HP ProLiant ML110 G7 review

Internally, the server is well designed and HP has made full use of the space. The processor comes fitted with a large heatsink and fan, which also draws air through the hard disk bays. There’s another fan behind this one and a third located beneath the drive cage to service the PCI Express expansion slots, which are also covered by a solid plastic baffle.

In contrast, Dell’s T110 II uses only a single fan and a large plastic shroud to provide all chassis cooling and is almost silent. However, even with the extra fans we found the ML110 nearly as quiet – it’s unlikely to be noticed in a busy office.

The HP server’s four memory sockets are located above the processor and easily accessible for upgrades. The price includes 4GB of UDIMM memory, and the server supports a maximum of 16GB.

HP is pitching this server firmly at businesses that want to run Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation, and it costs an extra £159 exc VAT to have this preinstalled. You should be aware of its limitations, however: it’s 64-bit only, supports a single processor socket and a maximum of 8GB of memory; it can handle up to 30 simultaneous inbound connections and supports a maximum of 15 Windows user accounts.

If those limitations put you off and you want to install an operating system yourself, the bundled SmartStart DVD is used to boot the server, where it provides an assisted installation routine, and access both to diagnostics and to the RAID controller for array configuration.

The HP ProLiant ML110 G7 may be small but it’s certainly big on features, plus the extensive choice of storage options is unusual for an entry-level server. Dell’s PowerEdge T110 II is cheaper, but the ProLiant ML110 G7 is still affordable, and its embedded iLO3 controller provides vastly superior remote management features. In a straight choice between the two, it didn’t take us long to decide we have a new A-List incumbent.