Score: 8.0

Weight: 10.0

Cost: US$8,199 as tested

Platforms: Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, VMware VI 3, Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10

Bottom Line: Dell's allegiance to the PowerEdge line is obvious in this ninth-generation offering. The PowerEdge 2950 is sleeker, faster, richer in options, and easier to work with than its predecessors. Lab tests showed significant improvement over an eighth-generation PowerEdge due in no small part to the dual-core Intel Woodcrest CPUs and fast front-side bus.