HP continues to fill in its server lineup aimed at both the small and mid-sized enterprises. With the introduction of the ProLiant DL785 G5 eight-socket server utilizing quad-core AMD Opteron processors, HP upped its mid-range capabilities. For entry level and low-cost options the ProLiant BL260c G5 and ProLiant DL120 G5 are now available.

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HP marketing is listing these two servers as mid-market products. While many mid-sized enterprises will find these useful, the low cost for basic, but solid, processing capability will appeal more to smaller enterprises or those placing minimal compute power in branch offices.

The BL260c is a processor blade that can be installed in either the BladeSystem c3000 or c7000 enclosures. This server can support dual Intel Xeon processors (5200, 5300, or 5400 series) with a maximum of 24GB of RAM and two small form factor SATA drives. An entry level board (one single core processor with no second processor available) begins at about $1200 US. This pricing makes the BL260c one of the least expensive processor blades available.