{"title":"Dell PowerEdge R730xd Servers","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"553\" data-end=\"887\"\u003eThe Dell PowerEdge R730xd is a high-capacity 2U rack server designed for data-intensive workloads that require both strong performance and exceptional storage density. Powered by Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 and v4 processors, the R730xd delivers reliable compute power while offering one of the most flexible storage platforms in its class.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"889\" data-end=\"1270\"\u003eWhat sets the Dell PowerEdge R730xd apart is its impressive drive capacity. With support for up to 24 x 2.5” (SFF) drives or 12 x 3.5” (LFF) drives—along with optional rear flex bay configurations—the R730xd is built to handle large-scale storage needs. This makes it an ideal solution for backup and archiving, software-defined storage, media storage, and data-heavy applications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1272\" data-end=\"1523\"\u003eThe PowerEdge R730xd also supports DDR4 ECC memory for stability and performance, along with advanced RAID controller options such as the PERC H730p. These features ensure reliable data protection and consistent performance across demanding workloads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1525\" data-end=\"1706\"\u003eWith integrated iDRAC8 management, the Dell R730xd allows for remote monitoring, deployment, and maintenance, helping IT teams efficiently manage infrastructure and reduce downtime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1708\" data-end=\"1951\"\u003eAt Wholesale Servers, all Dell PowerEdge R730xd servers are fully tested, professionally refurbished, and built to order. Customize your system with the right CPUs, memory, storage configuration, and RAID setup to meet your exact requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1953\" data-end=\"2155\"\u003eIf you need a cost-effective server that delivers high storage capacity and reliable performance, the Dell R730xd is a proven solution for SMBs, data-heavy workloads, and advanced home lab environments.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"dell-poweredge-r730xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis","title":"Dell PowerEdge R730xd 12-Bay 3.5\" + RFB [13th Gen]","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn our hands-on experience across hundreds of 13th gen storage-dense deployments, the refurbished Dell PowerEdge R730xd 12-Bay 3.5\" + RFB is the configuration we reach for when bulk local capacity per node is the design target. It is Dell's 13th-generation 2U dense-storage platform: twelve 3.5\" hot-swap front bays plus a 2-bay rear flex bay (RFB), fourteen drives total, built on the same Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3\/v4 dual-socket compute foundation as the R730. The R730xd is the dedicated storage variant of the R730, with a deeper chassis purpose-built for maximum large-form-factor capacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2026 this is the cost-correct call for capacity-primary storage at 13th gen acquisition pricing: backup target consolidation, scale-out NAS, archive infrastructure, file server consolidation, and any deployment where fourteen drives in a 2U node hits the capacity-and-cost target. The rear flex bay is the architectural signature. The two rear 2.5\" bays keep the operating system off the front array, freeing all twelve front bays for data while still providing a hardware-mirrored boot pair.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWholesale Servers configures every R730xd to order and tests it before it ships. Each unit completes a 12+ hour burn-in covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay, then ships with a standard 180-day warranty plus optional 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium coverage for the post-ProSupport period. Volume pricing begins at 5 units. To scope a build, call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere the R730xd 12-Bay Fits in the Family\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe R730xd is the storage-optimized member of Dell's 13th generation 2U line. Where the standard R730 is a general-purpose compute server, the R730xd uses a deeper chassis and a high-density backplane to carry far more drives. Two R730xd chassis variants exist: this 12-Bay 3.5\" large-form-factor build for bulk spinning-disk capacity, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 24-Bay 2.5\" + RFB\u003c\/a\u003e for dense small-form-factor SSD. The platform is identical between them; the choice is LFF capacity versus SFF density.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst the rest of the generation, the R730xd 12-Bay sits above the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e (eight LFF bays, no rear flex bay) and well above the 1U \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e, which shares the platform but has no LFF capacity role. Its direct successor is the 14th gen \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r740xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR740xd 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e. The closest HPE equivalent is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hp-proliant-dl380-g9-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eHPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e, the Gen9 2U LFF storage platform.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStorage: 12 LFF Front Bays Plus 2-Bay Rear Flex Bay\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwelve 3.5\" SAS\/SATA hot-swap front bays drive the platform. The volume use case is enterprise NL-SAS HDDs at maximum capacity per drive, delivering the lowest dollar-per-terabyte achievable in a 2U Dell 13th gen chassis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront 12 LFF bays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12 x 16-20 TB NL-SAS HDDs:\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume maximum-capacity configuration. 192-240 TB raw, roughly 150-200 TB usable at RAID 6 with a hot spare. Strong for backup repositories, archive storage, and large NAS pools.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12 x 12-14 TB NL-SAS HDDs:\u003c\/strong\u003e Balanced cost-and-capacity build. 144-168 TB raw, roughly 110-130 TB usable at RAID 6 with a hot spare.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12 x 22 TB NL-SAS HDDs:\u003c\/strong\u003e Maximum capacity. 264 TB raw, roughly 210 TB usable at RAID 6 with a hot spare, for deployments where the per-node capacity ceiling is the design driver.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e12 x 8-10 TB NL-SAS HDDs:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lower-cost bulk tier where the largest drives are over-provisioned for the workload. 96-120 TB raw.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRear 2-bay flex (RFB)\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe rear flex bay holds two 2.5\" SAS\/SATA hot-swap drives. Common configurations:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2 x SAS SSD boot mirror (240-480 GB):\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume use. Hardware RAID 1 OS boot independent of the data array, preserving all twelve front bays for capacity. This is the single biggest operational advantage over the R730 8-Bay 3.5\", which has to give up a front-bay pair for boot.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2 x SAS SSD fast tier:\u003c\/strong\u003e SSD-class IOPS for metadata or hot data in a tiered design. ZFS L2ARC\/ZIL, Windows tiered-storage pinning, or application hot data.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1 x boot + 1 x hot spare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single-drive boot with a standby for rapid replacement. Less robust than a mirror; used only in cost-constrained builds.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRAID guidance for 12-drive LFF arrays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRAID 6 is mandatory at 12 TB drive sizes and above. Single-drive rebuild on a 20-22 TB drive under array load exceeds 30 hours, and RAID 5 across twelve drives leaves the array exposed to a second failure during that window with statistically meaningful probability. We do not quote RAID 5 on this chassis. RAID 60 (two RAID 6 sets of six, striped) is the stronger alternative for large NL-SAS arrays: double parity per group, faster rebuilds, roughly 67% capacity efficiency. RAID 10 (six mirrored pairs) is rarely the right call for bulk capacity; it suits write-intensive workloads at moderate capacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOS boot lives in the rear flex bay, not on the front array, so the full twelve-drive front group can be a single capacity volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStorage Controllers\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe R730xd uses the same 13th gen PERC family as the rest of the platform. We quote the H730P as the default for capacity-tier arrays.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePERC H730P (2 GB NV cache, battery-backed):\u003c\/strong\u003e The production default. RAID 0\/1\/5\/6\/10\/50\/60 across the twelve LFF front bays and the two SFF rear bays. The 2 GB cache is sufficient for capacity-tier write coalescing. This is the top controller on the 13th gen platform; the 8 GB H740P is a 14th gen part and does not run here.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePERC H730 (1 GB NV cache, battery-backed):\u003c\/strong\u003e The budget option when the 2 GB cache is not load-bearing. Adequate for read-heavy or modest-write capacity workloads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePERC H330 (no cache):\u003c\/strong\u003e Entry-tier hardware RAID for light or organizationally-mandated RAID where performance is not the point.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHBA330 (pass-through):\u003c\/strong\u003e Direct drive access for software-defined storage. The common choice for ZFS, Ceph, or TrueNAS deployments where the storage layer handles redundancy.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDual PERC:\u003c\/strong\u003e Some R730xd builds support two controllers, one fronting the front LFF array and one for the rear bays. Uncommon on the 12-Bay LFF build and usually unnecessary.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eProcessors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe R730xd is dual-socket on the LGA-2011-3 platform and accepts Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 (Haswell, 2014) and v4 (Broadwell, 2016) processors. The two generations are pin-compatible; a v3 board takes v4 CPUs with a BIOS update. Dual v4 reaches up to 44 cores and 88 threads at the top SKUs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStorage-server workloads are rarely CPU-bound, so the R730xd is usually specified with modest processors. Sequential backup ingestion and NAS serving leave the CPU largely idle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2620 v4 (8C, 2.1 GHz, 85W):\u003c\/strong\u003e Cost-floor choice for capacity-tier nodes where the CPU is mostly idle. Common on backup-target builds.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2630 v4 (10C, 2.2 GHz, 85W):\u003c\/strong\u003e A small step up for NAS heads with light compute alongside serving.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2650 v4 (12C, 2.2 GHz, 105W):\u003c\/strong\u003e Balanced choice when the storage node also runs modest virtualization or data services.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2680 v4 (14C, 2.4 GHz, 120W):\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume balanced SKU when the node carries real compute alongside storage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpending up to the E5-2697 v4 (18C) or E5-2699 v4 (22C) is rarely justified on a capacity-tier R730xd; those SKUs belong on compute-primary builds. For deeper per-SKU guidance, see the 13th gen processor detail on the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay platform page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMemory\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 DDR4 DIMM slots: twelve per CPU, six channels per socket, two slots per channel. Maximum 1.5 TB with 64 GB LRDIMMs. Memory runs at 2400 MT\/s at one DIMM per channel on v4 SKUs and steps to 2133 MT\/s at full two-DIMM-per-channel population or on lower SKUs. Optane Persistent Memory is a 14th gen feature and is not supported here; mixed RDIMM\/LRDIMM and UDIMM are not supported.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a storage server, memory sizing favors filesystem cache rather than raw VM density.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e128-256 GB:\u003c\/strong\u003e Typical for backup-target and general NAS roles where the CPU and RAM are not the bottleneck.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e256-512 GB:\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume range for active NAS heads and file-server consolidation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e768 GB to 1 TB:\u003c\/strong\u003e Justified for large ZFS pools, where ARC sizing benefits from more memory. A rule of thumb is 1 GB of RAM per TB of pool, rising to 4-8 GB per TB for metadata-heavy workloads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2400 MT\/s ceiling is the platform's defining memory characteristic against the 14th gen R740xd at 2933 MT\/s. For capacity-tier storage, that delta is invisible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eNetworking and PCIe Expansion\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNetworking is delivered through the OCP 2.0 rack Network Daughter Card (rNDC), which does not consume a PCIe slot, plus add-in PCIe NICs. rNDC options span 4 x 1 GbE, 2 x 10 GbE Base-T, 4 x 10 GbE, and 25 GbE through a PCIe ConnectX-4 Lx card.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a storage server, 10 GbE is the floor. Twelve LFF drives at sequential throughput of 200 MB\/s and up can saturate a single 10 GbE link, so high-throughput backup ingestion or NAS serving is the case for 25 GbE.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2U chassis carries up to seven PCIe Gen3 slots depending on riser, far more headroom than the 1U R630. On a storage node that budget typically goes to a second high-speed NIC, an external SAS HBA for shelf expansion beyond fourteen drives, or a Fibre Channel HBA for SAN-attached deployments. Specific slot mixes depend on riser choice at order time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGPU Support\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2U envelope supports accelerators (a single-width NVIDIA T4 at 70W, or a double-width Pascal or Volta-class card such as the P40 or V100 at 250-300W with the right riser and 1100W PSUs), but the R730xd is a storage platform and GPU is rarely its point. If a deployment needs both dense storage and meaningful GPU compute, the standard \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e or a 14th gen R740 is the better-balanced choice. Modern Ampere and Hopper GPUs are not supported on this platform.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eManagement: iDRAC8 Enterprise\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe R730xd ships with iDRAC8 Enterprise out-of-band management: remote KVM console, virtual media, remote power control, hardware health and predictive failure telemetry, Active Directory and LDAP integration, SNMP and email alerting, and Lifecycle Controller for firmware management. For a storage node that runs for years with infrequent hands-on attention, reliable remote management matters, and iDRAC8 covers it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat iDRAC8 lacks against the 14th gen iDRAC9 is the Silicon Root of Trust firmware-integrity chain and System Lockdown. For storage handling regulated data under NIST 800-193 or similar firmware-integrity mandates, that gap points to the 14th gen R740xd. For most backup, NAS, and archive roles it does not bite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePower and Cooling\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwelve spinning drives plus modest CPU and memory fit comfortably inside a 750W envelope, with 1100W the safe specification for fully-loaded high-TDP-CPU builds and spin-up current headroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWorkload Profile\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eTypical Draw\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePSU Recommendation\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCapacity NAS: dual 85W CPU, 128-256 GB RAM, 12 NL-SAS HDDs, 10 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e320-460W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 750W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eActive NAS or backup head: dual 120W CPU, 512 GB RAM, 14 drives, 10 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e450-620W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 750W or 2 x 1100W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHeavy: dual high-TDP CPU, 1 TB RAM, 14 drives, 25 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e620-820W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 1100W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cp\u003ePSU options are 495W, 750W, and 1100W hot-swap redundant (1+1). The 495W is appropriate only for very light single-CPU builds; most R730xd capacity nodes land on 750W, and dense high-CPU builds want 1100W. Cooling is handled by six hot-swap dual-rotor fans; the platform is datacenter-class and not office-deployable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePhysical Specs and Platform Notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eForm factor:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2U rack, standard 19\" mount. The R730xd chassis is deeper than the standard R730 at roughly 775mm versus 684mm, to accommodate the LFF backplane and rear flex bay.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePCIe expansion:\u003c\/strong\u003e up to seven PCIe Gen3 slots depending on riser, in a mix of full-height and low-profile.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eParts availability:\u003c\/strong\u003e excellent through 2026-2027. The R730 and R730xd have one of the deepest secondary-market parts pools in the PowerEdge line for CPUs, DDR4, LFF drives, PERC controllers, PSUs, and rNDCs. Dell ProSupport on this generation has reached end-of-service; third-party maintenance is the standard production path.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAccessories we recommend:\u003c\/strong\u003e the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r530-r540-r730-r730xd-r740-2u-b6-ready-rails-ii-sliding-rail-kit\"\u003e2U B6 ReadyRails II sliding rail kit\u003c\/a\u003e for the rack mount, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r530-r730-r730xd-security-bezel\"\u003e13th gen 2U security bezel\u003c\/a\u003e for front-panel protection, and a cable management arm for serviceability.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlatform notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e verify rack depth before ordering given the deeper chassis. There is no BOSS module on this generation; the rear flex bay is the boot device. CPU hot-plug is not supported.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eOur Assessment\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere it excels:\u003c\/strong\u003e Capacity-primary storage at 13th gen pricing is the R730xd 12-Bay's home ground. Backup target consolidation for Veeam, Commvault, and Rubrik repositories; scale-out NAS on ZFS, Windows Storage Spaces, or TrueNAS; archive infrastructure with long retention; file-server consolidation from several aging units into one node; and log or SIEM retention tiers all map cleanly to fourteen drives in 2U with a clean OS boot pair in the rear flex bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere to look instead:\u003c\/strong\u003e For SSD-class random IOPS at high density, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 24-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e or a 14th gen platform is the better answer. Where eight LFF bays are enough, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e is lower cost. For storage planned to run four or more years, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r740xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR740xd 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e brings iDRAC9, the 8 GB H740P, and a longer support horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottom line:\u003c\/strong\u003e This is the cost-correct bulk-capacity node for a two-to-four-year horizon, bought by teams who need maximum NL-SAS terabytes per 2U at the lowest acquisition cost and who value a clean boot-off-the-data-array design. When platform currency and longer support windows justify the premium, step to the R740xd; otherwise the R730xd 12-Bay is the right call, and we will quote both side by side so the math is explicit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere the R730xd 12-Bay Fits in 2026\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe R730xd is two generations behind the current line: the 14th gen R740xd (2017) and the 15th gen R750-class platforms (2021) both succeed it. That is exactly why it is attractive on the secondary market. For capacity storage the workload has not changed, and spinning-disk economics still favor the platform that costs the least to acquire. We position the R730xd honestly as a mature platform: excellent parts availability, deep operational knowledge, and a third-party-maintenance support model now that Dell ProSupport has lapsed. Buy it when the deployment horizon is two to four years and acquisition cost is the lever; step up a generation when you need iDRAC9 firmware integrity, faster memory, or a five-plus-year horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHonest Limitations\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e14 drives is the chassis ceiling.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twelve LFF front plus two SFF rear is the maximum. Higher density per node means a 14th gen R740xd or external SAS shelves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpinning-disk IOPS are limited.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twelve 7.2K NL-SAS drives deliver roughly 900-1800 random IOPS at the array level. Workloads needing more want SSD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRebuild times on 20-22 TB drives are very long.\u003c\/strong\u003e Plan on 30-40 hours under load. RAID 6 or RAID 60 is mandatory, with hot-spare allocation and proactive replacement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDrive failure across twelve spindles is statistically routine.\u003c\/strong\u003e At a 1-3% annual failure rate, a twelve-drive node sees a meaningful annual probability of at least one failure. Budget replacement drives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe deeper chassis does not fit every rack.\u003c\/strong\u003e At roughly 775mm it is deeper than a standard R730; confirm rack depth before ordering.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAll 13th gen platform constraints apply.\u003c\/strong\u003e iDRAC8 rather than iDRAC9, DDR4 capped at 2400 MT\/s, no BOSS module, no Optane, PERC tops out at the H730P, PCIe Gen3 ceiling, and Dell ProSupport end-of-service. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay platform page\u003c\/a\u003e covers these in full.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRear flex bay SSDs are usually small.\u003c\/strong\u003e 240-960 GB is the common range; validate larger rear-bay capacity at quote time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront LFF and rear SFF are separate arrays.\u003c\/strong\u003e The twelve-drive front group and the two-drive rear group are configured as distinct logical volumes; they are not merged.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWorkload Fit\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eExcels at\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhere to look elsewhere\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBackup target consolidation (Veeam, Commvault, Rubrik)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSSD random-IOPS workloads (use the 24-Bay 2.5\" SFF build)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScale-out NAS (ZFS, Storage Spaces, TrueNAS)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFour-plus-year production horizons (use R740xd or R750)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eArchive infrastructure with long retention\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMore than 14 drives per node (use external shelves or 14th gen)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFile-server consolidation from older units\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eiDRAC9 firmware integrity required (use R740xd)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLog and SIEM retention tiers\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMemory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads (use R740 family)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTiered storage with SSD rear bays over HDD front\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePCIe Gen4 storage networking (use 15th gen)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to Look Instead\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 24-Bay 2.5\" + RFB\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e same platform, twenty-four SFF front bays plus a four-bay rear flex bay, for dense SSD and performance-tier storage instead of LFF bulk capacity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the lower-density LFF build in the same generation, when eight capacity drives are enough and the rear flex bay is not needed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-16-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 16-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the dense SFF build on the standard R730 chassis, for SSD density without the R730xd storage chassis.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r740xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR740xd 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the 14th gen successor with iDRAC9, the 8 GB PERC H740P, faster memory, and a longer support horizon, when the deployment justifies stepping up a generation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the 1U platform page for full 13th gen processor, memory, and management detail, and the budget step-down where dense local storage is not required.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/hp-proliant-dl380-g9-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eHPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the cross-vendor Gen9 equivalent for shops standardized on HPE.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eReady to Configure?\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTell us your target capacity in raw and usable terabytes after RAID, your backup or NAS software and use case, retention requirements, the rear-flex-bay role (boot mirror or fast-tier SSD), CPU and memory sizing, networking speed, and quantity. We respond within 24 hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor capacity sizing, share your retention window, data growth rate, and current backup catalog or pool size. We will spec drive count and capacity per drive, the RAID layout (RAID 6 or RAID 60), and the rear-bay tier to hit your target with appropriate fault tolerance, and we will show R730xd 12-Bay pricing next to the R740xd 12-Bay so the generation decision is grounded in current cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery Wholesale Servers R730xd ships after a 12+ hour burn-in covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay, and carries a standard 180-day warranty with 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium options for production horizons. Volume pricing applies at 5 units and above. Call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page to start.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45951274942663,"sku":"BP-012031","price":243.02,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0748\/4493\/0247\/files\/server-design-lab-dell-poweredge-r730xd-12-bay-35-drives-387372.png?v=1765539695"},{"product_id":"dell-poweredge-r730xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis","title":"Dell PowerEdge R730xd 24-Bay 2.5\" + RFB [13th Gen]","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn our hands-on experience with dense 13th gen SSD storage builds, the refurbished Dell PowerEdge R730xd 24-Bay 2.5\" + RFB is the maximum-density node in the generation: twenty-four 2.5\" hot-swap front bays plus a four-bay rear flex bay (RFB), twenty-eight small-form-factor drives total in a single 2U chassis. It is the high-density counterpart to the R730xd 12-Bay 3.5\", built on the same Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3\/v4 dual-socket platform but optimized for SSD performance and drive count rather than large-form-factor bulk capacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2026 this is the cost-correct call when high-density SSD per node is the design driver and 13th gen acquisition pricing wins against 14th gen alternatives: vSAN OSA nodes at maximum per-node drive count, dense SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL on local SAS SSD, high-density virtualization hosts, and scale-out SSD storage clusters where twenty-eight SFF drives per 2U hits the capacity-and-IOPS target. The four-bay rear flex bay gives this variant twice the rear-tier flexibility of the 12-Bay build: a boot mirror plus a dedicated fast tier, or four independent fast-tier drives, all separate from the front array.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWholesale Servers configures every R730xd to order and tests it before it ships. Each unit completes a 12+ hour burn-in covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay, then ships with a standard 180-day warranty plus optional 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium coverage for the post-ProSupport period. Volume pricing begins at 5 units. To scope a build, call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhen 24 SFF Bays Plus a 4-Bay Rear Flex Bay Is the Right Choice\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis variant exists for one reason: maximum drive count in a 2U node. Twenty-four front 2.5\" bays plus a four-bay rear flex bay is the densest configuration Dell shipped in the 13th generation. Choose it over the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 12-Bay 3.5\" + RFB\u003c\/a\u003e when the workload wants SSD IOPS and spindle count rather than bulk NL-SAS terabytes, and over the standard \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-16-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 16-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e when sixteen bays are not enough and the extra eight front bays plus the four rear bays earn their cost. The platform underneath is identical to the rest of the R730 family; what is different here is the backplane, the drive count, and the resource sizing that dense SSD deployments call for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStorage: 24 SFF Front Bays Plus 4-Bay Rear Flex Bay\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-four 2.5\" SAS\/SATA hot-swap front bays carry the workload. The volume use case is dense SAS SSD. SAS HDDs are supported, but the SFF chassis is specified when SSD performance is the point; for spinning-disk capacity the 12-Bay LFF build is the right chassis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront 24 SFF bays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e24 x 1.92 TB SAS SSD:\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume vSAN OSA configuration. Partitions cleanly into disk groups, for example six groups of one cache plus three capacity, or four groups of one cache plus five capacity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e24 x 3.84 TB SAS SSD:\u003c\/strong\u003e Higher-capacity dense virtualization datastore, roughly 70-80 TB usable at RAID 60 depending on layout. Strong for VM hosts with substantial local storage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e24 x 1.6 TB Mixed-Use SAS SSD:\u003c\/strong\u003e Write-intensive workloads at maximum density: SQL Server tempdb arrays, OLTP transaction storage, high-write log retention.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e16 SAS SSD + 8 SAS HDD:\u003c\/strong\u003e A tiered build with an SSD performance tier over an HDD warm tier. Less common but supported.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUp to 4 NVMe SSDs:\u003c\/strong\u003e Specific 24-bay backplane SKUs support up to four NVMe drives in the rightmost bays for a cache or hot tier alongside the SAS SSD capacity tier. Not all twenty-four bays are NVMe-capable; confirm the backplane at quote time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRear 4-bay flex (RFB)\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe four-bay rear flex bay enables more flexible architectures than the 12-Bay build's two-bay rear:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2 x SSD boot mirror + 2 x SSD fast tier:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardware RAID 1 OS boot plus dedicated fast-tier drives, all independent of the front array. The common performance-tier layout.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e4 x SSD fast tier:\u003c\/strong\u003e For ZFS L2ARC\/ZIL, separated transaction logs, or a dedicated metadata tier.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e2 x boot mirror + 2 x hot spare:\u003c\/strong\u003e A boot pair with standby drives for rapid replacement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRAID at 24-bay density\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-four drives give real layout flexibility. RAID 60 (two RAID 6 sets of twelve, striped) is the volume choice for dense SSD: twenty data drives, four parity, strong fault tolerance with good efficiency. RAID 60 as three sets of eight trades a little capacity for faster rebuilds. RAID 10 (twelve mirrored pairs) suits write-intensive workloads at a 50% capacity cost. A dual-PERC architecture can run multiple separate arrays (a 16 + 8 or 12 + 12 split) for workload isolation. vSAN disk-group layouts have many valid combinations at twenty-four drives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStorage Controllers at 24-Bay Scale\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe same 13th gen PERC family applies, but at twenty-four drives the controller choice matters more, and dual PERC becomes a real consideration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePERC H730P (2 GB NV cache, battery-backed):\u003c\/strong\u003e The production default. RAID 0\/1\/5\/6\/10\/50\/60. At twenty-four active SSDs the 2 GB cache works harder than on a 12-drive node; for sustained-write arrays we often pair two of them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDual PERC H730P:\u003c\/strong\u003e Two controllers splitting the front bays (16 + 8, or 12 + 12) materially improve sustained write performance over a single controller fronting all twenty-four drives. Recommended for write-heavy or mixed dense-SSD workloads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePERC H730 (1 GB cache):\u003c\/strong\u003e The budget controller when the 2 GB cache is not load-bearing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHBA330 (pass-through):\u003c\/strong\u003e The choice for vSAN, Ceph, ZFS, or any software-defined stack that manages redundancy itself. vSAN OSA specifically wants pass-through, not hardware RAID.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 8 GB PERC H740P is a 14th gen part and does not run on this platform; at 24-drive density its larger cache is exactly where the 14th gen R740xd pulls ahead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eProcessors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDual-socket on LGA-2011-3, accepting Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 (Haswell) and v4 (Broadwell), pin-compatible with a BIOS update, up to 44 cores and 88 threads dual-v4. Unlike the capacity-tier 12-Bay build, the dense-SFF variant is usually deployed for performance, so CPU sizing trends higher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2680 v4 (14C, 2.4 GHz, 120W):\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume balanced SKU for dense virtualization and storage-plus-compute nodes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2690 v4 (14C, 2.6 GHz, 135W):\u003c\/strong\u003e Higher clock at the same core count for frequency-sensitive workloads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2697 v4 (18C, 2.3 GHz, 145W):\u003c\/strong\u003e For high-IOPS vSAN or VM-dense nodes where total core count drives the consolidation ratio.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eE5-2699 v4 (22C, 2.2 GHz, 145W):\u003c\/strong\u003e Maximum core count for the densest virtualization deployments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-four active SAS SSDs at high IOPS benefit from cores for RAID processing and network handling, so the cost-floor 85W SKUs that suit a backup target are usually under-spec here. For full per-SKU detail see the 13th gen processor section on the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay platform page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMemory\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e24 DDR4 DIMM slots: twelve per CPU, six channels per socket, two slots per channel. Maximum 1.5 TB with 64 GB LRDIMMs. 2400 MT\/s at one DIMM per channel on v4 SKUs, stepping to 2133 MT\/s at full population or on lower SKUs. No Optane Persistent Memory (a 14th gen feature); no mixed RDIMM\/LRDIMM, no UDIMM.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDense SFF nodes carry more memory than capacity-tier builds because VM density per node is higher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e256 GB:\u003c\/strong\u003e Entry point for dense storage with modest compute.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e512 GB:\u003c\/strong\u003e The volume range for vSAN nodes and high-density VM hosts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e768 GB to 1.5 TB:\u003c\/strong\u003e For VDI, memory-intensive virtualization, or large in-memory working sets at the platform ceiling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2400 MT\/s ceiling is the platform's defining memory limit against the 14th gen R740xd at 2933 MT\/s. For memory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads the delta is real; for IOPS-bound dense storage it is usually not the bottleneck.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eNetworking and PCIe Expansion\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNetworking is via the OCP 2.0 rack Network Daughter Card (rNDC), which does not consume a PCIe slot, plus add-in PCIe NICs. rNDC options span 4 x 1 GbE, 2 x 10 GbE Base-T, 4 x 10 GbE, and 25 GbE through a PCIe ConnectX-4 Lx card. On a 24-SSD node, 10 GbE is the floor and 25 GbE is strongly recommended: twenty-four SAS SSDs can saturate a single 10 GbE link under heavy traffic, and vSAN or dense storage-tier deployments benefit directly from the headroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2U chassis carries up to seven PCIe Gen3 slots depending on riser. On a dense-storage node that budget commonly goes to a second PERC, a 25 GbE NIC, or an external SAS HBA. Specific slot mixes depend on riser choice at order time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGPU Support\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2U envelope can host an accelerator (a single-width NVIDIA T4 at 70W, or a double-width Pascal or Volta card such as the P40 or V100 at 250-300W with the right riser and 1100W PSUs), but with twenty-four front bays and four rear bays consuming the chassis, GPU plus full storage is a tight combination. If GPU compute is central, the standard \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e or a 14th gen R740 is the better-balanced platform. Modern Ampere and Hopper GPUs are not supported here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eManagement: iDRAC8 Enterprise\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eiDRAC8 Enterprise out-of-band management: remote KVM, virtual media, remote power control, hardware health and predictive failure telemetry, Active Directory and LDAP integration, SNMP and email alerting, and Lifecycle Controller for firmware management. For a dense node that consolidates many workloads, reliable remote hands matter, and iDRAC8 covers day-to-day operation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst the 14th gen iDRAC9 it lacks the Silicon Root of Trust firmware-integrity chain and System Lockdown. For regulated workloads under firmware-integrity mandates, that points to the R740xd; for most dense-SSD virtualization and storage roles it does not bite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePower and Cooling\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-four active SSDs plus four rear drives plus dual high-TDP CPUs draw more than the capacity-tier 12-Bay build, and a fully loaded node can approach 900W under sustained load. 1100W is the volume PSU specification here, not 750W.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWorkload Profile\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eTypical Draw\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePSU Recommendation\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eModerate: dual 120W CPU, 256-512 GB RAM, 24 SAS SSD, 10 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e480-650W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 1100W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003evSAN node: dual 145W CPU, 512 GB to 1 TB RAM, 28 SSD, dual PERC, 25 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e650-880W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 1100W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum: dual 145W CPU, 1.5 TB RAM, 28 SSD, dual PERC, 25 GbE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e820-1000W\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x 1100W Platinum redundant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cp\u003ePSU options are 495W, 750W, 1100W AC, and 1100W DC for HVDC datacenters. Most 24-bay builds want 1100W for headroom; the smaller PSUs suit only lightly populated configurations. Cooling is handled by six hot-swap dual-rotor fans, and the denser drive population runs the fan profile harder than the 12-Bay build, so datacenter ambient temperatures matter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePhysical Specs and Platform Notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eForm factor:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2U rack, standard 19\" mount. The R730xd chassis is deeper than a standard R730 at roughly 775mm versus 684mm, to carry the 24-bay backplane and rear flex bay.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePCIe expansion:\u003c\/strong\u003e up to seven PCIe Gen3 slots depending on riser, in a mix of full-height and low-profile.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eParts availability:\u003c\/strong\u003e excellent through 2026-2027, with a deep secondary-market pool for CPUs, DDR4, 2.5\" SAS SSDs, PERC controllers, PSUs, and rNDCs. Dell ProSupport on this generation has reached end-of-service; third-party maintenance is the standard production path.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAccessories we recommend:\u003c\/strong\u003e the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r530-r540-r730-r730xd-r740-2u-b6-ready-rails-ii-sliding-rail-kit\"\u003e2U B6 ReadyRails II sliding rail kit\u003c\/a\u003e, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r530-r730-r730xd-security-bezel\"\u003e13th gen 2U security bezel\u003c\/a\u003e, and a cable management arm.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlatform notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e confirm rack depth before ordering. There is no BOSS module on this generation; the rear flex bay is the boot device. Front-bay NVMe is limited to specific backplane SKUs. CPU hot-plug is not supported.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eOur Assessment\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere it excels:\u003c\/strong\u003e Maximum-density SFF storage at 13th gen pricing is this variant's purpose. vSAN OSA hyperconverged nodes at full per-node drive count, dense SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL on local SAS SSD, high-density virtualization at high VM counts per node, and scale-out SSD storage clusters all map cleanly to twenty-eight SFF drives in 2U with a flexible four-bay rear tier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere to look instead:\u003c\/strong\u003e For bulk NL-SAS HDD capacity, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 12-Bay 3.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e is the right chassis. Where sixteen SFF bays cover the need, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-16-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 16-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e is lower cost. For vSAN ESA or NVMe-native architectures, or storage planned to run four or more years, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r740xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR740xd 24-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e brings iDRAC9, the 8 GB H740P, faster memory, and a longer support horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottom line:\u003c\/strong\u003e This is the densest 13th gen SSD node available and the cost-correct call when drive count and IOPS per 2U are the design drivers on a two-to-four-year horizon. Spec it with higher CPU and memory than a capacity node, plan on 1100W PSUs and often dual PERC, and step up to the R740xd when platform currency, the larger cache, or a longer support window justify the premium. We will quote both side by side so the generation decision is grounded in current cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHonest Limitations\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e28 drives is the chassis ceiling.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twenty-four SFF front plus four SFF rear is the maximum in the generation. Higher density means external SAS shelves or a 14th gen platform.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront-bay NVMe is constrained.\u003c\/strong\u003e Up to four NVMe drives on specific backplane SKUs, not all twenty-four bays. For NVMe-dense architectures the R750 or R760 are the right platforms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003evSAN HCL status for 13th gen is narrowing.\u003c\/strong\u003e VMware vSAN compatibility on E5-2600 v3\/v4 is in transition; verify the HCL for your planned vSphere version at quote time. For long-term vSAN, 14th gen or newer is the longer-horizon investment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSustained power draw is real.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twenty-four SSDs, dual high-TDP CPUs, dual PERC, and 25 GbE can exceed 900W; size rack PDUs accordingly and plan on 1100W PSUs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCooling and acoustics run harder than the 12-Bay build.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twenty-four active drives generate more heat; datacenter ambient temperature matters.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConfiguration is complex.\u003c\/strong\u003e Twenty-four front bays, four rear bays, single or dual PERC, multiple RAID layouts, and vSAN disk-group math make BOM specification non-trivial; we walk through it at quote time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAll 13th gen platform constraints apply.\u003c\/strong\u003e iDRAC8 rather than iDRAC9, DDR4 capped at 2400 MT\/s, no BOSS module, no Optane, PERC tops out at the H730P, PCIe Gen3 ceiling, Dell ProSupport end-of-service. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay platform page\u003c\/a\u003e covers these in full.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe deeper chassis does not fit every rack.\u003c\/strong\u003e At roughly 775mm, confirm rack depth before ordering.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWorkload Fit\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eExcels at\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhere to look elsewhere\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003evSAN OSA at maximum per-node drive count\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003evSAN ESA (needs Gen4 NVMe, use 15th gen)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDense SQL Server or Oracle on local SAS SSD\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBulk NL-SAS capacity (use R730xd 12-Bay 3.5\")\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHyperconverged compute and storage in 2U\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSixteen SFF bays sufficient (use R730 16-Bay)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScale-out SSD storage clusters\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFour-plus-year horizons (use R740xd or R750)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHigh-density virtualization (high VM count per node)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNVMe-native architectures (use R750 or R760)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTiered storage with a 4-bay SSD rear tier\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eiDRAC9 firmware integrity required (use R740xd)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to Look Instead\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-12-bay-3-5-chassis\"\u003eR730xd 12-Bay 3.5\" + RFB\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the same platform in a large-form-factor chassis, for bulk NL-SAS HDD capacity instead of dense SSD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-16-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 16-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the dense SFF build on the standard R730 chassis, lower cost when sixteen bays are enough and the rear flex bay is not needed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r730-8-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR730 8-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the general-purpose 2U platform page for full R730 PCIe, GPU, and PSU detail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r740xd-24-bay-2-5-chassis\"\u003eR740xd 24-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the 14th gen successor with iDRAC9, the 8 GB PERC H740P, faster memory, and NVMe-native backplane options, when the deployment justifies stepping up a generation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dell-poweredge-r630-10-bay-chassis\"\u003eR630 10-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the 1U platform page for full 13th gen processor, memory, and management detail.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/dl380-g9-2-5-24-bay-chassis\"\u003eHPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 24-Bay 2.5\"\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e the cross-vendor Gen9 equivalent for shops standardized on HPE.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003ch2\u003eReady to Configure?\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTell us your workload (vSAN, dense virtualization, database, or scale-out storage), target SSD count and capacity, RAID requirement, single or dual PERC preference, the rear-flex-bay role (boot plus fast tier, or four-drive fast tier), CPU and memory sizing, networking speed (10 GbE minimum, 25 GbE recommended), and quantity. We respond within 24 hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor vSAN deployments, share your target cluster size, vSphere version, and HCL constraints; we will verify R730xd 24-Bay compatibility and size cache and capacity disk groups appropriately, and we will show this build next to the R740xd 24-Bay so the generation decision is grounded in current cost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery Wholesale Servers R730xd ships after a 12+ hour burn-in covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay, and carries a standard 180-day warranty with 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium options for production horizons. Volume pricing applies at 5 units and above. Call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page to start.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45951274647751,"sku":"BP-012029","price":279.03,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0748\/4493\/0247\/files\/server-design-lab-dell-poweredge-r730xd-24-bay-25-drives-685472.png?v=1765539695"}],"url":"https:\/\/wholesaleservers.com\/collections\/dell-poweredge-r730xd-servers.oembed","provider":"Wholesale Servers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}