HP ProLiant G7 N54L MicroServer Server System AMD Turion II Model Neo N54L 2GB DDR3 250GB LFF 704941-001

Pros: Small Quiet Inexpensive Fast enough for most things a home server would be called upon to do. Included Torx wrench and mounting screws.

Cons: Only five drive bays (would like to have six). Only comes with one Ethernet port. The split PCI-e port for the Remote Management Interface is a complete waste, IMHO. Doesn't support eSATA port multiplicatiion ouf of the box (need to flash hacked BIOS). Would be nice if they made 16GiB RAM capacity official.

Overall Review: Once Upon a Time... I discovered I had a problem. The problem was this: The File I Want to Work With Is Not On The Machine I'm in Front Of. The corollary to this problem was that I had a bunch of data/media that was scattered among various storage volumes (PCs, laptops, SD cards, etc.). So I started looking into NAS solutions. One of my requirements was that any server running in my house had to be running Open Source software. I was already pretty impressed by FreeNAS ( http://freenas.org/ ), and was looking for something to run it on. Quite by accident, I learned about the HP Proliant Microserver line, whose latest incarnation at the time was the N54L. Pricing the various components, there was almost no way I could do better for the same amount of money, so I bought one. I can't begin to describe how tickled I am with this little box. "Microserver" is the right word to describe this machine. It is small. You *could* make a smaller Mini-ITX-based machine, but then you wouldn't have space for four hard drives and a CD-ROM drive. But it is certainly small enough that you could unobtrusively tuck it in a corner somewhere. It is quiet. The hard drives you install will likely make more noise than the single large fan at the back which cools the entire system. Though tiny, it is very much a server-class machine. It has four SATA drive bays, which connect to the motherboard via a single SAS connector. And it takes ECC RAM; although more expensive, it ensures against data corruption -- an absolute requirement if you're building something you want to be a rock-solid file server. It also has thoughful little extras in it. From the photos, you can see that the front of the machine has a door secured by a lock and key. What you can't see is that, clipped inside that door, is a Torx wrench and about 16 screws you can use to secure hard drives and a CD-ROM drive to their brackets. The same Torx wrench will also let you pull the motherboard out to upgrade the RAM. You'll never be at a loss for tools or mounting hardware. Also inside the box is a standard USB port into which you can install any garden variety USB memory stick. The result is a machine that seems like it was designed explicitly to run FreeNAS. In my case, I originally installed FreeNAS 8.3.0, and have since upgraded to FreeNAS 9.1.1. The FreeNAS OS is installed on a USB stick, which is inserted in the internal USB port. I added 3 x 2TB Hitachi drives, arranged in a RAID-Z1 configuration. The 250GB Seagate drive the machine came with is relegated to running jailed services. The only things I might wish for would be an extra drive bay, so that I could put in six 3.5" drives in an optimal RAID-Z2 configuration (4 data + 2 parity); and official support for eSATA port multiplication (as it is, you have to flash a hacked BIOS to get this). Otherwise... Otherwise, hell. This thing rocks so hard, I bought a second one to be my home gateway. Highly reco

Pros: Amazing manufacturer support.

Cons: The PSU needed to be replaced.

Overall Review: This is a response to Ryan's review concerning the loud power supply fan ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/SingleProductReview.aspx?reviewid=3754603 ). I wrote up a long-ish post on Google+ on my experience, but putting it *very* briefly: My second N54L started exhibiting similar issues -- the power supply fan started spinning up for no reason and was very loud (although initially I thought it was the main fan for the case). I registered my N54L's serial number on HP's Web site to activate the warranty, and then I filed a support request, again using their Web site. This happened on a Monday morning. By Friday, the problem was *resolved*. HP acknowledged this was not normal behavior, and shipped out a replacement power supply via next-day UPS at no cost, along with a pre-paid shipping label to return the defective one. There was no phone-tree spelunking, no RMA dance -- they just shipped out the part. After the initial support request, everything was handled through email. I installed the new one -- which has been perfectly quiet so far -- put the old one in the box and dropped it off at UPS. I'm guessing this is the level of service you get when buying ProLiant-branded products. I'm still flabbergasted.

Pros: Got this on an HP/Newegg deal -$50 instant and -$50 mail in rebate on 3/16/13. Nice! -Small foot print -Versatile -Easy to use drive bays w/ Hardware in the door. Very Cool. -Great serviceability -Low power consumption -Plenty of CPU power for a server -Well thought out design -Run most any OS you want -USB on front of MOBO for any usb based OS you want to run -Easy to modify and tons of Microserver Community support for that. Use it! Some out there may nit pick this unit due to small size with tight innards, but really once you take it apart once it's so easy. Then again, after you install your additional board hardware, how often are you reaaaallly going to be in/out of this thing anyway? IMHO, nothing is cheesy, flimsy, brittle about it. Some have used this for a HTPC- Boxee, Plex, etc. Plex reencodes the vids and some say it has enough CPU for that.

Cons: -No DVD drive (will need to use a USB DVD drive like I did or make a USB stick to install the OS) -Only 2GB installed RAM -No USB 3, but can be done with a PCI card -Bright blue HP LED. (What are they thinking? Put a layer of duct tape to dim.) -BIOS has some settings locked down, but can be worked around -Single NIC card Honestly, a short list. And some are to keep the price down to allow the user to "make it what they want" after. You decide where to spend the money based on needs.

Overall Review: I installed: -WHS 2011 - NewEgg deal for $35 a few months ago. Nice! -1x Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD-F60GB3A/RF 2.5" 60GB SATA III SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233482 Used for the WHS 2011 OS only. I wanted speedy boots and performance. This was cheap vs a 128GB unit and I don't install a lot of other programs on a server. Installs on single SATA port on right/front of mobo. -2 x Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drives. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148910 -WD (WDBFNJ0000NNC-WASN) USB 3.0 PCIe Card (Discontinued) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=15-140-001&Tpk=N82E16815140001 -Stable Bit Drive Pool Picking up a few more additions to complete the setup: -ICY DOCK MB971SP-B DuoSwap 5.25" Hot-Swap Drive Caddy for 2.5" and 3.5" SATA HD/SSD Just to tiddy up the mounting of the SSD vs. taping it in the 5.25 ODD bay area http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994143 -Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 It barely has 800 mb left after boot, so this upgrade is a MUST! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139262 -2 More Seagate SATA III 2TB Drives One more for the pool and one for a WHS Backup drive. Don't really need that much, but will give me plenty of room. -HighPoint Rocket 640L PCI-Express 2.0 x4 Low Profile SATA III (6.0Gb/s) RAID Controller Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115114 May install to gain the full Sata III (6gb) speed of the OS drive vs the current Sata II speeds the mobo supports with it's built in plug. Totally unnecessary though. Mobo Hardware Tip: To pull the MOBO out to install the ram, PCI card---you must unplug everything off the board. There has been a lot of people that struggle with unplugging the SATA Array plug for the the 4 bays. Screw drivers, prying, pulling etc. Whoa.... It's simple--grasp lightly with thump and fore finger putting one or the other on the metal clip. Push down slightly on the plug. While applying this slight downward pressure, squeeze the plug so that you compress the metal clip...then lift straight up. So easy and fast. It is the most fragile plug, so be easy.

Pros: -Small footprint -Decent RAM capacity -Great serviceability -Low power -Well thought out design -Works well with FreeNas

Cons: -Only 2GB installed RAM -Could use a handle/carry slot -Hard plastic HDD holders seem brittle

Overall Review: I purchased the N54L to take over the duty of my FreeNas box that was way over powered for the task. Installation of my hardware was extremely easy. Move a few wires, unfasten two thumb screws, and unplug a few connector to slide the motherboard tray completely out of the case. I was able to install 2 sticks of 4GB RAM into the machine within 3 minutes. The HDDs use a hot-swap style bay, but are not hot-swappable. The plastic that the HDD cradles are made of seem a bit brittle, but I did not have trouble using them. For those that want to upgrade the RAM, this Kingston 2x4GB pack worked perfectly in the device: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139262 Overall, I was impressed by the small package and the nice layout. I was up and running within 10 minutes of opening the box. FreeNas users: this server works great. I was able to migrate my entire FreeNas OS and ZFS stack by simply removing the USB stick from my old server and inserting it into the N54L. I only had to change the network interface settings and I was up and running.

Pros: This is my second MicroServer. My first ran fine for almost 7 months and one day it quit working, the HP light on the front was red. I checked several things on the machine, tried reconnecting the power supply, took the RAM out and reseated it, all the troubleshooting I could think of. Then I looked online and found that the red light was indicating a hardware failure. I went to HP site and filled out a warranty claim. I finished the claim at 9:30 pm Saturday night. I thought I would receive an email later next week. We were putting the server back up after taking the HD's out to retrieve the data, and my cell phone rang. It was 12:05 AM! I answered the phone thinking it was going to be a wrong number. It was HP support, and they ask if it was a good time to troubleshoot my server! I was very happy to hear from them. No emailing back and forth. He ask a few questions and then told me that Monday morning he would send a replacement motherboard. Man was I glad. The board came overnight delivery. I looked at all the paperwork and the board was new, not a referb. No shipping charge, no credit card number request, nothing from me except they ask I return the board, and it had a return shipping label. What more could a person ask for? Got the server running Tuesday and ordered another Tuesday afternoon. Great for our needs and great service from HP. Very Pleased Customer.

Cons: None, great for our needs.

Overall Review: No need yet, but I would buy more if needed. HP has sold me on their product. The new server arrived quicker than anything else we have bought from Newegg. So pleased with HP and Newegg.

Pros: I purchased this server over black friday and I've been very happy with the overall performance of the system. The Turion II is snappy enough to support any flavor of Windows (Win 7 / Win 8 / Sever 2008 R2 / etc.) as well as any virtualization setup running VMWare or Virtual Box. I bought this server specifically for the purpose of running the Xpenology OS. Unboxing and installation went without a hitch. I've now got a great home server for all my files / website / etc. Computer Upgrades Flashed "The Bay's Bios (unlocking the added features of ports 5 and 6 on the board) 4x 3TB Seagate ST3000DM001 drives ICY DOCK ToughArmor MB996SP-6SB (6x 2.5 inch drives installed in the 3.5 inch bay) Syba SD-PEX50055 expansion card (adds 2x usb 3.0 and 2x SATA 6.0gb/s 6" SATA 15-Pin Male to Dual 4-Pin Molex Female Y Splitter Once all configured and installed i've got a total of 10 drives installed and running on this box. =) Read / Write speeds are maxing out the gigabit ethernet port (around 100 / 120 MB/s)

Cons: none what so ever =)

Overall Review: It's important to note that this microserver has lots of hidden potential. I expect this setup to last me several years going forward. I also can confirm that Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00 memory works in this system. Please note that the max supported memroy is only 8gb stock, only after flashing the "The Bay's" bios on my N54l I was able to install 16GB memory

Pros: My Build: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 8GB Memory 3TB mdadm raid 1 (2 x 3TB WD Red) I just needed a headless server to run my sabnzbd/sickbeard and other linux services (smbfs, dropbox, etc..). For those wondering, this box can handle easily 720p transcoding under Plex. 1080P is a no (though if I want to play 1080p content of course I would use direct play). The build of the hardware is great. I like the placement of the tools and extra harddrive screws on the door. Super simple to upgrade memory, drives and I can easily see myself being able to install a low profile raid card and raid easily up to 6 drives with some modding. Also I find it to be very quiet and temps seems great running so far on just 3 drives. The blue light doesn't bother me.

Cons: none that I know of.

Pros: Excellent price for Micro-Server class box with HP quality. Included hard drive and ram so you can at least get the box up and running. Add 16gb ram and turn this into a great ESXi Lab box or use it as a great home server to host you movies, music and pics.

Cons: The AMD cpu inside is kind of weak and cannot be upgraded. Using ECC ram to upgrade to 8 or 16gb can be expensive. BIOS is locked to limit the # of hard drives you can attach.

Overall Review: At a price under $250, this MicroServer is a no brainer. I am looking forward to purchasing the newest 8th Gen MicroServer when the prices drop. HP build great server-class boxes.