Power 5 Power Requirements
IBM eServer i5 and Power 5 power requirements by machine type: rated voltage, maximum watts, thermal output, weight and phase for the 9406-520, 9406-570 and the three-phase 9406-595 frame.
No Power generation spreads as far electrically as this one. A 9406-520 is a 750 W machine on a standard office circuit. A 9406-595 is a 19.4 kW three-phase frame weighing more than 1,350 kilograms. They shipped in the same family, they are both called an eServer i5, and there is nothing a generation-level figure can tell you about either one. Start from the machine type.
Power 5 power requirements by machine type
IBM published electrical and physical ratings, eServer i5 and Power 5 family
| Machine type | Model | Operating voltage | Phase | Max power | Max thermal | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9406-520 | eServer i5 520 | 100 - 127 / 200 - 240 V ac | Single | 750 W | 2,560 BTU/hr | 43 kg |
| 9406-570 | eServer i5 570 | 200 - 240 V ac | Single | 1,300 W per enclosure | 4,437 BTU/hr per enclosure | 63.6 kg per enclosure |
| 9406-595 | eServer i5 595 | 200 - 240 / 380 - 415 / 480 V ac | Three | 19.4 kW | 66,200 BTU/hr | 1,358 kg |
The 9406-520 and 9406-570 run at 50/60 Hz plus or minus 0.5 Hz; the 9406-595 at 50 to 60 Hz. The 9406-595 figures are for the 1.65 GHz configuration in a single frame, without internal battery backup, with slimline doors. That machine does not support a double frame or internal battery backup. The 9406-550 is not shown because IBM does not publish it in the same specification set. Source: IBM POWER5 and POWER6 server specifications documentation.
The 9406-595 is a three-phase installation, and that is the fact that matters most on this page. It is not a machine that can be moved into a room wired for single-phase equipment, whatever the rack space suggests. At 19.4 kW it draws as much as four fully populated Power 11 E1180 nodes, and at 1,358 kg it needs a floor rated for it.
The 9406-570 multiplier
Like the Power 6 570 that followed it, the 9406-570 publishes its figures per processor enclosure rather than per system. IBM's own specification names the multipliers by feature code: feature codes 0232 and 0261 multiply by two, feature code 0241 by three, and feature code 0242 by four.
9406-570 by enclosure count
| Enclosures | Feature code | Max power | Max thermal | Weight | Rack space |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base | 1,300 W | 4,437 BTU/hr | 63.6 kg | 4U |
| 2 | 0232 or 0261 | 2,600 W | 8,874 BTU/hr | 127.2 kg | 8U |
| 3 | 0241 | 3,900 W | 13,311 BTU/hr | 190.8 kg | 12U |
| 4 | 0242 | 5,200 W | 17,748 BTU/hr | 254.4 kg | 16U |
IBM publishes the per-enclosure rating and the feature-code multipliers; the multiplied totals follow from them. Read the feature code off the system before sizing anything, because the difference between the base figure and a four-enclosure system is 3,900 W and twelve rack units.
What replaces a Power 5, and what it draws
Rated maximum power against current equivalents
| If you run | Rated max | Current equivalent | Rated max | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9406-520 | 750 W | Power 11 S1112 (9242-21B) | 550 W | 27 percent less, 2U instead of 4U |
| 9406-570, 2 enclosures | 2,600 W | Power 11 S1124 (9824-42A) | 2,950 W | Similar rating, 8U down to 4U |
| 9406-570, 4 enclosures | 5,200 W | Power 11 S1124 (9824-42A) | 2,950 W | 43 percent less, 16U down to 4U |
| 9406-595 | 19,400 W | Power 11 E1180 (9080-HEU) | 4,850 W per node | One node draws a quarter as much |
Every row understates the change, because the rating says nothing about work done. A single Power 11 node replaces a machine that needed three-phase service, a reinforced floor and its own cooling plant, and it does so at a quarter of the electrical load. On this generation the facilities case for moving is usually stronger than the performance case, and the performance case is already overwhelming.
Planning around a Power 5 still in service
Confirm phase before anything else
Single phase on the 520 and 570, three phase on the 595. That is not a detail that can be worked around at install time, and it is the first thing to confirm for a relocation or a decommission.
Count enclosures on a 570
Read the feature code, not the model name. Feature codes 0232 and 0261 mean two enclosures, 0241 means three, 0242 means four, and every published figure multiplies with them.
Weight is a real constraint here
A 9406-595 frame is 1,358 kg and a four-enclosure 570 is 254 kg. Floor loading, lift access and rigging are part of the plan on this generation in a way they are not on anything newer.
Decommissioning has its own power question
If the machine is being retired rather than replaced, the useful figure is what the room gets back. Removing a 9406-595 frees 19.4 kW of electrical capacity and 66,200 BTU/hr of cooling, which is often enough to run everything that replaces it several times over.
Sources: IBM's 9406-520 family server specifications, the 9406-570 specifications, and the 9406-595 specifications. Replacement figures come from IBM's current Power 11 server specifications.
Confirm what you actually have on Identify Your Power 5 and check the processor against the Power 5 CPU reference. For the wider context on keeping or retiring this generation, see the end of support position and the migration options. For the cross-generation facilities walkthrough see AS400System.com's Power server power requirements guide.