This was posted 12 years 11 months 22 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

Related
  • expired

HP ProLiant Microserver AMD-N36L 1GB250GB NO-CD $168.16 + ship

1111
HP ProLiant Microserver AMD-N36L 1GB250GB NO-CD $168.16 + ship
Go to Deal
stumo on 06/05/2011 - 16:17 dessytek.com.au (9118 clicks)
Last edited 09/05/2011 - 20:10

UPDATE 2 MegaBuy are all out, congrats to everyone who scored this awesome deal. The server is great (mine arrived today). Commiserations to those who paid by BPay or bank transfer and may miss out.
UPDATE dessytek are all out, if you paid by BPay or other non-instant payment type you better cancel your order and buy from MegaBuy for a few dollars more…
http://www.megabuy.com.au/hp-microserver-amd-n36l-1gb250gb35…
Even megabuy are saying that you must use CC or other instant payment, otehrwise you will miss out as these things are flying out the door.
dessytek had 59 on Friday and nearly 300 on Saturday, so its a case of snooze you loose.

I ordered from desssytek 2pm Friday using PayPal, and my server arrived 11am Monday - NSW to VIC via StarTrack Express.

I just bought one of these today and it has already shipped ($16 shipping to VIC). Luckily I fond this site still says it has 50+ in stock becasues the boys over at OCAU have been snapping them up left right and centre last few days.

The prices are fluctuating all over the place right now so please check the usual places before committing.

These were circa $500 since they were released, but just recently the price has been slashed.

It is an ideal setup for a NAS if you put something like openfiler on it, or WHS if you want to pay for an OS. Basically this is killer bang for buck if you were going to go down the DIY NAS route. The AMD laptop CPU in this is faster than the even the newer dual core atoms. It is targeted at small business with a 1 year onsite warranty and the spec is really great for the price…

HP Part number: 633724-011
Processor: AMD Athlon II Model NEO N36L (2 core, 1.30 GHz, 1MB L2, 15W) supports 64Bit and VT
Number of processors: 1
Standard memory :1 GB
Memory slots: 2 DIMM slots
Memory: PC3-10600E UDIMMs DDR3 (can use ECC or non-ECC RAM 2x4GB max)
Expansion slots: 1 half-height, half-length PCIe x16 Gen 2; 1 half-height, half-length PCIe x1 Gen 2
Network controller: (1) 1GbE NC107i 1 Port
Standard storage connection: Non-hot plug 3.5-inch SATA
Storage controller: Integrated 4 port SATA RAID
Power supply type: 150 Watt

Some linkage…

It comes with a 4 bay mini-SAS backplane (1 bay populated by the 250GB bundled disk, woo hoo) but there is an additional external 5.25" SATA bay and an internal USB port so you have other options to run an OS off of and keep the 4 bay backplane for storage etc.

Computing HP NAS Server

Related Stores

DessyTek Online
DessyTek Online

closed Comments

  • jeeg on 07/05/2011 - 12:39

    Personally I m not that particular abt a couple of watts difference between Nas'es. I would be looking at ease of use and performance. The hp is indeed tempting if u are familiar with Linux ou unix as it can do more stuff for sure.

  • pumpum on 07/05/2011 - 12:56

    Can anyone please confirm if this would be any good as a Boxee box ( instead of the Dlink product off the shelf ready to go !? )I do realise that :
    1. operating system will need be loaded first
    2. video out is only VGA and no sound,so will still need to purchase another component.
    PS i do already have a NAS. Thanks kindly.

    • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 13:26
      -1

      I thought about this too - although it seems like a bunch of stuffing around when you can get a Boxee box delivered from the US for under $200.

      Last night I tried to put Ubunutu on an unused Asus Lambo laptop and I spent the whole night stuffing around. First it missed some library dependency because they were renamed in 11.04, so I ran some commands to remove them but it didn't work. So them I installed Ubuntu 10.04 LTS which seems to be the best stable choice for Boxee, then spent a while googling/configuring to get the HDMI out to work only to then not be able to replicate the imagine on both screens (or better yet, just have it on my 58" Samsung). I tried all the options which seemed geared around having dual monitors and splitting the display.

      All that stuffing around when for $200 I could just have the dedicated device. Just wish the new Iomega one was out so I could have an internal HDD, but I suppose an external isn't too bad considering my WiFi iphone remote I can just put all the gear hidden away.

      Anyone know if you can access an external HDD on a Boxee as a shared drive on the network?

      • HrdwrBoB on 09/05/2011 - 10:22

        A boxee box does not have four internal SATA bays.
        I recently bought a 4in3 hotswap bay for $110. $60 more and you get an entire PC and powersupply.

        To compare them is silly - if you don't need storage, fine, but if you do, you cannot come near this for value.

  • nfr on 07/05/2011 - 13:04

    As a NAS, what's its transfer speed on a gigalan?

    • stumo on 08/05/2011 - 11:42
      +1

      Word on the street is that if you pick the the right drives/os/setup you can easily saturate a single Gigabit lan connection. I've seen reports of basic setups running 110/80 r/w MB/s.

  • chiefbodge on 07/05/2011 - 13:11

    Now that this deal has been Ozbargained I am really worried about my cheapskate idea to save 2.4% by paying with BPay. I emailed them asking if this would put my order to the back of the queue but haven't received a response yet. Already listed my old NAS on eBay :P

    • chiefbodge on 07/05/2011 - 13:28

      Wow the bpay payment looks to have come through in less than 24 hours so maybe it will be fine

      • stumo on 07/05/2011 - 14:18

        What does your order status on dessytek say?

        • chiefbodge on 09/05/2011 - 14:19

          It says "Processing" still. Anybody who's paid with bPay had their order shipped yet? Starting to get worried.

  • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 13:20

    I've never gotten this NAS thing.

    If you want to backup your photos, life etc, why not just stick 2/4x Green 2TB drives in your desktop (with a decent green-ish PSU) and RAID them? You don't need that on 24/7 plus it's local storage so it's much quicker. Or if you must, you can do wake-on-LAN and run some cloud software like Tondio.

    If you need something to store your media for your media player, why not just an external/internal HDD on your Boxee/WD Live/Popcorn Hour. They're like little 1x drive low power NAS's if you want to leave it on overnight to download Torrents, UN etc off peak.

    Why do people need something that is to be on 24/7? The thought it cool but how often do people remote FTP stuff into them. Something that uses 35w but it on 24/7 consumes much more power than a 130W Desktop that's on 20 hours a week or so.

    I must be missing something because everyone raves about them. I suspect it's just because it feels cool or 'serious user' to have your own server.

    If anyone could help me out here I'd be appreciated cause I just don't get them.

    • chiefbodge on 07/05/2011 - 13:25
      +1

      We have 3 people in our house who all use the internet quite a bit at different times of the day, we also have a STB that can stream media from a server.

      It makes heaps of sense having a NAS running 24/7 because we don't know when the other members of the house might need to access files off it. It's also good for those slow torrents when you don't want to be running your main PC for days just to complete it. I also use it to rsync from my server in the data centre. That and my main computer is a macbook - can't fit 4 disks in that and having external disks would be messy.

      • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 13:31

        OK, that's something I suppose. I live by myself but I do have many devices (laptops, a desktop, iPad, Xbox, Popcorn Hour).

        What types of files do you share? I wouldn't want my housemates/siblings looking up my word docs, excels, pictures or worse yet, 'home movies'! I could see people sharing movies and music, but that would only make sense if you all liked the same stuff, which I'd imagine wouldn't be the case for most (my guess).

        Can you play games off one of these? It'd be too slow wouldn't it?

        • chiefbodge on 07/05/2011 - 13:46

          We all have individual accounts with our own home directories for private stuff, backups etc.. We do have similar taste in movies and film to a point. I think overall this is probably the most efficient solution for our house but I must admit that the deal here is a bit power hungry, our current NAS uses 5w with the disks spun down which is pretty much nothing.

        • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 14:08

          Cool that makes sense. If your primary computer is a laptop (i.e. with limited internal storage space) and you don't want to use external drives.

          External drives would be much cheaper to buy and run, more portable (and now faster with USB 3.0), although not as neat for sure - especially if you moved around the house.

          Still - my 4 mates who have them all have desktops…? Not that I expect you to answer why my whacky mates do what they do. I suspect it's for the e-wang factor.

          Thanks for sharing how you use them.

        • Windows7forever on 07/05/2011 - 18:33

          Interesting to read about some practical applications of a NAS in a household setting. For my situation I wouldn't need anything like this. Household of 4, but I'm the only computer literate person so I hoard all my data on a myriad of internal and external hard drives, optical discs, portables…you name it. My storage requirements are not that high anyway (1-2 TB is plenty of space for me atm) and the data isn't being shared around with others.

          Still considering getting a little NAS box like this to create a cheap HTCP, plug it into our 46" TV and show the family how to 'play' multimedia content off of it, which they would be thrilled about.

    • bibiphok on 07/05/2011 - 13:32

      A NAS is useful so many different sources can access the storage 24/7, from a laptop, several desktop, HTPC, console… By different people… If it's only for yourself and your one desktop, it's useless…

      • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 13:35
        +1

        Everyone I know who has one only has one serious user in their house… yet they all swear by them for some reason.

        Same question to you - what files do you share? Is it worth the setup cost and power bill so everyone has a copy of The Dark Knight (raided) on the network live 24/7?

        I'm not bagging them - just trying to learn about more real world uses. They certain look sweet and the concept (initially) sounds cool!

        • bibiphok on 07/05/2011 - 15:16

          Simple scenario, I've got my office upstairs, with my main computer, but my wife has her office downstairs, I sometimes work/browse/play on my laptop from the bedroom and my daughter watch movies on the plasma downstairs… having a NAS, I don't have to duplicate all the files…

        • MementoMori on 07/05/2011 - 15:23

          Hey Bibiphok… that's my question… 'all (what) files?' Can I ask what files do you share with your wife and daughter?

          Surely you would only want your movies near your TV? And your Word docs/work stuff on your PC, your wifes on hers (plus you can all have 'shared' folders on each PC too).

          I just can't see enough sharing going on to warrant the initial and ongoing costs for most situations (even ones similar to yours). Do people really say things like 'Hey honey, I put that 2GB file on the NAS for you'?

        • bibiphok on 07/05/2011 - 17:56

          Basically all the media files: cinema movies, raw photos (so either me a my wife can edit them to our own taste, or my wife would use them on Facebook or her blog), camcorder movies (to be edited using Pinnacle Studio and then watched on the main TV for example), torrent files… etc

          But I see your point, no need for a dedicated NAS server to do that… I don't have one now… as a matter of fact my main desktop computer is acting as one… but it's fully loaded (graphic card, large power supply…), was not designed to limit power consumption, is very noisy…

          But yeah, once I got the HTP, I'm pretty sure I will still leave it on 24/7… but hey I bought it because it looked like a bargain ;)

        • djsherly on 07/05/2011 - 18:13

          I have a DNS-323 and at idle it uses 19W. Mine's not RAID, it's Just a Bunch Of Disks. I back it up using rsync to a portable drive every now and then.

          It serves media to a PS3, a WDTV Live, is a Time Machine backup unit and stores all my photos.

          The main benefit for me is that I can put all the files I'd like to share on one device, that's low power consumption, is always on and I can always get to it. We have a Macbook, Dell Lappy and a Desktop Wintel box.

          I don't have to frig around dropping files on sticks or moving portable drives around. It's really convenient. Just drop the your latest Linux ISOs on to the NAS, refresh MediaTomb (running on the NAS) and it's available to PS3 and WDTV Live.

          The NAS just mounts like a regular drive. No Dramas at all and over gigabit it's much much faster than using flash sticks.

        • dav3 on 07/05/2011 - 21:47

          I currently have an old loud Athlon XP system in my spare room running 24/7, I'm the only person living here. It hosts over 4tb of movies, eps, games, apps, and music for my PC and WDTV Live in my bedroom, and my XBOX running XBMC in my loungeroom. It's also a torrent box, runs ApexDC++ for CommunityNet (something Adam does that allows free traffic between Adam users on an exchange), and an IRC Client.

          This lets me access whatever I want whenever I want, and I can remote the box from work or even my phone. Not sure how much power my current setup chews (a fair bit i assume), but this box is a pretty good alternative that should pay itself off easily.

    • mshanann on 07/05/2011 - 15:32

      thinking of making it both a "media" NAS and XBMC replacement (for my ATV) in one.

      I will run Ubuntu - with something like Webmin in RAID5, in conjunction with XBMC

      • naphman on 07/05/2011 - 21:18

        Meee too. +1

  • dreamzz on 07/05/2011 - 13:25

    This is I got the from the hp website regarding the power

    Fully Loaded System output Wattage (W) 72.3 W

    Taken care of this thing, its bit unlogical it will take only 25W when idle, the processor itself takes 15W, the lowest while idle is 35W, a NAS would be the better choice if looking for using it for 24*7

    • stumo on 07/05/2011 - 13:49

      No the processor is 12W TDP, that means worst case. You can see for yourself it is 35W idle. When the drives are spun down after that, 25W seems reasonable.

  • dreamzz on 07/05/2011 - 14:00

    Made some calculation according to the below values

    Watts * 24hrs * 365 days * average energy rate $.16cents

    NAS when idle 14W = $20/year

    NAS in use 25W = $35/year

    HP when idle 35W = $50/year

    HP in Use 55W = $77/year

    Desktop in use 130W = $182/year

    Considering these figures, if you planned to use it for 24*7 the extra bits for HP is better than a NAS ??? What you guys think.

    • stumo on 07/05/2011 - 14:05

      Where did u get 55W from?

      I'd expect that with all else being equal, the HP would use at most 10W more than my LS-QVL when used as a NAS. I intend to test this theory once it arrives and will report back here.

  • luztra on 07/05/2011 - 14:09

    Can I get some help please?

    I only have a Macbook Pro. I want to hook this up via ethernet to my Billion 7800N, then use this to download directly to (via bit-torrent client) without having my notebook on. With my current WD MyBookLive (connected to router via ethernet), I am required to leave notebook on while downloading (as bit-torrent client is installed on Macbook Pro). Obviously, the MyBookLive is not a NAS as far as I know.

    My intention was to install two 1TB or 2TB (Hitachi) drives in RAID1 configuration and have all TV Shows, Movies, Music and iTunes content stored on the device, then allow Macbook Pro to connect and access content. Will also have Apple TV 2 access content. Apple TV 2 is jailbroken, so iTunes not required, but I want my iTunes library stored on the NAS as my Macbook Pro has an SSD and I prefer as minimal amount of data as possible on my drive on my Macbook Pro.

    Am I going to need to purchase a screen, keyboard and mouse to use this? Am I required to install an operating system on this (I have a retail copy of Windows 7 unused)?

    • retiredfeline on 07/05/2011 - 15:31

      As stated in the description, it comes with no OS and no CD drive. When used as a NAS or server, it can be run headless. If that's not to your taste, this is not for you. Same deal with a off-the-shelf NAS except that the OS is preinstalled.

      • luztra on 07/05/2011 - 16:36

        Thanks for the reply. I understand the device comes with no OS etc. I am asking - am I required to install an OS? I am a bit confused. I am not concerned with having an OS installed (and was asking if I did need one that I have an unused copy of Windows) - but, without an OS, would this mean that I cannot run a bit-torrent client as the NAS would essentially just be a storage device like I currently have (the WD MyBookLive).

        I have been researching this further and looks like I would need to have a mouse/keyboard/monitor to do the initial set-up, so looks like I might be better purchasing a different NAS. From what I had initially understood, I thought that I could just plug this into my router via ethernet and start using the device (obviously drives would need formatted), like I did when I purchased my WD MyBookLive.

        • Windows7forever on 07/05/2011 - 18:41

          Ofcourse, you need an OS otherwise it will not run, it's still a computer system like any other! You will all require other peripherals(keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc) to get it going, otherwise how are you going to operate it as a user or see the display? or are you planning on doing this remotely?

        • auMouth on 08/05/2011 - 00:58

          No mouse/keyboard/monitor is required for initial setup.
          Yes, you can use it as a 24/7 bit-torrent client
          http://www.freenas.org is the software to install onto a USB key. Then plug the USB key into the server and boot from it.
          It will then get an IP address from your router, and you can then connect to it from your laptop browser and perform the disk formats and setups etc.

      • retiredfeline on 07/05/2011 - 17:33

        Er, if it doesn't come with an OS, then it stands to reason that you (or someone else) must install an OS on it for it to function. Even off the shelf NAS boxes have an OS, it's just that you don't normally think of it as having one, but it's there all the same, in firmware. Your smartphone has an OS, heck even your cheapo mobile has an OS, albeit a basic one. Windows is not the only OS in the world.

  • Bigsta on 07/05/2011 - 19:41

    Awesome deal just trying to work out how i would use it..

  • mrdevil on 07/05/2011 - 20:54

    Just received email to say order has shipped (YAY!), and noticed the stock count on the product page is now at "297 available for next day dispatch"!

    Guess they sourced some more, seeing how popular this deal has been.

    • ryang on 07/05/2011 - 23:04

      297!? NICE!!! Guess I'm in no hurry to order then… :)

      Let's just hope the price doesn't jump again anytime soon.

      • stumo on 08/05/2011 - 09:51

        Just beware the ocau boys bought the first batch from someplace for 165, then the nezt batch they put up to 270

  • Chrool on 08/05/2011 - 02:09

    can anyone tell me what the extra 4x pcie is for? it says something about a management card.

    • shiftyphil on 08/05/2011 - 09:41

      You can get a remote management card (about $60-$70) that slots in there.

      It allows you complete remote control of the server at a hardware level. Useful if the machine is located far away and the OS fails, and you need to fix it.

      The card uses the 1x slot, and the extra 4x slot (that is probably not a real PCIe slot).

    • stumo on 08/05/2011 - 09:49

      Its in a non standard position, tagged on the end of the 1x slot. You may be able to hack a card to fit.

  • andyken on 08/05/2011 - 10:53

    Ordered one and paid tru BPAY, didnt receive any confirmation yet..is that normal?? thanks OP

    • stumo on 08/05/2011 - 11:01

      U should get 2 emails. Ordered then processed.

  • stumo on 08/05/2011 - 11:03
    +2

    Wow nearly 4000 clicks, I hope this doesn't all turn to sh1t. Actually, I just hope I get my server.

    • StewBalls on 09/05/2011 - 01:31

      You've created a monster stumo, this is like the thread that just won't die! ;)

  • asa79 on 08/05/2011 - 11:08

    Mwave have them as well for $170 http://www.megabuy.com.au/belkin-hp-microserver-amd-n36l-1gb…

    • ruddj on 09/05/2011 - 10:04

      You say MWave but link to MegaBuy…

  • Trueno on 08/05/2011 - 11:31

    Is it best to have matching HDDs? I plan to buy 2x 2TB for now untill I need more storage.

    • asa79 on 08/05/2011 - 14:06
      -1

      Yes and no. If you get ones from the same batch they will likely all die around same time.

  • brutus on 08/05/2011 - 13:57

    1. Placed an order yesterday at 8.30am and received a order confirmation stright away.

    2. Received a email from DesyTek at 9.30pm Saturday saying it's now processed - website says shipped.

    Am I paranoid or is this a little strange?

    • grab_ur_freebies on 08/05/2011 - 14:25

      Maybe its dropshipped directly from HP warehouses after DessyTek places the orders for them? Might also explain the stock count jumping from 59 to 297 on a weekend as the counter might be updated auto from the remote HP warehouse.

      • ryang on 08/05/2011 - 15:34

        Do you have a store, can I make a pickup?
        DessyTek is an online only store. All products are shipped directly from our local Australian suppliers via courier. Unfortunately most suppliers do not allow direct customer pickups.

        Think that answers the question. ;)

        • brutus on 09/05/2011 - 07:37

          hmm… their ABN 35 667 989 869 doesn't come up on the ASIC search?

  • krelain on 08/05/2011 - 14:07

    If I install a HD5450 and run windows 7 with it. Will it be good enough for:

    -Transcoding and Streaming and Converting movies from Air Video to an IPhone4?
    -Recording & Playing TV shows using Windows Media Centre if I attach a USB Digital only Twin Tuner
    -Using Teamviewer to control the Server via Iphone?
    -using jdownloader to download files whilst online.

    If converting isn't good enough. I can use my i7 PC to handle it. I just need to record So I don't hafto put my i7 PC on sleep mode, ever.

  • timhn on 08/05/2011 - 14:38

    Could someone recommend a decent 8GB RAM kit to go with this server? Just normal non-ECC RAM will do.

  • aar on 08/05/2011 - 15:09

    sigh, just got ozbargained.
    Stumo, go setup a forum page so we can all have some fun together.
    Or maybe we just go invade ocau.

  • atlas on 09/05/2011 - 01:01

    Question 1 - would the processor be able to transcode and stream 1080p mkv videos?

    Question 2 - Is the processor upgradable?

    • freddy on 09/05/2011 - 01:55

      transcode? Sure, just not in realtime.
      This is supposed to be similar to a Pentium-D 3GHz, so it will be fine for HDTV (mpeg2) or 720p mpeg4.
      But for 1080p h264, you really want hardware decoding on any system, so a PCIe video card.
      MKV is just a container, not a codec.

      • atlas on 09/05/2011 - 02:17

        I'm looking at the scenario where I'd be transcoding and streaming 1080p mkv files to a PS3, probably using PS3MediaServer.

        I'm not sure if PS3MediaServer supports hardware transcoding, but in any case, what GPU would you recommend to fit in this system?

        • sonicentropy on 09/05/2011 - 09:39

          you are limited by the size of the card and power consumption, but realisticly realtime transcoding a 10-20 Gig x264/MKV not possible even with a GPU that would suite the above requirements

        • freddy on 09/05/2011 - 10:13

          transcode the video, or just change the container format?

        • HrdwrBoB on 09/05/2011 - 10:29

          PS3 media server to encode all movies without issues needs at least 3Ghz dual core2 (possibly a bit less) in my experience - this would not keep up.

  • atlas on 09/05/2011 - 03:19

    I just ordered from Megabuy… plus 8gb of Corsair RAM and 4 x 2TB WD EARS disks.

    I was going to order the Seagate 5900rpm disks but read some recent reports of them dieing… thought it better to avoid the risk!

  • knuckle8 on 09/05/2011 - 08:01

    Just ordered one :)

  • sonicentropy on 09/05/2011 - 09:20

    this would make a kick ass asterisk box

    • bragains on 09/05/2011 - 09:54

      Overkill though!

      • HrdwrBoB on 09/05/2011 - 10:30

        true - but for the price still a good deal!

        • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 11:30

          Its also server grade hardware, albeit entry level, its still a good step up from a diy consumer level sff pc.

  • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 11:26

    Good news… mines just arrived. Ordered 2 pm Friday, in hand 11am Monday. Dessytek to vic. Startrack express, sent from nsw.

  • Catchalldeals on 09/05/2011 - 11:27

    What kinda graphics card would I need to play bluray/games with this?

    Thanks

  • Radar on 09/05/2011 - 11:32

    Has anyone found anywhere that still has stock at this price?

  • brutus on 09/05/2011 - 11:37

    Dessytek

    0 in stock - backorder available

  • WhiteEvo6 on 09/05/2011 - 12:03

    My order shipped woo hooo

    • naphman on 10/05/2011 - 21:24

      You got one too man?

      Still waiting for shipping yet…..grrrr!

  • boka79 on 09/05/2011 - 12:10

    Hi guys, its nice to see all sharing knowledge here. I basically wanted to buy a NAS as I have already got a Boxee box. but when I saw this deal, I cudn't resist myself. so bought one and its already been shipped. Now I wanna few things:
    1) Only windows 2008 server installation should be sufficient to use it as server as well as media stream to Boxee box?
    2) As Boxee box upscale to 1080P, do I need anything else to add in this server to get 1080P output?
    3) do I have to use same capacity's HDD in all bays? (planning to put only 2 X 1TB in 2 bays at the moment).
    4) I am confused by reading few previous comments as requiring sound card/VGA card etc. I can use this just to store my media, music, photos, imp docos - files in HP and retrieve by media player to my 52" samsung TV - RIGHT?

    Thanks heaps fellas.

    • ryang on 09/05/2011 - 15:24
      +1

      1) Only windows 2008 server installation should be sufficient to use it as server as well as media stream to Boxee box?

      Boxee Box can stream from any network source realistically. Windows 2008 would share it as Samba (SMB), which most Linux NAS software would do as well as others.

      2) As Boxee box upscale to 1080P, do I need anything else to add in this server to get 1080P output?

      The only thing that would affect Boxee playing 1080p from this device would be network and hard drive speed, which shouldn't be an issue. Unless you use really old hard drives… ;)

      3) do I have to use same capacity's HDD in all bays? (planning to put only 2 X 1TB in 2 bays at the moment).

      You can put whatever size in you want, but for RAID to work best you are advised to use the same size, and preferably model, for best results. You can mix them up without any issues usually though.

      4) I am confused by reading few previous comments as requiring sound card/VGA card etc. I can use this just to store my media, music, photos, imp docos - files in HP and retrieve by media player to my 52" samsung TV - RIGHT?

      Assuming your media player works similar to Boxee, you are correct. You don't need anything aside from the server mentioned and a couple of disks to get it to stream to another device.

      The other topics are talking about using the server as a NAS and a HTPC (media player) at the same time. This is the only reason you would need a VGA card or sound card. For your requirements you only need the server and drives.

      • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 15:33
        +1

        All this free support and a kickass score and yet still no love for the deal? C'mon boka79 give it a + dude!

        • boka79 on 09/05/2011 - 16:38

          It is definitely appreciated Stumo.
          um happy not to give only one (1) + but heaps :-) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (infinity)

        • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 16:41
          +1

          No worries boka, I see you are new here, its up the top where you click +, where it says 87+. click there

      • boka79 on 09/05/2011 - 16:36

        Thanks very much for your nice organized answers.
        Your answer to the question 4 interests me a lot actually. So, I can use this HP server as a media player as well!!!
        In this case, 1) what user interface (GUI) will I be using on TV?
        2) what u suggest for getting an output by HDMI to TV. or any card which will upscale videos.
        3) obviously I'll have to use peripherals i.e. mouse, keyboard to play on TV? (which is down side though)

        Cheers.

        • ryang on 09/05/2011 - 17:28
          +1

          1) what user interface (GUI) will I be using on TV?

          Whatever media software you install. I personally use and recommend XBMC (http://xbmc.org/)

          2) what u suggest for getting an output by HDMI to TV. or any card which will upscale videos.

          Depends. If you go the XBMC route, and choose to install on Linux, get a nVidia card, as the ATI/AMD cards aren't supported yet under Linux. If you choose Windows, pick something suitable for the case - low profile, low heat, but still a bit of grunt.

          I've got the nVidia GF210 in my HTPC, running XBMC on Linux, and it handles 1080p with ease. It's low profile and low power to boot. ;)

          3) obviously I'll have to use peripherals i.e. mouse, keyboard to play on TV? (which is down side though)

          Remotes are cheap, just check ebay or dealextreme.

  • singlefished on 09/05/2011 - 13:15
    +1

    I just called MegaBuy to check on their stock levels….

    over 200 when I called but the operator suggested getting the order in ASAP as it looked like they were going out the door pretty quick :)

    • cdundee on 09/05/2011 - 14:01

      yeah, but their price seems to have gone up to $498.37…

  • Radar on 09/05/2011 - 13:48

    Anyone replacing the RAM in theirs willing to sell the original 1GB stick?

    Contact me here if so: http://www.ozbargain.com.au/user/22612/contact

  • MetalPhreak on 09/05/2011 - 14:31

    dessytek are all out apparently. I reckon megabuy scooped up as many as they could from the distributor because they still have plenty in stock it seems ;)

    • freddy on 09/05/2011 - 15:23

      I'm one of the idiots who used B-pay with dessytek. They claim bpay from friday will not go through till tomorrow.

      Have given up and ordered from megabuy.

      • chiefbodge on 09/05/2011 - 15:39

        So have they confirmed to you that your order will not be fulfilled?

      • kaddude on 09/05/2011 - 16:14

        ditto.
        Seems BPay'ers on dessytek were put to the back of the queue.
        Have also ordered from Megabuy.

        • chiefbodge on 09/05/2011 - 16:52

          Did you receive an email from Dessytek saying your order would not be fulfilled? What was your order status? I got the following email from Dessytek on Saturday at 12:49pm:

          Your payment has now been received and your order processed. Delivery is usually 1-3 business days
          but may take longer for some destinations.

          And my order is marked as processing - Dessytek have responded to neither of my two emails and I'm afraid that if I order from Megabuy I might end up with two because Dessytek wont respond to my emails in time.

          Did anyone receive the email that said your payment has been received?

        • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 16:54

          If it says processed you should be ok. If you look on your dessytek account page at the order, it should say "shipped" in that case.

        • chiefbodge on 09/05/2011 - 16:59

          That's the thing that concerns me, on that page it just says "Processing"

        • stumo on 09/05/2011 - 17:00
          +1

          Maybe you should CC one at MB then, you wouldn't wanna miss out, and I'm sure you could easily on-sell one if you ended up with two, broden style.

      • Radar on 09/05/2011 - 16:47

        I ordered earlier today from megabuy and paid direct deposit… I hope I don't miss out. Didn't want to cop an additional 2.5% surcharge on 2 units.

        • freddy on 09/05/2011 - 16:56

          Didn't want to cop an additional 2.5% surcharge on 2 units.
          You should order again using CC, and cancel the first one.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join