The Lenovo ThinkSystem ST650 V2 is an ideal 2-socket 4U tower server for small businesses up to large enterprises that need industry-leading reliability, management, and security, as well as maximizing performance and flexibility for future growth. The ST650 V2 is based on the new 3rd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor family and the new Intel Optane Persistent Memory 200 Series.

The ST650 V2 is designed to handle a wide range of workloads, such as databases, virtualization and cloud computing, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), infrastructure security, systems management, enterprise applications, collaboration/email, streaming media, web, and HPC.

ThinkSystem ST650 V2

Key features

The ThinkSystem ST650 V2 is a high-performance dual-socket tower server based on the third-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, supporting a wide range of processors to suit a wide range of budgets and application requirements.

Scalability and performance

The ST650 V2 offers numerous features to boost performance, improve scalability and reduce costs: 

  • Supports one or two third-generation Intel Xeon Processor Scalable processors
    • Up to 36 cores and 72 threads
    • Core speeds of up to 3.6 GHz
    • TDP ratings of up to 250W
  • Support for up to 32 TruDDR4 memory DIMMs operating at up to 3200 MHz means you have the fastest available memory subsystem.
  • Supports configurations of 2 DIMMs per channel to operate at the 3200 MHz rated speed of the memory DIMMs.
  • Using 128GB 3DS RDIMMs, the server supports up to 4TB of system memory.
  • Supports the new Intel Optane Persistent Memory 200 Series for advanced in-memory database applications, dense-virtualization; up to 16 PMem Modules can be installed in conjunction with regular system memory.
  • Supports up to eight single-width GPUs or four double-wide GPUs, for substantial processing power in a tower system.
  • Supports a variety of front-accessible drive bays:
    • Up to 32x 2.5-inch hot-swap drive bays with two 5.25-inch media bays
    • Up to 12x 3.5-inch hot-swap drive bays with two 5.25-inch media bays
    • Up to 16x 3.5-inch hot-swap drive bays without the media bays
    • Up to 12x 3.5-inch simple-swap drive bays with two 5.25-inch media bays
  • Supports up to 16x NVMe drives to maximize drive I/O performance, in terms of throughput, bandwidth, and latency.
  • Supports up to 12x SATA drives using the onboard SATA controller (no additional adapter needed), enabling lower cost, high capacity storage solution.
  • Supports high-speed RAID controllers from Broadcom providing 12 Gb SAS connectivity to the drive backplanes. A variety of PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 RAID adapters are available, including compact form factor adapters that are cabled and don’t occupy a PCIe slot.
  • Supports M.2 drives for convenient operating system boot functions or data storage. Available M.2 adapters support either one M.2 drive or two M.2 drives in a RAID 1 configuration for performance and reliability.
  • The server has two integrated 10 GbE 10GBASE-T ports with support for additional networking using adapter cards.
  • The server offers PCI Express 4.0 I/O expansion capabilities that doubles the theoretical maximum bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 (16GT/s in each direction for PCIe 4.0, compared to 8 GT/s with PCIe 3.0). A PCIe 4.0 x16 slot provides 64 GB/s bandwidth, enough to support a 200GbE network connection.
  • Up to nine PCIe slots, eight of which are PCIe 4.0 and are standard.

Availability and serviceability

The ST650 V2 provides many features to simplify serviceability and increase system uptime:

  • The server offers Single Device Data Correction (SDDC, also known as Chipkill), Adaptive Double-Device Data Correction (ADDDC, also known as Redundant Bit Steering or RBS), memory mirroring, and memory rank sparing for redundancy in the event of a non-correctable memory failure.
  • The server offers hot-swap drives, supporting RAID redundancy for data protection and greater system uptime.
  • Available M.2 RAID Boot Adapters support RAID-1 which can enable two SATA or two NVMe M.2 drives to be configured as a redundant pair.
  • The server has up to two hot-swap redundant power supplies and up to four large hot-swap redundant fans to provide availability for business-critical applications.
  • The power-source-independent light path diagnostics uses LEDs to lead the technician to failed (or failing) components, which simplifies servicing, speeds up problem resolution, and helps improve system availability.
  • Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer more reliability than traditional mechanical HDDs for greater uptime.
  • Proactive Platform Alerts (including PFA and SMART alerts): Processors, voltage regulators, memory, internal storage (SAS/SATA HDDs and SSDs, NVMe SSDs, M.2 storage, flash storage adapters), fans, power supplies, RAID controllers, server ambient and subcomponent temperatures. Alerts can be surfaced through the XClarity Controller to managers such as Lenovo XClarity Administrator, VMware vCenter, and Microsoft System Center. These proactive alerts let you take appropriate actions in advance of possible failure, thereby increasing server uptime and application availability.
  • The built-in XClarity Controller continuously monitors system parameters, triggers alerts, and performs recovery actions in case of failures to minimize downtime.
  • Built-in diagnostics in UEFI, using Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager, speed up troubleshooting tasks to reduce service time.
  • Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager supports diagnostics and can save service data to a USB key drive or remote CIFS share folder for troubleshooting and reduce service time.
  • Auto restart in the event of a momentary loss of AC power (based on power policy setting in the XClarity Controller service processor)
  • Offers a diagnostics port located at the rear of the server to allow you to attach an external diagnostics handset for enhanced systems management capabilities.
  • Support for the XClarity Administrator Mobile app running on a supported smartphone and connected to the server through the service-enabled USB port, enables additional local systems management functions.
  • Three-year or one-year customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty, 9 x 5 next business day. Optional service upgrades are available.

Manageability and security

Systems management features simplify local and remote management of the ST650 V2:

  • Toolless cover removal provides easy access to upgrades and serviceable parts, such as CPU, memory, and adapter cards.
  • The server includes an XClarity Controller (XCC) to monitor server availability. Optional upgrade to XCC Advanced to provide remote control (keyboard video mouse) functions. Optional upgrade to XCC Enterprise enables the additional support for the mounting of remote media files (ISO and IMG image files), boot capture, and power capping.
  • Lenovo XClarity Administrator offers comprehensive hardware management tools that help to increase uptime, reduce costs and improve productivity through advanced server management capabilities.
  • UEFI-based Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager, accessible from F1 during boot, provides system inventory information, graphical UEFI Setup, platform update function, RAID Setup wizard, operating system installation function, and diagnostic functions.
  • Support for Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager, which captures real-time power and temperature data from the server and provides automated controls to lower energy costs.
  • An integrated industry-standard Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) enables improved setup, configuration, and updates, and simplifies error handling.
  • Support for industry standard management protocols, IPMI 2.0, SNMP 3.0, Redfish REST API, serial console via IPMI
  • Available physical security features include a lockable front door and a chassis intrusion switch to help prevent unauthorized access and notify administrators when the server cover has been removed.
  • An integrated hardware Trusted Platform Module (TPM) supporting TPM 2.0 enables advanced cryptographic functionality, such as digital signatures and remote attestation.
  • Administrator and power-on passwords help protect from unauthorized access to the server.
  • Supports Secure Boot to ensure only a digitally signed operating system can be used. Supported with HDDs and SSDs, as well as M.2 drives.
  • Industry-standard Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) NI support for faster, stronger encryption.
  • Intel Execute Disable Bit functionality can prevent certain classes of malicious buffer overflow attacks when combined with a supported operating system.
  • Intel Trusted Execution Technology provides enhanced security through hardware-based resistance to malicious software attacks, allowing an application to run in its own isolated space, protected from all other software running on a system.

Energy efficiency

The ST650 V2 offers the following energy-efficiency features to save energy, reduce operational costs, and increase energy availability:

  • Energy-efficient planar components help lower operational costs.
  • High-efficiency power supplies with 80 PLUS Platinum and Titanium certifications
  • Solid-state drives (SSDs) consume as much as 80% less power than traditional spinning 2.5-inch HDDs.
  • The server uses hexagonal ventilation holes, which can be grouped more densely than round holes, providing more efficient airflow through the system and thus keeping your system cooler.
  • Optional Lenovo XClarity Energy Manager provides advanced data center power notification, analysis, and policy-based management to help achieve lower heat output and reduced cooling needs.

Comparing the ST650 V2 to the ST550

The ThinkSystem ST650 V2 is the new mainstream 2S tower server that is positioned above ST550, the value 2S tower. ST650 V2 with the industry’s latest technologies supports higher TDP CPUs, a larger memory footprint, more storage capabilities, a larger number of I/O slots, and supports more GPU adapters. Details are summarized in following table.

FeatureST550ST650 V2Benefits
Form Factor4U Tower with rack convertible4U Tower with rack convertibleMore features and capacities with same chassis
Processor2x 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processorup to 22 cores & 125W per CPU2x 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processorup to 36 cores & 250W per CPUThe latest high-performance processors from IntelGreater computing performance with top bin CPUs
Memory6 channels per CPU12x TruDDR4 (R/LR/3DS) 2933MHz DIMMsUp to 2933MHz, Max 768GB8 channels per CPU32x TruDDR4 (R/3DS) 3200MHz DIMMsUp to 1DPC & 2DPC @ 3200MHz, Max 4TB2nd Gen Intel Optane Persistent Memory5X increase in memory capacityFaster memorySupport for PMem for even greater memory capacity and application performance
DiskInternal M.2 with optional RAID 0/1Up to 8x 3.5” SS or HS SAS/SATAUp to 20x 2.5” HS SAS/SATA (optional 4x NVMe SSDs)Hybrid support for 8x 3.5” and 4x 2.5” HS SAS/SATAOptional 2x 5.25” drive bays for optical/backup drivesInternal M.2 with optional RAID 0/1Up to 16x 3.5” HS SAS/SATA (up to 8x optional NVMe SSDs)Up to 32x 2.5” HS SAS/SATA (up to 16x optional NVMe SSDs)Optional 2x 5.25” drive bays for optical/backup drivesDouble the number of 3.5” drive bays1.6X more 2.5” drive bays.4X the number of NVMe SSDs supported
RAID12Gb SAS/SATA/RAID supportPCIe 3.0 adaptersOnboard SATA support with RAIDRange of 8-, 16- and 24-port RAID adapters8- and 16-port HBAsNVMe Switch for 4x NVMe12Gb SAS/SATA/RAID supportPCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 adaptersOnboard SATA support with RAIDOnboard VROC NVMe support with RAIDWider range of 8-, 16- and 32-port RAID adapters8- and 16-port HBAsNVMe Retimer adapters for 16x NVMeNew with Intel VROC for onboard SATA RAID and NVMe RAIDFeaturing industry’s latest PCIe Gen4 based RAID adaptersNVMe Retimers lower the cost of NVMe support
Networking2x 1GbE embedded1GbE dedicated Management port2x 10GbE embedded1GbE dedicated Management portMoved from embedded 1GbE to 10GbE for faster data transfer
PCIe6 slots total3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots2x PCIe 3.0 x8 slots1x PCIe 3.0 x4 slotSeparate M.2 adapter supportUp to 9 slots total (1 is optional)4x PCIe 4.0 x16 slotsUp to 4x PCIe x8 (3x Gen4, 1x Gen3)1x PCIe 4.0 x4 slotSeparate M.2 adapter supportNew PCIe 4.0 supportAdditional slots to support more I/OExtra x16 slot for high-performance networking
GPUUp to 2x DW/SW GPU adaptersUp to 4x active DW or 8x SW GPU adapters2X more the double-width GPU support and 4X more the single-width GPU support
Management and SecurityXClarity Controller with upgradesFull XClarity software suite including XClarity AdministratorOptional intrusion switch and lockable doorXClarity Controller with upgradesFull XClarity software suite including XClarity AdministratorOptional intrusion switch and lockable doorSupport for External Diagnostics HandsetPlatform Firmware Resiliency (PFR) hardware Root of TrustCommon management tools with prior generationExternal Diagnostics Handset with LCD panel offers quick access to system status, firmware, network, and health informationPlatform Firmware Resiliency is an advanced security solution with a silicon-based to guard against corruption and unauthorized firmware updates
Power Supply1x 450W Fixed PSU, Gold2x Hot-swap PSUs up to 1100W, Platinum750W Hot-swap Titanium PSU2x Hot-swap PSUs up to 2400W, Platinum750W Hot-swap Titanium PSU1100W -48V DC PSU (planned)Expanded power supply portfolio for exact configuration required and sharing with rest of the 2-socket/4-socket ThinkSystem V2 servers

Standard specifications

The following table lists the standard specifications.

ComponentsSpecification
Machine types7Z75 – 1 year warranty
7Z74 – 3 year warranty
Form factorTower or 4U Rack
ProcessorOne or two third-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor (formerly codenamed “Ice Lake”). Supports processors up to 36 cores, core speeds of up to 3.6 GHz, and TDP ratings of up to 250W.
ChipsetIntel C621A “Lewisburg” chipset, part of the platform codenamed “Whitley”
Memory32 DIMM slots with two processors (16 DIMM slots per processor). Each processor has 8 memory channels, with 2 DIMMs per channel (DPC). Lenovo TruDDR4 RDIMMs and 3DS RDIMMs are supported. DIMM slots are shared between standard system memory and persistent memory. DIMMs operate at up to 3200 MHz at 2 DPC.
Persistent memorySupports up to 16x Intel Optane Persistent Memory 200 Series modules (8 per processor) installed in the DIMM slots. Persistent memory (Pmem) is installed in combination with system memory DIMMs.
Memory maximumWith RDIMMs: Up to 4TB by using 32x 128GB 3DS RDIMMs
With Persistent Memory: Up to 5TB by using 16x 64GB 3DS RDIMMs and 16x 256GB Pmem modules (2.5TB per processor)
Memory protectionECC, SDDC (for x4-based memory DIMMs), ADDDC (for x4-based memory DIMMs, requires Platinum or Gold processors), and memory mirroring.
Disk drive bays2.5-inch drive bays:Up to 32x 2.5-inch hot-swap bays (16x NVMe) plus 2x 5.25-inch media bays3.5-inch drive bays:Up to 16x 3.5-inch hot-swap bays (8x NVMe) (no media bays)Up to 12x 3.5-inch hot-swap bays (8x NVMe) plus 2x 5.25-inch media baysUp to 12x 3.5-inch simple-swap bays plus 2x 5.25-inch media baysInternal drives for OS boot or drive storage:Internal M.2 module supporting up to two M.2 drives
Maximum internal storage2.5-inch drives:122.88TB using 32x 3.84TB 2.5-inch SAS/SATA SSDs61.44TB using 16x 3.84TB 2.5-inch NVMe SSDs76.8TB using 32x 2.4TB 2.5-inch HDDs3.5-inch drives:256TB using 16x 16TB 3.5-inch HDDs61.44TB using 16x 3.84TB 3.5-inch SAS/SATA SSDs30.72TB using 8x 3.84TB 3.5-inch NVMe SSDs
Storage controller12x onboard SATA ports (Intel VROC SATA RAID, formerly known as Intel RSTe RAID)Up to 8x onboard NVMe ports (includes Intel VROC NVMe RAID, with optional license for non-Intel NVMe SSDs)NVMe Retimer Adapter (supports Intel VROC NVMe RAID)12 Gb SAS/SATA RAID adapters:RAID 530i-8i (cacheless) supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50RAID 530i-16i (cacheless) supports RAID 0, 1, 10RAID 930-8i with 2GB flash-backed cache supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60RAID 930-16i with 4GB flash-backed cache supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60RAID 940-8i with 4GB or 8GB flash-backed cache supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60RAID 940-16i with 8GB flash-backed cache supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60RAID 940-32i with 8GB flash-backed cache supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 6012 Gb SAS/SATA non-RAID: 430-8i, 430-16i and 440-16i HBAs
Optical drive and tape drive baysTwo half-height 5.25-inch media bays, available in most configurations. Supports two of LTO tape drive, RDX drive, or slim DVD-RW optical drive.
Network interfacesTwo onboard 10GBASE-T Ethernet RJ45 ports based on a Broadcom BCM57416 controller. Additional dedicated Gigabit port for remote management via the XClarity Controller (XCC) management processor.
PCI Expansion slotsUp to 9x PCIe slots – 8x PCIe 4.0 slots standard, 1x PCIe 3.0 slot optional (slot 8) All slots are full height, full length (FHFL) with rear access. Slots 4-8 require CPU 2 installed.Slot 1: PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 1)Slot 2: PCIe 4.0 x4 (x8 physical slot) (CPU 1)Slot 3: PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 1)Slot 4: PCIe 4.0 x8 (x8 physical slot) (CPU 2)Slot 5: PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 2)Slot 6: PCIe 4.0 x8 (x8 physical slot) (CPU 2)Slot 7: PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 2)Slot 8: PCIe 3.0 x8 (x8 physical slot) (CPU 2) (optional, cabled to PCIe connector)Slot 9: PCIe 4.0 x8 (x8 physical slot) (CPU 1)The server also supports the installation of a RAID adapter or HBA in a dedicated area that does not consume any of the PCIe slots. See the location of the Internal RAID adapter (cabled) in the Internal view of the server.All nine slots are mounted on the system board. The optional slot, Slot 8, is enabled through a cable, routed from one of the PCIe NVMe onboard connectors. See the I/O expansion section for details.
GPU supportSupports up to 8x single-wide GPUs or up to 4x double-wide GPUs
PortsFront: 1x USB 3.1 G1 (5 Gb/s) port, 1x USB 2.0 port (also for XCC local management)Rear: 2x 10GBASE-T RJ45 Ethernet ports, 4x USB 3.1 G1 (5 Gb/s) ports, 1x VGA video port, 1x DB-9 COM serial port, 1x 1GbE RJ-45 systems management port for XCC remote management, External diagnostics portInternal: 1x USB 3.1 G1 connector for operating system or license key purposes
CoolingUp to 4x single-rotor or dual-rotor hot swap 92 mm fans, configuration dependent. Fans are N+1 redundant. One additional fan integrated in each power supply.
Power supplyUp to two hot-swap redundant AC power supplies, 80 PLUS Platinum or 80 PLUS Titanium certification. 750 W, 1100 W, 1800 W and 2400 W AC options, supporting 220 V AC. 750 W and 1100 W options also support 110V input supply. In China only, all power supply options support 240 V DC.
VideoG200 graphics with 16 MB memory with 2D hardware accelerator, integrated into the XClarity Controller. Maximum resolution is 1920×1200 32bpp at 60Hz.
Hot-swap partsDrives, power supplies, and fans.
Systems managementOperator panel with status LEDs. Optional External Diagnostics Handset with LCD display. XClarity Controller (XCC) embedded management, XClarity Administrator centralized infrastructure delivery, XClarity Integrator plugins, and XClarity Energy Manager centralized server power management. Optional XClarity Controller Advanced and Enterprise to enable remote control functions.
Security featuresPower-on password, administrator’s password, Trusted Platform Module (TPM), supporting TPM 2.0. In China only, optional Nationz TPM 2.0. Optional lockable front security door and optional chassis intrusion switch.
Operating systems supportedMicrosoft Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, VMware ESXi. See the Operating system support section for specifics.
Limited warrantyThree-year or one-year (model dependent) customer-replaceable unit and onsite limited warranty with 9×5 next business day (NBD).
Service and supportOptional service upgrades are available through Lenovo Services: 4-hour or 2-hour response time, 6-hour fix time, 1-year or 2-year warranty extension, software support for Lenovo hardware and some third-party applications.
DimensionsWidth: 175 mm (6.9 in.), height: 462 mm (18.2 in.), depth: 734 mm (28.9 in.). See Physical and electrical specifications for details.
Weight2.5-inch configuration: 39.28 kg (86.60 lb) maximum
3.5-inch configuration: 46.23 kg (101.92 lb) maximum