Dell

Dell PowerEdge R540 Server Bronze 3106 (Renewed)

Renewed Dell PowerEdge R540 2U rack server with Bronze 3106 processor and 32TB raw storage for budget-conscious data center deployments.

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Overview

Reliable Performance for Your Business Needs

The Dell PowerEdge R540 server offers a balance of performance and storage capacity in a 2U rack server. Ideal for a range of business applications, this renewed server provides dependable computing power and data management.

Specifications:

  • Processor: Bronze 3106 Eight Core 1.7Ghz
  • Memory: 16GB RAM
  • Storage: 8 x 4TB SAS
  • Drive Bays: 8 x 3.5" Hot Plug
  • RAID Controller: H730

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • 32TB raw SAS storage across eight hot-plug bays offers substantial capacity for file serving and backup workloads.
  • The H730 RAID controller supports multiple RAID levels for flexible data protection.
  • Hot-plug 3.5-inch drive bays allow drive replacement without powering down the server.
  • 2U rack form factor fits standard data center racks while providing generous internal expansion room.
  • Renewed pricing makes enterprise-grade Dell server hardware accessible at a fraction of original cost.

👎 Cons

  • The Bronze 3106 lacks Turbo Boost and runs at a fixed 1.7 GHz, limiting single-threaded performance.
  • Only 16GB of RAM is included, which may require an immediate upgrade for virtualization or database workloads.
  • As a renewed unit, warranty coverage is typically shorter and more limited than a new server purchase.
  • The 2U chassis consumes more rack space than a 1U alternative for environments where density is a priority.
  • SAS drives, while reliable, are slower than SSD storage for latency-sensitive applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

It ships with an Intel Xeon Bronze 3106, an eight-core processor running at 1.7 GHz. This is a base-frequency-only chip with no Turbo Boost.
The server includes 8 x 4TB SAS drives in 3.5-inch hot-plug bays, providing 32TB of raw storage that can be configured in various RAID levels using the included H730 controller.
A renewed unit has been inspected, tested, and restored to working condition by a qualified refurbisher. It may show minor cosmetic wear but is functionally equivalent to a new unit.
The Dell PERC H730 supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, giving you flexibility to balance performance, capacity, and redundancy.
16GB is adequate for light workloads, but the R540 platform supports significantly more memory. You can add or replace DIMMs to scale RAM as your needs grow.