Fujitsu Primergy MX130 S1 review

Small businesses that want to centralise their IT services but are short on cash and space will find the latest microservers could be ideal. HP got the ball rolling with its miniscule ProLiant MicroServer N36L, and Fujitsu’s new Primergy MX130 S1 aims to offer a solid alternative.

The MX130 targets small businesses of up to 15 users that want a central location for basic file sharing and print services. Along with Windows Server 2008 R2, the server is validated for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but we can’t see many small businesses wanting to tussle with the latter.

You can also save money: for £145, you can have Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation preinstalled. Fujitsu advised us it also plans to offer SBS 2011 Essentials on this server when Microsoft launches it later this year.

The system in this exclusive review looks pricey when compared with HP, but it packs a much bigger punch in the processing department. Its 3.1GHz AMD Athlon II X2 255 is a lot faster than the 1.3GHz Athlon II Neo in the MicroServer N36L. You can save cash by opting for an Athlon 220 or a single-core Sempron processor.

The price for the review system includes two 1TB SATA hard disks. We shopped around and found an Athlon 220 model with a pair of 250GB drives on www.ebuyer.com for around £250 exc VAT, which puts it on par with the HP.

Instead of designing a completely new chassis, Fujitsu has taken the simple step of using its Esprimo desktop casing. Obviously, the server can be placed on a table, but you can also flip it on its side and slip it under a desk.

This chassis is almost silent, but the cooling arrangement is a little strange as it has a fan mounted at the front, but the processor heatsink is barely an inch behind it and also fitted with its own fan, which seems unnecessary.

At the front you have a couple of USB ports, with six more at the back and a pin header on the motherboard for four more internal USB ports. Contrary to Fujitsu’s product document, it doesn’t have an eSATA port.