Introduction

HP recently updated its MediaSmart series with the introduction of the EX490 and EX495. Both have upgraded processors from the EX487 we last looked at about a year ago—a 2.2 GHz Celeron and 2.5 GHz Pentium, respectively.

HP has figured out that its Windows Home Server-based NAS makes a nice entry-level networked storage product for small businesses as well as homes. So it has re-badged the beefier EX495, added 2 and 3 TB versions and included it in its SMB StorageWorks line as the X510.

Figure 1 shows the front and rear panels with callouts for the controls and indicators. Instead of an LCD panel like other higher-end NASes have opted for, the X510 sticks with its simpler backlit indicators.

Figure 1: X510 front and back panels

On the back panel, note the single eSATA port, which can support a single drive or SATA port multiplier. This is a good move on HP's part since eSATA drives will provide higher bandwidth storage expansion than the four USB 2.0 ports.

The X510 is very quiet in operation, with no fan or drive head noise—just a low-pitched drive motor whir. The 2 TB Q2051A configuration that HP sent for review drew 45 W with two Seagate Barracuda ST31000528AS 7200.12 1 TB drives spinning. There is no idle drive spindown feature for power saving. But you can schedule a daily sleep period (or put it to sleep on command), during which the server draws below 1 W of power. Waking the server from the Windows Home Server tray app worked without a hitch.

Internal Details

The x510 looks like it uses the same chassis as the EX487, so I didn't bother with disassembly. You can look at the EX487 pictures if you want the inside view. The processor board looks like it's also dominated by heatsinks, so no picture for that, either. But I used Remote Desktop to log in and take a shot of the Device Manager, expanded to show key components.

Figure 2: X510 device manager

Judging from what I can see in Figure 2, it looks like the main board is pretty much the same as the EX487's except for the Intel E5200 dual core Pentium CPU. There is a single 240 pin 2GB DDR2-800 DIMM for RAM, Intel G33 Northbridge, Intel 82081 Southbridge, 256 MB of flash and Realtek RTL8111 for Gigabit Ethernet.

Figure 3 shows the settings available via the Realtek adapter's Advanced properties. Jumbo frames are disabled by default, but can be set for up to 9K in 1K increments.

Figure 3: Network Adapter properties