Dell
Dell PowerEdge R540 2X Gold 6136 192GB RAM 4X 2TB SAS H730 (Renewed)
Dual Gold 6136 processors, 192GB RAM, and hot-plug SAS storage deliver rack-mount compute density purpose-built for virtualization and database workloads.
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Overview
High-Performance Server: Dell PowerEdge R540 (Renewed)
This renewed Dell PowerEdge R540 server is designed for demanding workloads and provides a reliable foundation for your business. Featuring powerful processors, ample memory, and flexible storage options, it delivers exceptional performance and scalability.
- Configuration: 8 x 3.5 Hot Plug
- Processors: 2X Gold 6136 Twelve Core 3Ghz
- Memory: 192GB RAM
- Storage: 4X 2TB SAS
- RAID Controller: H730
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- 24 total cores (2× 12-core Gold 6136) provides dense multi-threaded compute for virtualization or database server roles
- 192GB RAM accommodates large in-memory datasets and multiple simultaneous VMs without memory pressure
- H730 RAID controller with 1GB NV cache accelerates write performance and supports RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 configurations
- 8-bay 3.5" hot-plug chassis allows drive replacement without downtime in RAID-protected configurations
- Renewed pricing delivers enterprise-class dual-socket hardware at a fraction of new acquisition cost
👎 Cons
- Xeon Gold 6136 is a Skylake-SP (2017) generation processor — AVX-512 support is present but IPC trails current-generation Xeon platforms by two to three generations
- 4×2TB SAS drive complement is modest for storage-primary workloads; the 8-bay chassis has room to expand but additional drives are an added cost
- "Renewed" status means drive health history is unknown — SAS drives should be assessed immediately via H730 diagnostics before production deployment
- The R540 is a 2U form factor requiring rack infrastructure; it is not suitable for non-rack environments
- Power consumption under dual-socket full load is substantial — dual redundant PSU draw should be factored into data center power planning
Frequently Asked Questions
What workloads is the dual Gold 6136 configuration well-suited for?
The Xeon Gold 6136 is a 12-core, 24-thread Skylake-SP processor with a 3.0GHz base and a 3.7GHz all-core turbo. In a dual-socket configuration you have 24 cores and 48 threads total — well-suited for VMware/Hyper-V virtualization fleets, SQL Server workloads, ERP platforms, and parallel compute jobs. Core-count and memory bandwidth are the dominant advantages here, not single-threaded clock speed.
Is 192GB of RAM expandable on this platform?
The PowerEdge R540 supports DDR4 LRDIMMs/RDIMMs across 12 DIMM slots per socket (24 total in dual-socket config). The current 192GB configuration likely uses 16GB RDIMMs. Maximum platform capacity is 3TB with 128GB LRDIMMs — substantial headroom exists if memory expansion is a future requirement.
What does "H730" RAID controller mean for storage configuration flexibility?
The PERC H730 is a 12Gb/s SAS RAID controller with 1GB of non-volatile cache. It supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, giving administrators broad flexibility for balancing redundancy and performance across the 4×2TB SAS drives. The non-volatile write cache is important for write-intensive workloads — it allows the controller to acknowledge writes immediately while safely queuing them to disk.
What does "Renewed" mean for an enterprise server like this?
Dell Renewed (or third-party refurbished) servers are typically decommissioned data center units that have been inspected, cleaned, and tested. Component condition varies — CPUs and RAM are generally reliable, but drive health should be verified immediately on receipt via the H730's management interface. Request SMART data and controller logs if possible.
Does this server support iDRAC remote management?
The PowerEdge R540 platform supports iDRAC9 for out-of-band remote management, including KVM over IP, power cycling, and hardware health monitoring. Whether the iDRAC Enterprise or Basic license is included should be confirmed with the seller, as licensing affects full remote console access.
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