Hewlett-Packard tc2120
We liked HP's second submission, the tc2120, overall and found it to be a good performer, especially with its SCSI hard-disk subsystem. It's also the least expensive entry, at a measly $829.
The tc2120 is a throwback to HP's premerger days: Designed by HP's former 32-bit group, it's one of the few true HP 32-bit products to survive the merger. That, frankly, concerns us: We feel that the ML330 is a more than adequate replacement for the tc2120, and we don't expect the tc line to be continued.
The system uses the same ServerWorks Grand Champion SL chipset used by the ML330, albeit with a different motherboard. The tc2120 sports an Intel Pentium 4 CPU at 2.53 GHz, with 256 MB of RAM. Storage is provided by a 36-GB SCSI drive and an IDE CD-ROM. Connectivity is via a copper Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 1.2 ports, a standard serial port and a parallel port. The main board has five 64-bit, 33-MHz slots--the most in our review. The power supply is rated for 250 watts.
Testing of the tc2120 went well, largely courtesy of its SCSI subsystem. The product's read and write performance under IOMeter was very good, and the tc2120 scored the best in our NWC Custom IOMeter Test. In our Web tests using Spirent Communications' Web Avalanche, the tc2120 came in almost last, but it still posted a respectable score for a small Web server.
The tc2120 includes a one-year, on-site 9-to-5 warranty that can be upgraded to three years for $149.
HP tc2120, $829. Hewlett-Packard Co., (650) 857-5518, (800) 282-6672. www.hp.com
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