Dell PowerEdge R7725 cuts Oracle Database TCO in PT test

Principled Technologies found that a Dell PowerEdge R7725 with AMD EPYC 9175F processors could consolidate Oracle Database analytics work from multiple older HPE servers while improving performance and power efficiency. The testing points to lower 5-year total cost of ownership for organizations looking to modernize on-premises Oracle environments.

Why it matters: - Consolidating Oracle Database analytics onto fewer servers can reduce software licensing, power use and management overhead. - Principled Technologies said the Dell PowerEdge R7725 could replace three to seven older HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 servers depending on configuration, which could materially cut infrastructure costs. - The testing found up to a 64% reduction in 5-year total cost of ownership in one consolidation scenario.

What happened: - Principled Technologies released a report, commissioned by Dell Technologies, comparing a Dell PowerEdge R7725 with AMD EPYC 9175F processors against a five-year-old HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 with Intel Xeon Gold 6242 processors. - PT used a HammerDB TPROC-H analytics workload to measure Oracle Database performance. - With a PERC13 storage controller, the PowerEdge R7725 ran each query set 20.4% faster on average than the legacy HPE server. - The same PERC13 configuration supported seven times as many Oracle Database virtual machines. - With a PERC12 controller, the PowerEdge R7725 supported three times the virtual machines of the legacy server.

The details: - A single PowerEdge R7725 with PERC12 did the analytics work of three legacy HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 servers. - A single PowerEdge R7725 with PERC13 matched the output of seven legacy servers. - Replacing three legacy servers with one PowerEdge R7725 using PERC12 could lower 5-year total cost of ownership by up to $2.1 million. - PT said most of that savings comes from reduced software licensing. - The PowerEdge R7725 with PERC13 delivered 117.4% better analytics performance per watt than the legacy server. - The same configuration consumed 54.0% less power than the seven legacy servers it could replace. - The report also examined Oracle AI Database 26ai, which Oracle positions as the first AI-branded Oracle Database that runs on standard on-premises infrastructure without requiring Exadata. - PT said the combination of Oracle AI Database 26ai and high-core-count AMD EPYC processors offers a path to modernize Oracle environments while reducing the number of servers under management. - The report said the testing delivered substantial improvements in analytics performance and power efficiency compared with legacy HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 servers.

Between the lines: - The test suggests the biggest financial upside comes from software licensing, not just from buying fewer boxes. - The results also position the PowerEdge R7725 as a consolidation play for organizations that want to keep Oracle workloads on premises without moving to Exadata. - The focus on performance per watt signals that power efficiency is part of the buying case, not just raw speed.

What's next: - Principled Technologies said the full report includes hardware configurations, methodology and the detailed 5-year cost breakdown. - Dell and PT are using the findings to make a case for modernizing Oracle Database environments on the PowerEdge R7725. - Organizations evaluating Oracle refresh cycles can use the test data as a reference point for their own consolidation and TCO modeling.

The bottom line: - PT’s testing suggests one Dell PowerEdge R7725 can do the work of multiple aging HPE servers, while lowering cost and power use in Oracle Database analytics environments.