DELL PowerEdge R730XD 2U rack server E5-2650 v3 10C 2.3GHz 64GB DDR4 H730 24x 2.5

Dense 2U rack server for storage-heavy workloads

The Dell PowerEdge R730XD fits 24 hot-plug 2.5-inch bays into a 2U chassis, giving density-focused teams room for up to 52TB of raw SAS or SATA capacity. A single Xeon E5-2650 v3 with 10 cores at 2.3GHz and 64GB of DDR4 handles virtualisation, database or backup targets. The H730 RAID controller supports levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60 with 1GB cache at 12Gbps. Dual 750W redundant supplies and iDRAC8 remote management come standard.

Build around 24 drive bays and a dedicated RAID slot

The chassis uses 24 DIMM slots, 12 per processor, with a 64GB installed ceiling on this configuration and a 1536GB architectural maximum using 4GB through 128GB DDR4 modules up to 2400MT/s. Six PCIe 3.0 slots remain open for networking or acceleration cards, while the H730 occupies its own dedicated slot. A four-port 1GbE daughter card is fitted; optional 10GbE NDCs can replace it. Rails, trays and drives are not included, so plan cabling and carrier sourcing before racking.

Steady throughput from redundant power

Dual 750W hot-swap supplies keep the array and controller online during a module failure, letting rebuilds continue without downtime. The H730’s 1GB cache absorbs write bursts and sustains parity calculations across RAID 5, 6, 50 or 60 volumes during long backup windows or replication jobs. iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller provides out-of-band thermal monitoring and firmware updates without host OS involvement. The Matrox G200eR2 with 8MB cache handles console output only, leaving all PCIe lanes for storage or network expansion.