressing the green On/Off button. 14. Turn on the host computer. 15.
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13. Set load to 100, and click OK. 14. Select Test Preferences from the Configuration menu item and set or verify the following by clicking on each tab:  Disk: select C: drive  Logging: select Turn automatic logging on  2D Graphics: select All available Video Memory  3D Graphics: use defaults  CPU: use defaults 15.
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2. Set the Extech SDL600 on a tripod so that it is 3 feet in front of, and 2 feet above the workstation. Running the test 1. Boot the system and bring up an elevated command prompt:  Select Windows Start orb.  Type cmd and press Control-Shift-Enter. 2. Type Cmd.exe /c start /wait Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks Do not interact with the system until the command completes. 3. After the command completes, wait 5 minutes before running the test. 4.
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We used the Power Analyzer’s Data Acquisition Software (version 2.11) to capture all recordings. We installed the software on a separate Intel processor-based PC, which we connected to the Power Analyzer via an RS-232 cable. We captured power consumption at one-second intervals. We then recorded the power usage (in watts) for each system during the testing at 1-second intervals.
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ABOUT PRINCIPLED TECHNOLOGIES Principled Technologies, Inc. 1007 Slater Road, Suite 300 Durham, NC, 27703 www.principledtechnologies.com We provide industry-leading technology assessment and fact-based marketing services. We bring to every assignment extensive experience with and expertise in all aspects of technology testing and analysis, from researching new technologies, to developing new methodologies, to testing with existing and new tools.