Dell
Dell PowerEdge R640 8x2.5 Server Silver 4110 16GB RAM (Renewed)
Eight-bay 1U rack density meets enterprise RAID protection in a renewed PowerEdge R640 built for real data center workloads.
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Overview
High-Performance Computing: Dell PowerEdge R640 Server
The Dell PowerEdge R640 is a powerful and versatile server designed to meet the demands of modern data centers. Equipped with an Intel Silver 4110 Eight Core processor, 16GB of RAM, and eight 300GB 15K hard drives, this server delivers exceptional performance and reliability. The H730 RAID controller ensures data integrity and optimized storage management.
Specifications:
- Server Type: Rack Server
- Processor: Intel Silver 4110 Eight Core 2.1Ghz
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Storage: 8 x 300GB 15K HDD
- RAID Controller: H730
- Form Factor: 8 x 2.5 Hot Plug
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- Eight 2.5" hot-plug SAS bays deliver up to 2.4TB raw storage with online drive replacement, eliminating maintenance windows for single-drive failures.
- The PERC H730 controller with 1GB NV cache accelerates write performance on RAID 5/6 configurations, measurably reducing write penalty on spinning media.
- Dual-socket 1U chassis supports future CPU expansion and up to 24 DIMM slots, preserving upgrade headroom without chassis replacement.
- 15K RPM SAS drives deliver sustained sequential reads well above what 7.2K NL-SAS can achieve, reducing latency for IOPS-sensitive database workloads.
- Renewed pricing cuts total acquisition cost significantly versus new, making enterprise-class 1U density accessible for smaller IT budgets.
👎 Cons
- 16GB base RAM requires immediate expansion for any serious virtualization deployment — budget for additional DIMM purchases before go-live.
- The Xeon Silver 4110's 2.1GHz base clock limits single-threaded performance; workloads that can't parallelize well across 8 cores will hit this ceiling.
- 300GB per drive yields limited usable capacity — in RAID 6 across 8 drives, effective usable storage is roughly 1.6TB, modest by modern standards.
- As a renewed unit, drive health and RAID controller cache battery condition are unknowns; thorough burn-in testing and drive diagnostics are mandatory before production deployment.
- The 1U form factor constrains thermal headroom; sustained all-core loads in poorly cooled racks can trigger aggressive fan speed increases, raising acoustic output significantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Intel Silver 4110 processor mean for this server's workload capacity?
The Xeon Silver 4110 is an 8-core/16-thread Skylake-SP chip running at 2.1GHz base with 11MB L3 cache and a 85W TDP. It handles moderate-to-heavy virtualization, database, and web workloads efficiently — you're not getting the core density of a Gold or Platinum SKU, but for SMB or departmental deployments it's more than adequate.
Is 16GB of RAM enough for production use, and can it be expanded?
16GB is a starting point, not a ceiling. The R640 supports up to 24 DIMM slots depending on configuration and can scale to 3TB of DDR4 RAM. For most virtualization stacks running 4–8 VMs, 64–128GB is a more practical target — plan to add DIMMs before deploying in a demanding environment.
What RAID levels does the H730 controller support, and how does it protect the eight 300GB drives?
The PERC H730 supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 with a 1GB non-volatile cache backed by a battery or flash module. Across eight 300GB 15K SAS drives, RAID 6 gives you fault tolerance against two simultaneous drive failures while still delivering strong sequential throughput — appropriate for workloads where data integrity outweighs raw capacity.
What does "8x2.5 Hot Plug" mean in practice?
It means the server ships in the 2.5-inch small-form-factor bay configuration with all eight drive sleds accessible from the front without powering down. Hot-plug is critical in production: you can swap a failed drive mid-operation and let the RAID controller rebuild without scheduling downtime.
Does this renewed unit include rail kits or a warranty?
Renewed units typically do not include rail kits — verify with the seller before purchasing if rack mounting is required. Warranty coverage varies by seller; Dell's original hardware warranty on renewed units should be confirmed at time of purchase.
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