VDI is expensive. nComputing’s L300 might make it a bit less so, although there are tradeoffs. I’m working on a series of full-length articles discussing my experiences with and thoughts about nComputing, Windows MultiPoint Server and VDI methods in general, but I wanted to share with you a quick first impression on the nComputing L300.
It’s pretty good. Originally, I was using the L300 against a virtual machine to which I had assigned only a single processor and performance was subpar. However, upon adding a second processor, video tests went much better.
Now, understand that this is based on a limited pilot project, but multimedia performance was very acceptable, at least at 360 and 480p. Even full-screen Flash on YouTube worked with very few noticeable hiccups. The device had to “catch up” when I switched to full screen but once it did, there were only a couple of times when I saw the video jump at all. In my high def (720p, 1080p) tests, performance was poor, no matter the size of the video – windowed or full screen.
However, is high def video playback a “business need” that must be supported? It’s depends on the environment. And, for heavy video users, VDI probably wouldn’t be a fit anyway.
My first impressions about the L300 are good. I’m going to keep on testing!