HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8 review
HP’s biggest 2P server to date boasts a mighty chassis which combines a high storage capacity, support for E5-2600 Xeons and excellent remote management.
This high capacity pedestal server covers a lot of bases and its versatility will appeal to SMBs and enterprises alike. HP’s remote management is the best on the market and its low noise levels make it well suited to remote or small office deployments.

Remote management
Management features don't get any better as the ML350p is endowed with HP's latest iLO4 controller. We've looked at its features in depth in our exclusive review of HP's ProLiant DL360p Gen8 and can safely say you won't find anything better.
Along with its standard setting range of remote management features, the iLO4 can monitor virtually all components in the ML350p. Its Sea of Sensors 3D technology provides masses on data on critical components and the extra thermal sensors allow it to fine tune fan control and ramp them up individually only when needed.
As the server was supplied without an OS we also got to play with HP's new Intelligent Provisioning feature. Accessed during bootup, this does away with the need for HP's SmartStart DVD when installing an OS.
The new Intelligent Provisioning feature makes OS installation a lot smoother
Conclusion
This whisper quiet pedestal server amalgamates a high expansion potential and an impressive build quality. Storage capacity isn't quite as good as that offered by Dell's PowerEdge T620 but the ML350p Gen8 is better value, is easier of the power supply and its integral iLO4 controller provides the best remote management and monitoring features in town.
Verdict
This high capacity pedestal server covers a lot of bases and its versatility will appeal to SMBs and enterprises alike. HP’s remote management is the best on the market and its low noise levels make it well suited to remote or small office deployments.
Chassis: Tower or 5U rack
CPU: 2 x 2GHz Xeon E5-2650
Memory: 16GB DDR3 RDIMM expandable to 384GB (768GB with LR-DIMMs)
Storage: 2 x 600GB HP SAS 10K hot-swap SFF hard disks (max.24)
RAID: Smart Array P420i with 2GB FBWC/capacitor
Array support: RAID0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, 60
Expansion: 8 x PCI-e Gen3, 1 x PCI-e Gen2
Network: 4 x Gigabit
Power: 2 x 750W hot-plug supplies
Management: HP iLO4 Standard with 10/100
Warranty: 3yrs on site NBD
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Dave is an IT consultant and freelance journalist specialising in hands-on reviews of computer networking products covering all market sectors from small businesses to enterprises. Founder of Binary Testing Ltd – the UK’s premier independent network testing laboratory - Dave has over 45 years of experience in the IT industry.
Dave has produced many thousands of in-depth business networking product reviews from his lab which have been reproduced globally. Writing for ITPro and its sister title, PC Pro, he covers all areas of business IT infrastructure, including servers, storage, network security, data protection, cloud, infrastructure and services.
-
Business leaders are having a crisis of confidence over data literacy
News A Salesforce survey reveals business leaders don't trust their data, or their ability to make the most of it
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Confusion and frustration as MITRE CVE program funding expires
News The cyber database is invaluable to security teams the world over, helping flag the most urgent vulnerabilities
By Rory Bathgate Published
-
Hackers are duping developers with malware-laden coding challenges
News A North Korean state-sponsored group has been targeting crypto developers through fake coding challenges given as part of the recruitment process.
By Emma Woollacott Published