SMB Server Market Gets Another EntrantSMB Server Market Gets Another Entrant

Super Micro comes down-market with an x86 server, adding some welcome competition to the field.Super Micro Computer Inc., a $500 million, 15-year-old firm headquartered in San Jose, CA, has become the latest entrant in the SMB server market with its new SuperServer 5035L-iB mini-tower.

The firm was previously known for its motherboards, and it also sells high-end servers for the enterprise market and the high-performance computing market, according to news coverage.

Reportedly selling in the $300 to $500 range, the unit is based, of course, on a Super Micro motherboard, the new X7SLM-L, which can support an Intel Core 2 Duo E4000 processor as well as older Pentium and Celeron processors. It also supports up to 2 gigabytes of SDRAM, four SATA drives, RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10, and eight USB 2.0 ports. There are four expansion slots and two external bays.

It also sports a 300-watt power supply that has earned the bronze certification from the 80-Plus program, meaning that achieved a power efficiency of at least 85 percent.

Super Micro also touts the unit as being whisper-quiet and thus suitable for the office, but no L-WAd or especially L-pAm ratings were evident.

The units are said to be available immediately. Super Micro sells through various distributors, integrators and resellers, with no mention of direct sales.

Competition is good, of course, so this is a welcome development. Additionally, launching a new line of business in this economy shows guts.

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