The bench notes
Server guides & buying advice
Model comparisons, platform explainers and configuration advice — written from the hardware we refurbish, test and ship every day.
Latest · Performance optimization
GPU Servers: What Actually Fits in 2U and 4U
Chassis height, card TDP, power connectors, airflow and PCIe topology decide how many accelerators a server can really take. A practical guide to what fits in...
data security
PERC vs Smart Array: Understanding RAID Controllers
Dell PERC and HPE Smart Array read alike on a datasheet but run different silicon, and they differ in naming, cache backup design, defaults and tooling....
Performance optimization
RDIMM vs LRDIMM: Populating Server Memory Correctly
Registered and load-reduced DIMMs solve different electrical problems, and the difference shows up in capacity ceilings, clock speeds and rank budgets. Here is how each one...
Buying guide
Workstation or Server: Which One Do You Actually Need?
Core counts and memory capacity rarely decide this question. Redundancy, out-of-band management, acoustics, GPU support, and where the machine physically lives do. A practical framework, plus...
Buying guide
Dell Precision 7920 vs 7960: Two Generations of Big Iron
Both towers reach 56 cores ? one with two Xeon Scalable sockets, the other with a single Xeon W-3400. The difference lands in memory topology, PCIe...
Performance optimization
HP Z8 G4: A Workstation With Server DNA
The Z8 G4 is a two-socket Xeon Scalable platform in a deskside tower: 24 DIMM slots, 12 memory channels, 96 PCIe lanes. Here is what it...
Performance optimization
Four-Socket Servers: When Two CPUs Are Not Enough
The reason to add a third and fourth socket is almost never core count - it is memory capacity, memory channels and PCIe lanes in one...
Business Server
Dell PowerEdge R440: Where the Entry 1U Makes Sense
The R440 is defined by three ceilings: 150 W processors, sixteen DIMM slots and two PCIe slots. Knowing exactly where those limits sit tells you which...
Scalable server
HPE BL460c: What a Blade Actually Buys You
A BL460c is a sled, not a server - the BladeSystem enclosure is the real decision. Here is what the c7000 architecture consolidates, what it hands...
Scalable server
Dell PowerEdge M640: Blade Density Explained
An M640 is a half-height blade that only runs inside an M1000e or VRTX chassis. This is what the blade holds, how the chassis shapes it,...
Business Server
HPE ProLiant ML350: The Tower That Thinks It Is a Rack Server
The ML350 gives you 24 DIMM slots, redundant hot-plug fans and power supplies, and the same iLO management as HPE's rack line, in a 5U tower...
Business Server
Dell PowerEdge T430: A Server That Lives Outside the Rack
The T430 is a two-socket, 13th-generation Dell platform in a tower chassis: dual E5-2600 v3/v4 sockets, 12 DIMM slots, and three very different drive configurations. Here...
dell poweredge
Dell PowerEdge R740: The Balanced 2U
The R740 shares its CPU and memory platform with the 1U R640 but adds slots, drive bays, cooling headroom, and GPU support. Here is what the...