Broadberry CyberServe Xeon SP1-P04S
A great balance of features, storage and upgrade potential make this a sound choice for a first server
SCORE PRICE As reviewed, £1,745 exc VAT from broadberry.co.uk
If you’re looking for a server that’s ready to go out of the box then Broadberry’s CyberServe Xeon SP1-P04S does the job very nicely. The system we tested came preinstalled with a pair of fast 480GB Intel SATA SSDs and a generous 32GB of DDR4 memory – yet it’s priced right for IT managers on a strict budget, and offers space to grow further.
At the heart of the server beats Intel’s popular eight-core 2.1GHz Xeon Silver 4110 CPU. That provides more than enough power for most SMEs, though you should note that the Supermicro X11SPL-F motherboard is of the single-socket variety, so you won’t be able to add a second CPU down the line if your needs expand.
Still, you always have the option to step up to a more powerful processor, such as the Gold 5100 or 6100. Indeed, the chassis’s maximum 165W TDP rating will accommodate more or less any Xeon Scalable processor, short of a handful of ultra-high-end models. The active CPU cooler isn’t too bothersome, either: overall noise levels were pleasantly low, with the SPLnFFT iOS app measuring a peaceful 42.2dB from 1m in front.
RAM meanwhile is eminently upgradeable. The supplied 32GB will be ample for most small business apps, but with six free slots you can upgrade to a theoretical maximum of 1TB.
It’s good to see that the server presents a very tidy interior, with all key components within easy reach and all cabling neatly tucked out of the way. A whopping seven PCIExpress slots are up for grabs, so another easy upgrade might be to supplement the dual embedded Gigabit Ethernet network ports with your choice of industry-standard 10-Gigabit adapters.
Should you need to add extra drives, a hot-swap cage lurks behind the lockable front door, with disk carriers ready and waiting in the unpopulated slots. It’s a shame that there are only four bays, and you can’t add more, as the space below the resident cage is occupied by a large fan. On the upside, we’ve always liked
“Broadberry lets you install your own hard disks – something that would invalidate the warranty on certain blue-chip servers”
the way that Broadberry lets you install your own hard disks – something that would invalidate the warranty on certain blue-chip servers. This means you’re free to source your drives wherever you like, and you won’t get stung when you want to expand your storage.
All drives are handled by the Intel C621 chipset, which includes Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (RSTe) RAID controller. This supports stripes, mirrors and RAID5 arrays, and can be managed using Intel’s free RSTe Windows utility. We tested it by hot-plugging a couple of 12TB Seagate hard disks, and saw them instantly pop up in the RSTe interface, allowing us to quickly create a 12TB mirrored repository for all our business data.
Finally, the motherboard also includes Supermicro’s embedded RMM chip and a dedicated network port for remote access. It isn’t as feature-rich as HPE’s iLO5 or Dell’s iDRAC9, but the HTML5-based web interface exposes the server’s power controls and reveals plenty of information about key components – and it comes with full KVM remote control and virtual media services at no extra cost. You also get the free SuperDoctor 5 software, which uses the local Windows SNMP agent to drive a colourful web interface packed with graphs and status dials.
In all, the CyberServe Xeon SP1-P04S is a great starter package for small businesses looking to take a first step onto the Xeon Scalable ladder. The dual Intel SSDs add a lot of value, there’s upgrade potential for the future and Broadberry doesn’t hold you to ransom with the hard disks.
SPECIFICATIONS 2.1GHz Xeon Silver 4110 processor Supermicro X11SPL-F motherboard 32GB 2,400MHz DDR4 (max 1TB) Intel C621 RSTe RAID supports RAID0, 1, 10, 5 2 x 480GB Intel S4500 Enterprise SATA SSDs (max 4) M.2 SATA SSD slot 2 x Gigabit Ethernet 7 x PCI-Express 3 500W fixed PSU Supermicro RMM 178 x 534 x 432mm (WDH)
max 165W TDP 3yr on-site NBD warranty