Short Version: HP sure knows how to make a Windows Home Server. The company has been at it for years now and the latest model does just about everything better than the previous models. That’s how it’s suppose to be.
- Powerful hardware
- Easy to use custom WHS user interface
- Nearly complete OS X support
Cons
- Overpriced for storage size
- HP software bordering on bloatware status
Features
- Intel Pentium Dual Core 2.5 GHz 64-bit CPU
- 1.5 TB of included hard drive space
- OS X Time Machine support
- HP Media Collector
- MSRP of $699
Review:
If you’ve been following along with previous versions of the HP MediaSmart Server, you know what the device does. It runs Microsoft’s Windows Home Server, but HP equipped it with a slightly different user interface to make it accessible to the non-tech crowd. Nearly anyone looking for a backup and central storage solution should be able to use this guy.
Instead of the stark WHS setup screen, new users can use HP’s software pack that guides them through setting up remote backups, assigning permissions to users, and finding media spread out over a network. It still has the same media collecting, iPhone-streaming and transcoding software in previous models, but the Media Collector works a lot better on Macs now.
What is new is the dramatically more powerful machine and better OS X support.The latest builds also ditches low voltage, and low power, CPUs in favor of a 2.5 GHz Dual Core Pentium. Boy does it help, too. I’ve been using WHS for a while now and it’s just not a backup device for me.
My torrent client lives on the box and unRARing huge files takes time on an Atom or Celeron processor, but the Pentium speeds things up a lot. The 2GB of memory also helps dramatically when running, let’s say, a torrent client, a couple of DLNA servers, and iTunes for the Home Sharing function. The hardware updates made this server a respectable little box.
HP started with the OS X support last January, but it wasn’t the greatest. The backup didn’t allow for a full restore and users still had to search out third-party solutions to access the device remotely via OS X.
But no more. Now OS X can be fully backed up and restored just like a PC by using a separate restore disc. It works just like it’s supposed to and is a valid alternative to Apple’s own backup device, the Time Capsule.
Plus, the server now ships with a OS X WHS management tool. It’s essentially a repacked remote desktop client, but it gets the job done. Because of these updates, an HP MediaSmart server can live comfortably on an all-Mac network.
All this extra software HP has thrown in is bordering on intrusive though. Window Home Server is an amazing system all by itself and anyone that’s been around computers for a while should be able to use it without any extra help. The HP stuff is cool, but to be honest, I never used it past simple testing.
I would love to see an installation or setting to turn off the HP software, but that won’t happen. HP needs to justify why its servers cost a bunch more than other option, which is really my only beef with the EX495. It’s too expensive for the amount of storage you get.
Outside of the extra HP software that a lot of people might not use and the more powerful hardware, you can get countless other WHS for far less. It seems obvious to me that the most important buying point of a file server is the storage capacity. You can expand the storage capacity to nearly anything you want with the HP MediaSmart line, but for $699 I expect to start with more than 1.5TB. The Acer easyStore costs $389 at Newegg and comes with a 1TB drive installed. For $750 you can build a 5TB system around the Acer using 2TB hard drives, which is a lot better deal if can live without the extra HP software (you probably can).
The HP MediaSmart EX495 is a quality rig. I don’t have anything against the system besides the aforementioned pricing. If you don’t mind paying a premium for software, buy it without hesitation.
Product Page: HP MediaSmart EX495
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700$ for 1.5TB of space? wow, what a rip.
and for the Con point that HP software boarders on bloatware…it’s not bordering. It’s been a glorified citizen of bloatsville for years. anytime someone gives my their HP computer to tweak and optimize, everything HP comes off.
But this isn’t a standard HP computer. It doesn’t come with anything extra than the WHS HP add-ons. No Wild Tangent games here.
Nice review; I like the points you made about OS X support and the new, beefed-up processors. I also thought your points about HP customization were well-made.
I’ve had an EX470 for about 1.5 years; paid something like $400 for it. I upgraded the memory to 2 GB but kept the AMD Sempron processor that came with the model.
Like you, I’ve found that, while the HP add-ons are a nice complement, I mostly use the server for streaming some music and photos, but it’s WHS itself that I love. The ability to store not just all my work, but to archive photos, films and virtually everything is great. And, the automated backups have saved my butt twice now, when hard drives failed.
Christ, I wish this was a couple of hundred dollars less, I’d buy it right now. This is what I’ve been waiting for.
Question? Is that OS X WHS management tool part of a WHS update or something HP put together?
It’s an HP thing.
Is it possible to download the Mac client separately?
I’ve been using CoRD to remote desktop in to my current WHS machine, but I just had an EX470 delivered today and I’d prefer an official solution for connecting to it, if possible.
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Comparing the cost of the Acer EasyStore and the HP is apples and oranges. The Acer has an 1.6GHz Atom, the HP EX495 has a 2.5GHz dual core. I do agree that the EX495 is a little overpriced for just a 1TB drive. I’ve ordered the EX490 for $449, with a 2.2GHz Celeron and a 1TB drive. Once I’m happy with the setup, I’ll upgrade the CPU to a 2.93GHz Core2Duo. There are some folks that have dropped quad cores into a EX490, but that’s probably a little overboard….
It’s up to 1.5TB now. They must be listening. I am about to pull the trigger and buy one. The video conversion “bloatware” is worth a lot to me, if it works. We have a ton of home movies on DVD or MPG or AVI or ? It’s a roll of the dice right now if it will play on the TV or convert to the iPhone. If the EX495 will ensure that it will play, even with some loss of quality, it will be worth the extra $.
Would this be better than buying the Netgear ReadyNAS NV+?
I have 4 2TB harddrives.