MPC Computers LLC, which has been aggressively expanding beyond its desktop offerings with new laptops, servers and storage systems since last year, is rounding out its server family with the entry-level, two-processor NetFrame 600 system.
The NetFrame 600, which debuted last week, will complement the Nampa, Idaho, companys two-processor 3610 and four-processor 6600. MPC will now focus on enhancing the server line, which includes a 1U (1.75-inch) server, the 1610, and 2U (3.5-inch) 2610, said Alex Smith, manager of MPCs server product development.
The NetFrame 600 server has Intel Corp. Xeon chips that run at up to 3.06GHz; it also features a 533MHz front-side bus and Intels 7505 chip set. The server has integrated Serial ATA RAID capabilities and optional SCSI RAID.
Thanks to the Serial ATA drives, “customers can use this [system] as either a server or a workstation,” Smith said. MPC plans to migrate Serial ATA capabilities across its server line over the next few months, he said.
The NetFrame 600 also offers 8x Accelerated Graphics Port Pro 50 graphics support, PCI-X I/O capability and from 256MB to 8GB of memory. It can be configured in rack and pedestal configurations, Smith said. The server will start shipping Aug. 18. A standard configuration that includes 1.8GHz Xeon processors; 256MB of memory; an 80GB Serial ATA hard drive; and an integrated, dual-channel Serial ATA RAID controller is priced at $1,399.
Smith said the NetFrame 600 is a good front-end system for file serving or work groups or can be used for storage backup. To keep the price in range for its low-end customers, MPC did not include some features found in its higher-end models, such as remote lights-out capabilities, he said.