HP ProLiant Micro Servers land under £250

The lines between PC and server, server and NAS box have never been blurred as much as they are now. You only need to look at the descriptions associated with any ‘specialist' piece of kit to see that. But KitGuru has just seen a deal for a genuine HP server product that seems to offer serious functionality and expansion. And all for not much cash. 

Once upon a time, Compaq's ProLiant range of servers were as good as it got for many businesses. The name ProLiant meant you were getting the very best in build quality and some unique software/firmware solutions to the problem is data integrity and 24×7 up-time.

HP's decision to buy Compaq and use it as an ‘entry level' brand is, in many ways, a stroke of genius. While the old Compaq brands still carry a certain ‘history of quality', they are now also ‘affordable' – which gives consumers the idea that they are getting ‘something special for not much cash'.

Which is exactly what we appear to be seeing with the HP ProLiant G7 N54L, selling as a complete (albeit in need of specification adjustment, to suit your needs) Micro Server for less than £250.

OK, so what do you get for your cash – and how is this ‘Not just a NAS box' ?

Well the deal we're looking at is for the base unit itself, which comes with a £50 cash back promotion at £209.98 – and you can then add in Windows Home Server 2011 for just £33.99 at the time of purchase.

The Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 software is like ‘NAS+', allowing for all the useful stuff – like centralised storage, streaming and backups – as well as remote access and extendability through 3rd party add-ons.

The ProLiant Microserver itself comes in a snazzy ‘Lian-Li look a like' micro tower chassis and has the ability to add in up to 3 large drives for storage and back-up. It is powered by an AMD Turion II Neo N54L running at 2.2 GHz.

This is how HP itself describes the ProLiant G7 M54L product:-

You have multiple versions of files floating around the company and maintaining control of document versions is becoming a challenge – there is no central data storage. You need to improve communication and work processes with employees or customers. You want to make sure that you can make the most of your existing computers and office equipment. The HP ProLiant MicroServer is a general purpose server that can provide a platform to organize and safeguard your business information, allow effective communication with customers and make the most of your existing office equipment and resources. The HP MicroServer is a cost effective starter server for businesses with less than 10 clients and it can take your business to the next level of productivity and efficiency. It is simple and easy to own:-

…• Server performance but at a PC price
…• Designed to make adding drives or peripherals a minimal effort
…• At a 22 dBA noise level, it is quiet for ergonomic working environments
…• Space-saving; ideal for the small office
…• Proven HP Dependability and Support
…• System testing and process control ensures only the most dependable products
…• Worldwide network of HP trained service
…• Error checking and correction (ECC) memory minimizes the likelihood of memory failures
…• RAID 0, 1 prevents data loss and ensures around the clock reliability
…• Up to four LFF SATA pluggable hard disks and up to 8 GB of RAM give you room to grow

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KitGuru says: Overall, you can run your back-ups etc from a NAS unit, but for those who like the idea of having a single operating system spanning their network – plus the assurance that comes from the letters ‘HP' sitting on the front – then getting a complete Micro Server for less than £250 has to be worth a look.

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