Review: HP ProLiant MicroServer
Basic Specification
- Processor: AMD Athlon II Neo N36l – 1.3GHz – Dual Core – 64 Bit – 2MB L2 Cache (1MB PP)
- RAM: 1GB(/8GB) – DDR3 – 800MHz – DIM 240-pin
- Storage: Raid 0/1 Controller – 1 x 250GB SATA – 4 drive bays total.
- Network: IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.3ab – WoL – PXE – 1 Adaptor
- Expansion: 1 5.25″ (Front Accessible) – 2x PCI Express (1x x16, 1x x1) Half Length
- Warranty: 1 year manufacturer – limited.
Review
I recently received a HP ProLiant MicroServer as a gift for my birthday. It was a product suggested to me by a friend who had also recently bought one. I have little experience working with actual servers, the majority of my experience dealing with them involves me sitting behind a terminal window. None of my limited experience installing them was needed for this job however.
The set-up and installation of additional drives is trivial. Simply screw them into the rails, push and click the handle on the front. Installing additional RAM and PCI Express 2.0 cards is also very simple. Be sure to read the specification of the device before buying as the PCI cards will need to be half-length models.
It comes with a snappy little 64 bit, dual-core chip. The AMD Athlon II Neo N36L, just the right amount of power required for what is basically a NAS device with some additional potential. I am currently running a couple of websites and some git repositories (through Apache) in addition to using it as a NAS. I bought this product as an alternative to a Drobo as it didn’t require me to have a machine to connect it too the network. Previously I was using a number of external drives connected to a netbook to serve as a NAS. As you may have guessed, the USB read and write speeds weren’t particularly fast especially when dealing with more than one of the drives at once.
The build quality of the machine is very good, obvious thought has gone into it’s design. The motherboard is easy to remove to put in upgrades, each of the drives is removable on rails. One feature that really caught my eye was that the tools and screws for mounting the drives to the rails were embedded into the door panel. Little things that just make it an easier product to work with. I understand that is a feature they do across the range but it’s nice to see they provide it in a cheaper product.
Finally, the price was reasonable. HP also offered £100 cash back which could have easily have gone into drives or upgrades for the machine. The RAM for this machine costs around £35 for a 4GB stick. In all, I’m very happy with it would definitely buy another if I needed it.
Links
EBuyer Link: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/253305
RAM Link: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/229102
