How do servers benefit from multi-core CPUs?

[Kiark]

Hey guys,

I've been looking up a lot about multi-core CPU's and I was wondering what benefits does a server gain from having a multi-core CPU compared to a desktop computer?

I'd like to keep looking this stuff up so if you guys could link me to anything relatable, that'd be great!

Thanks!

 

[Karsten75]

servers typically handle requests from many clients. So with multiple cores, the server is able to handle many requests concurrently. This leads to greater throughput.

 

[RobCrezz]

Entirely depends on what the server is doing.

Servers are not generic, there are many different systems with many different requirements. Hypervisors (VMware ESXi/MS Hyper-V etc) for example make good use of multicore and multithreaded CPUS as they are running lots and lots of virtual machines on a single server (or cluster) taking up a lot less space and power but running a lot of systems.

Space and power are very important considerations for server systems.

 

[Saberus]

More cores means a server can run more operations simultaneously, and be better at responding to demand. Virtualization really benefits from multicore systems, especially when they run a single VM per core or thread. AMD has had 16-core Opterons out for a bit, and Intel released 15 core hyperthreaded Xeons a few months back, so they are running 30 logical cores per processor. HP's DL580 Gen8 server holds four of these new Xeons, for a total of 120 threads per server, allowing them to replace entire racks of older servers with a handful of machines, and still provide the same amount of processing power and throughput. The resulting savings in space, power and cooling are enough to see a ROI in less than a year of operation in some cases. And with the introduction of the HP Gen9 series in a week, we're looking at another step up in total throughput.