Full control over power is provided so you can reset the server, power it off and on and emulate pressing the power button. An upgrade is required if you want KVM-over-IP remote control and virtual media services for presenting remote devices or folders to the server as boot devices and local storage.
This upgrade also has power metering and capping features, but the DL120 G7 only has a dumb, cold-swap power supply so these features aren't available. However, when it comes to power consumption, we found the server reasonably frugal. Using our in-line power meter, we recorded a draw of 69W with Windows Server 2008 R2 in idle. With the SiSoft Sandra benchmark app pushing all eight logical processor cores to the max, usage peaked at 139W. Power draw in idle is high when compared to the PowerEdge R210 II which only pulled 44W.
This is probably due to the fans in the DL120 G7 as they seem to run slightly too fast. Noise levels are also high enough to make it unsuitable for smaller offices that may have it sitting on a desktop. The thermal controls in the server's BIOS are set to optimal cooling and the only other option is an increased cooling setting, so we couldn't drop the fan speeds.
Nevertheless, the DL120 G7 is good value compared to the competition, making this a good choice as a low-cost entry point into rack servers for SMBs. It'll also cope well as a dedicated application server and the inclusion of the iLO3 controller makes it well worth considering if remote management is a high priority.
Verdict
The ProLiant DL120 G7 is a particularly good choice for SMBs that want a low cost rack server, although Dell’s PowerEdge R210 II is a better bet if you want something smaller and quieter. However, HP does pack a lot of features into this 1U chassis and enterprises will like its superior storage options and excellent iLO3 remote management controller.
Chassis: 1U rack
CPU: 3.3GHz Intel Xeon E3-1240
Memory: 4GB DDR3 UDIMM ECC expandable to 16GB
Storage: 2 x 250GB HP SATA2 hard disks in hot-swap carriers
RAID: HP Smart Array P212 PCI Express Zero Memory
Array support: RAID 0, 1, 10
Expansion: 2 x PCI Express slots
Network: 2 x Gigabit Ethernet
Management: Embedded iLO3
Software: HP SmartStart, Systems Management Homepage
Warranty: 1yr on-site Next Business Day
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