Processors may not be getting faster at the same rate they once used to, but data center suppliers are nonetheless continuing to push the envelope on performance. Dell Inc. this morning unveiled a new line of PowerEdge machines that incorporate Intel Corp.’s latest Xeon E5-2600 v4 chips to provide a 20-30 percent speed improvement over the previous server generation.

That’s more or less the same increase that archnemesis Hewlett Packard Enterprise is promising to deliver with the two servers that were added to its rivaling ProLiant family earlier today. The firm is making data access faster as well by enabling customers to fit their machines with NVDIMM, an emerging type of memory that combines DRAM and NAND flash on a single card. Every unit is supported by a small battery that makes it possible to transfer the data inside to permanent storage after an outage to ensure nothing is lost once power runs out completely.

Dell doesn’t offer NVDIMM to its customers quite yet, but the new PowerEdge line provides additional storage options that should help at least partially make up for the absence of the technology. The company’s engineers have reworked the chassis design to allow for any mix of SSDs and hard drives to be fitted at the back, which should come handy for organizations looking to implement Wikibon’s Server SAN Model. The physical improvements to the series are topped off by a host of software additions aimed at making it easier to manage large deployments.

One tool rolled out as part of the launch makes it possible to copy an operating system image from one server to another with a few clicks, according to Dell, while another new feature displays how a 13th generation PowerEdge  machine’s efficiency compares to an organization’s older boxes. Dell has also re-implemented its Java-based monitoring console on the occasion, a change that should make it easier for administrators to implement patches.

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