HP MediaSmart Server EX490 / EX495

High Performance Smart Home Servers

HP’s MediaSmart Server EX490 and MediaSmart Server EX495 are home servers built for those who demand high capacity as well as high performance machines. These servers have terabytes (1000 GBs) of storage capacity for digital photos, music, and videos.

With a Wi-Fi router, the data stored on an HP MediaSmart Server can be accessed wirelessly from PCs and Macs. The same information can be streamed to a TV or stereo through an XBox 360 or Playstation 3. The servers can be plugged into the Internet to provide user access to the same files from any Internet-connected computer. Through these servers, photos can be uploaded easily to photo sharing sites like Snapfish, Facebook, Picasa, and Flickr.

Both the EX490 and EX495 can even create mobile versions of certain files that can then be streamed to iPods, iPhones, Zunes, PSPs, or any capable mobile device.

These machines have been shrunk to a 9.2″ x 5.5″ x 9.8″ frame so they can fit snugly into an existing work space.

HP MediaSmart Server Product Demo Video

Data Protection

In their basic configurations, the EX490 comes with a 1TB hard drive, while the EX495 comes with a larger 1.5 TB hard disk space. Each system has 4 drive bays (including those that have already been occupied). Each drive’s capacity can be expanded up to multiple terabytes of space to accommodate any number of digital photos, music, and video.

With all that space for data, the usual concern is security. Potential buyers want to know how they can keep all their precious digital family photos and personal information safe in case of a system crash.

All digital media files are backed-up automatically in a non-intrusive manner; by default, back-ups take place every night. These back-ups can be performed on either an external hard drive or an online backup system like Amazon’s S3. Basically, if a system crashes, it can easily be restored to its original state.

HP MediaSmart Server EX490 and EX495 Specs and Prices

Under the hood, the EX490 and EX495 are virtually the same in many aspects:

• Operating system: Microsoft Windows Home Server
• Processor: Intel Celeron Processor 2.2 GHz for the EX490 and Intel Pentium Processor Dual Core 2.5 GHz
• RAM: 2GB DDR2 DRAM
• No. of Drive bays: 4
• Ports: Four USB 2.0 ports and 1 eSATA port – This is where external storage devices can be plugged in

The only main difference is, as stated earlier, the number of hard disks and space. The EX490 has one with 1TB of storage, while the EX495 has one with 1.5TB of storage.

This difference translates to price points of $549.99 for the EX490 and $699.99 for the EX495, both of which are available online from HPDirect.com.

HP MediaSmart Server EX490/EX495 Reviews

MediaSmartHome raves about the software redesign: “The Home Server Console’s been given a much needed makeover, and it really shines…”

Engadget likes the new Mac compatible features the new model of MediaSmart Server offers.

They got 4/5 stars out of 10 customer reviews at Amazon.

Gizmodo summarizes: “If you’re new to the Windows Home Server realm, this has pretty much everything a PC or a Mac user would want to hold their data, stream their media and backup their information…”

Design

Both servers sport an industrial-inspired look, with perforated steel exterior panels. Swapping hard drives is as easy as opening the front panel, and sliding the hard disks in and out of the drive bays.

At the back of the units are three USB ports (one is found at the front), an eSATA port, and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

Connectivity

The 10/100/1000 network adapter connects the server to a router, using the ethernet port in the back. In order to enable wireless connectivity, the EX490/EX495 has be plugged into a wireless router.