Broadberry CyberServe Xeon E-108S
A powerful six-core Xeon E server package at a pleasing price – and you can use whatever drives you want
SCORE PRICE As reviewed, £1,487 exc VAT from broadberry.co.uk
Broadberry’s CyberServe Xeon E-108S is the most powerful server on test this month. Not only is it powered by a speedy six-core 3.3GHz Intel Xeon E-2136 CPU, it also comes with a generous 32GB of DDR4 memory and a pair of fast-booting 240GB Intel S4510 SATA SSDs, mirrored for safety and ready for you to install an OS.
That leaves six of the eight SFF hot-swap drive bays free for data storage – and one great thing about Broadberry is that, unlike certain providers, it lets you install your own drives, without affecting the warranty. That alone could save you a ton of cash.
All drive bays are handled by the Intel C246 chipset, which includes Intel’s RSTe RAID controller. Stripes, mirrors and RAID5 arrays are all available, and can be managed via Intel’s Windows GUI utility, which supports Windows Server 2019.
Want to dedicate all eight bays to data storage? That’s possible too, as the Supermicro X11SCH-LN4F motherboard features its own pair of embedded M.2 SSD slots. These support high-performance NVMe SSDs and Intel Optane memory, and can be used as a mirrored array for your operating system.
Internally, the server is nice and tidy, with all cables secured and neatly tucked out of the way of any maintenance manoeuvres you might undertake. The 32GB of RAM is supplied as two 16GB sticks, leaving you with two spare DIMM slots; you can install up a maximum of 64GB right now, with a future BIOS upgrade due to boost this to 128GB.
Connection and expansion options are generous, too. There are four built-in Gigabit Ethernet ports, with a spare PCI Express slot affording plenty of upgrade possibilities: you could install a 10-Gigabit network card, or step up to 12Gbits/sec SAS storage with an optional eight-port LSI MegaRAID 9361 card for £495.
Alongside those four Gigabit Ethernet network ports, there’s also a fifth port dedicated to the server’s embedded IPMI remote management
“Remote control and virtual media services – for which the blue-chips routinely charge extra – are included as standard”
chip. This offers a simple web console with plenty of data on critical components; it isn’t as feature-rich as Dell’s iDRAC9 or Lenovo’s XClarity, but you can remotely control the power, monitor sensor readings for the CPU, memory and fans, and optionally set it up to send email alerts when sensor thresholds are breached.
Alternatively, you can use the free SuperDoctor 5 software, which uses the local Windows SNMP service to monitor the server. This presents a cheery web interface packed with colourful graphs and dials, and even lets you manage multiple Supermicro servers at once.
Perhaps most excitingly, the CyberServe Xeon E-108S also comes with full OS remote control and virtual media services – features for which the blue-chips routinely charge extra – included as standard. Both Java and HTML5 versions are offered, both of which worked fine in our tests on both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.
We must note that this server isn’t the quietest on test: cooling is handled by three dual-rotor fans positioned at the front of the motherboard, and the SPLnFFT app on our iPad recorded sound levels of 44dB from one metre in front. That’s not offensive, but it’s noticeably louder than Fujitsu or Lenovo’s offerings. A single 330W fixed PSU provides the juice, and we measured a total power consumption of 40W when idle, rising to 120W under extreme load.
The six-core processor will be overkill for some roles, but if you’re in the market for a bit of extra power – and don’t demand silent running – the CyberServe E-108S is an excellent choice. It’s affordable and versatile, remote access is included in the price and you’re free to use your own choice of drives, too.
SPECIFICATIONS 1U rack chassis Supermicro X11SCH-LN4F motherboard 3.3GHz six-core Intel Xeon E-2136 32GB 2,667MHz DDR4 ECC (max 64GB) Intel C246
Intel RSTe supports RAID0, 1, 10, 5 2 x 240GB Intel S4510 SATA SFF SSDs (max 8) 2 x M.2 NVMe SSD slots (2280/22110) 1 x PCIe 3 4 x Gigabit Ethernet 330W fixed PSU Supermicro IPMI/iKVM with Gigabit Ethernet
3yr advanced replacement warranty power consumption: 40W idle, 120W peak