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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
dell poweredge
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...
DL380 Gen9
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9: The Platform That Refuses to Age
The DL380 Gen9 is fully understood hardware with no surprises left in it. Here is what the E5-2600 v3/v4 platform still does well, where its four...
DL380 Gen10
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10: Why It Became the Default 2U
A practical breakdown of the DL380 Gen10 platform: Socket P processors, six memory channels per CPU, drive cage choices, PCIe and FlexibleLOM layout, and iLO 5....