@flyboy:
I'll give you credit that you did say "one person."

So, for example, I have a desktop I play games on. Have had it for quite a while and have upgraded it cheaply as the years passed, enough to keep me current with all but the latest games that have come out. That's hard to do at a reasonable price with an expensive gaming laptop.

I have a Media Center PC, hooked up to my TV that I use like a Tivo, for music & photos, etc.

I have a thin & light laptop that I bring to work everyday and also use on the couch, etc.

I also have a 360 for gaming/Media Center Extender.

All of these devices can take advantage of WHS's features. And I'm just one person.

(Of course, my gf also lives here and has her laptop too, but I'm sticking to your rules)

werk

@WERK.

I said one person - gimme a break - why does ONE (like 2 hands) person need 3-4 computers unless their rendering or number crunching a strong dual core laptop can do nearly any task ++.

?

flyboy

@fastm3driver:

for real, here is a video of it, i might get one.

[on10.net]

wetworker

@mrz2u: and to add to what werk said, the yellow machine thing cost like twice as much and does less. These things are going to beat NAS's to the ground.
I've been pricing out building my own too and can say the HP presents a good value. Mostly because WHS costs $180 OEM. This plus a $200 computer and 2 500GB HD's adds up to about $660ish with newegg parts. The 1TB version is $680 at amazon right now.

fastm3driver

@werk:
oops, meant to expound on my condescending reply.

Flyboy, think of families with kids, maybe 4-5 computers there. Husbands and wives, roomates, etc.

@mrz2u:
Click on the link to their earlier review. The features WHS has over NAS, homecooked Linux solutions, etc has been done to death. Giz's review is fairly good at outlining its features.

werk

@flyboy:
I'll go with the latter.

werk

@yolakayak: It is a NAS, not a SAN...there is a HUGE difference and each has its place.

That said, what does this reall offer that Buffalo and several others have not already?

I remember one I saw, Yellow Machine I think, that had a router and switch built and I believe a USB port of two for the print server feature. This would have been great if the switch was gigabit and not just 10/100.

mrz2u

I am running about 18 computers or computing devices at home currently. I am running about 8TB in NAS units at the moment, however, I may consider switching to this given the cost and speed of the device. Waiting for reviews.

THX

why does one person need several computers on at once unless he's number crunching - or am i stupid?
a good dual core can handle most tasks and output to two screens - more than enough for most things...

flyboy

I would love to see something like this from Apple. A centralized media backup server for the whole family whose content could be accessed by multiple computers/iTVs.

Such as, I have content I like to carry with me on my MacBook but I don't want to carry my entire 264GB iTunes folder or my 157GB video folder. Hell, I can't. And I have no use for my son's music anyway. But any of us should be able to play any of our music or video from any machine at any time in any room in the house. So it needs to be centralized.

Anyway, that's what I want.

phlavor

hmm i want an Intel process inside. looks sweet though

devGOD

This uses a 1.8GHz Sempron with a 35W power requirement. The HP MediaSmart is built around being quiet and power efficient.
From the HP MediaSmart Conference yesterday:

Question: Does the HP MediaSmart Server have a power save mode or sleep type mode when I'm not using it? Is it quieter than a standard computer?

Answer: The MediaSmart Server was designed to be as quiet and power efficient as possible. Example: The processor we chose was a special 35W processor. This low power design helps keep noise levels down too. Since the server can be accessed by any network device at any time (locally or remotely) there is no "stand-by" mode.

Full transcript found here:
[forums.microsoft.com]

Spud387

@jeffj-nj: LMFAO
ok 3-4 computers a lot
4-5 one more. But with this one you could turn it off and turn it back on and probably set it to auto back up the computers like windows vista does.
When a change is made on the hard drive or computer it is saved on the server or the back up file.
I say you should get it dude. Cuz if you have 3-4 computers running @ the same time so close together you could get a virus easily. not saying that they're all connected but you could tell when one computer is a few feet away from another if you're a hardcore hacker.
And btw i would most definetly buy this if i had a wife and kids. (only 16 yrs old)
All of my children would have their own computer and my wife would have one so she wouldn't try to be playing around on my nw-falcon or my imac.

SneakerFiend

Naaice.

@bondi: ROFL!

Kaiser-Machead

@BONDI: You gotta be fucking kidding me...

You're already running 3-4 computers 24/7, and you think increasing that to 4-5 comptuters - one of which with no monitor, no less - is going to make your power bill skyrocket? Or will impact the environment in ANY discernable way AT ALL more so than the electrity you're already slurping down?

jeffj-nj

Your title make this thing sound big. I've saw it at CES in Jan and can say this thing is very tiny.
Other comments,
It look very cool even though it is from HP.
The picture on amazon shows no sata port, but it's there@bondi: It takes very low power compared to a normal computer, plus there is no monitor even in stand by.
Gizzer's, can you put this thing on a kill-a-watt to let us know how low powered it is?

fastm3driver

The poor mans SAN. Any plans for backup?

yolakayak

I have 3-4 computers at home running nearly 24/7, I am not so found of the idea to have another one running. I can definately see the need for a solution like this but I can also see:
a) my power bill sky-rocketing
b) envorinmental impact

Not that one more or less make a big difference but you got to draw the line somewhere...

bondi

@flyboy:

Well I am one person and I have one laptop for work purposes, one desktop for gaming, I'd like to get a third to be a file server for myself and the rest of my family and I currently have a Tivo that could just as easily be a HTPC. Throw in another one for a home security system and you've got 5 right there. VMWare is probably the way to go for the HTPC, Security and file server but that's still 3 machines.

cowboyshootist

Looks more JUNKY to me.

doinka

@jeffj-nj:
Relax, as I said, not that one more or less would make a big difference.

As for the environmental impacts, I don't think anyone as an individual can make a big difference by altering their habits but it has to start somewhere. I would be happy to give you a better understanding of that but, frankly, I think it would be a waste of time.

bondi