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Evesham Technology has always been a big player in the entry-level server market and its latest SilverEdge 300AH aims to deliver support for Intel’s dual- and quad-core Xeon processors but at a price the small business can afford.

With the hype surrounding dual- (DP) and multi-socket (MP) Xeon systems, it’s easy to forget that Intel also offers single socket versions which specifically target companies on a tight budget. The series 3000 dual-core and 3200 quad-core Xeons are designed to provide an affordable processing platform for businesses looking for a server that can handle multiple applications such as file and print, web serving, email services and maybe light database duties as well. The 300AH on review came supplied with a dual-core Xeon but versatility is its middle name as the server also supports Celeron, Pentium D and series 3200 processors as well, enabling it to cover a lot of bases.

The server is an all-Intel affair and comes clothed in its SC5299-E chassis and powered by its Server Board S3000AH motherboard. For sheer build quality Intel will never beat the likes of HP and Dell but it does come a close third. Expansion options are good. The front panel is home to a DVD-RW drive and there’s a spare 5.25in. bay beneath for which Evesham offers a range of tape drives. Hard disk storage options look good as the cage beneath has room for no less than six hard disks. A couple of USB ports have been routed through to the front panel and the door protecting the hard disk cage can be locked shut. The side panel doesn’t have a key lock but a flange at the rear accepts a small padlock. With this removed you’ll find plenty of room inside for carrying out upgrades or maintenance manoeuvres.

The single processor socket sits in the centre of the chassis and the speedy 2.13GHz 3010 module included in the price is mounted by a large active heatsink. Cooling is further aided by a chunky 12cms diameter fan at the rear and noise levels aren’t overly intrusive. The main chassis fan is responsible for most of the operational noise and could be quieter but it’s worth noting that it does have enough grunt to shift a lot of air and will be required if the drive cage is fully populated. The motherboard sports a quartet of DIMM sockets with two occupied by 512MB 667MHz ECC modules. Intel’s 3000 chipset is in residence and this supports up to 8GB of memory. Intel also offers a 3010 chipset variant but the only significant difference we can see between the two is the latter offers a more advanced PCI-e slot combination.

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