ML150 - is is quiet enough???

[Simon Blain]

Hi

I am after a small, inexpensive server for a small, quiet office environment. Several people will be working within close proximity of the server so it cannot be loud. I was looking at a ML150 G2 SATA edition box with single 2.8 XEON as I can pick up one at a good price. Can anyone provide any experiene as to how loud these units are? I have used ML350 G3 and DL380 G3s and know these are both way too loud for where I am....how does the ML150 G2 compare?

Thanks

[David Claypool]

In general, the sound level of a server is from the mechanical devices such as drives and fans. The second factor has a lot to do with the form factor -- a 2U server has to work a lot harder to suck air through its faceplate than a 5U server.

The QuickSpecs for each of the models shows:

ML150 G2 58dB
ML350 G3 60dB
DL380 G3 72dB

As you can see, not much difference between ML150 and ML350, and the elevated level of the DL380 is primarily due to the 2U faceplate.

That being said, the latest generation of processors have greatly reduced their heat and therefore the amount of required cooling. Additionally, the latest server models have transitioned to Small-Form Factor drives which are significantly quieter. Other technologies such as Power Regulator available with 300 series servers allow the server to operate at reduced power consumption as well.

It may be tempting to pick up the inexpensive server from the previous generation, but with your environment requirement, you'd do well to consider one of the most recent designs.

[David Claypool]

Also note the following customer notice detailing a change in the DL380 G5 and DL385 G2 moving from 12 fans to 6 fans and reducing fan noise: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c00866744