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.
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...
HPE ProLiant
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10: Small Chassis, Full Platform
The DL360 Gen10 fits a full two-socket Xeon Scalable platform into 1U: 24 DIMM slots, up to ten SFF bays, Smart Array RAID, and iLO 5....
dell poweredge
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...
refurbished servers
Dell Precision T7920: Dual-Socket Desk Power
The T7920 is server silicon in office clothing: two Xeon Scalable sockets, 24 DIMM slots and space for serious GPUs, engineered to whisper. What the platform...
refurbished servers
Burn-In and Acceptance Testing a Server
The week between delivery and production is when failures are cheap. A practical burn-in sequence - memory, storage, thermal load, power-pull tests - with the tools...
Business Server
Refurbished vs New Servers: The Real TCO Math
New servers carry warranties and efficiency; refurbished carry price tags a third the size. Running the actual five-year numbers - acquisition, power, spares, downtime risk -...
Buying guide
The Refurbished Server Inspection Checklist
What separates a properly refurbished server from a wiped pull: the checks worth doing in the first hour - BMC logs, DIMM error counters, drive hours,...
HPE ProLiant
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen9: Dense 1U on a Budget
The DL360 Gen9 packs the full two-socket Haswell/Broadwell platform into one rack unit - 24 DIMM slots included. Where the compact chassis shines, what it costs...
dell poweredge
Dell PowerEdge R730: The 2U That Refuses to Retire
A decade on, the R730 is still the default answer to a dozen different questions. What the platform actually offers - sockets, 24 DIMMs, bay options,...
refurbished servers
Managing Server Noise: What to Expect and How to Reduce It
Server acoustics follow physics: small fans scream, big fans hum. What 1U, 2U and tower chassis actually sound like, why firmware and ambient temperature matter as...
Buying guide
The Home Lab Starter Server: What to Buy First
First home lab server, one box, sensible money: what actually matters is noise, power draw, RAM ceiling and parts availability - not peak benchmarks. The models...