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.
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...
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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...
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Dell PowerEdge R640: A 1U Built for NVMe
The R640 packs two LGA 3647 sockets, 24 DDR4 DIMM slots, and up to ten 2.5-inch bays into a single rack unit. Here is how its...
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Dell PowerEdge R630: Dense Compute in One Rack Unit
The R630 puts 44 cores and 24 DIMM slots into a single rack unit. A look at its drive and NVMe options, the three low-profile PCIe...
Buying guide
Dell PowerEdge R740xd: Capacity Without the Compromise
The R740xd combines up to 32 drive bays, six memory channels per socket, and a dedicated M.2 boot device in one 2U chassis. Here is what...
Buying guide
Dell PowerEdge R730xd: The Storage Workhorse Explained
The R730xd is Dell's 13th-generation 2U storage chassis: up to 24 front SFF or 12 front LFF bays, 24 DIMM slots, and a controller choice that...
Buying guide
Dell 13th vs 14th Generation: Is the Jump Worth It?
Moving from PowerEdge 13G to 14G means a new socket, two extra memory channels per CPU, iDRAC9, and a different NVMe story. Here is where that...
Buying guide
Dell R730 or HPE DL380 Gen9? A Straight Comparison
Same Xeon E5 v3/v4 silicon, same 24 DIMM slots, same PCIe 3.0. The choice between a PowerEdge R730 and a ProLiant DL380 Gen9 comes down to...
Buying guide
Dell R630 vs R640: Choosing a 1U Compute Node
In 1U, memory bandwidth, thermal headroom and slot count decide the design. A side-by-side look at the Dell PowerEdge R630 and R640 and the workloads each...
Buying guide
Dell PowerEdge R730xd vs R740xd: Which Generation Should You Buy?
A practical comparison of Dell's 13th- and 14th-generation 2U storage servers: socket, memory channels, drive bays, NVMe support, and iDRAC. Where the R730xd is still the...
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M630 vs M640: Blade Generations Compared
Inside the same M1000e or VRTX chassis, the half-height blade stepped from E5 v3/v4 to Xeon Scalable. What the M640 adds over the M630, what blades...
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Dell T630 vs T640: Big Towers Compared
Dell's largest towers carry full 2U-class platforms in office-friendly cases - 18 LFF bays, dual sockets, GPU room. T630 brings the 13G value, T640 the 14G...
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Dell R720 vs R730: The 12G-to-13G 2U Step
Both are two-socket 2U workhorses with 24 DIMM slots and room for real storage. The R730's DDR4 and v3/v4 Xeons change the economics; the R720's rock-bottom...