IBM is also introducing its NetFinity 3000, featuring a Pentium II processor. You can choose a 233-MHz processor or the beefy 350-MHz, which features a 100-MHz memory bus. The system comes standard with 64 MB, and you can expand to a more robust 384 MB. The NetFinity also features two USB (Universal Serial Bus) connections, which is an emerging standard for connecting such devices as optical systems, scanner and tape drives The NetFinity is backed by IBM's three-year, on-site warranty and IBM's Start Up support for technical support.

What You Can Get for a Few Hundred Dollars More Our servers review called for servers under $5,000, so the Compaq ProLiant 3000, which was priced around $5,400, exceeded the criteria. The ProLiant 3000 is very similar to the other servers we reviewed. It has a Pentium II 300-MHz processor and an embedded Ultra SCSI controller. It also supports hot-swap drives when used with the optional Compaq SMART Array controller. Compaq's excellent CIM (Compaq Insight Manager) server management application, a 32-bit Windows application, monitors your server and reports various hardware problems. It only works with Compaq servers. While many vendors bundle third-party server management applications, such as Intel LANDesk, CIM's integration with the hardware is unmatched.