gdgt

The EX470 is a pretty good starter Windows Home Server but it could use some additions to improved performance.

First: the base 512MB of RAM is pretty anemic. HP now allows you to upgrade to 2GB without voiding your warranty. If you've updated to version 1.3 of the HP software, this upgrade will do wonders to improve performance.

Replacing the stock driver for the SiS191 will most likely be the second most noticeable modification you can do.
On the SIS website, choose the Windows 2003 driver, the latest version of the driver is v.2.07 dated 2008-10-02. Replace the driver by using RDP to connect to your server.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can replace the stock Sempron CPU with either a low-voltage single core Athon 64 or with a low-voltage dual core Athlon 64 x2. Keep in mind that going dual core requires a BIOS upgrade so if you're squeamish about essentially hacking your BIOS you may just leave this upgrade be or only go with the single core Athlon.

Here is a great tutorial on how to do the RAM and CPU upgrades:
www.tomshardware.com­/reviews­/mediasmart­-ex475­-hack...