Dell PowerEdge R730 Servers

The Dell PowerEdge R730 is a highly adaptable 2U rack server built to handle a broad range of demanding enterprise applications, from virtualization and cloud computing to enterprise databases and business intelligence. As part of Dell’s 13th generation of servers, the R730 is engineered to deliver a robust balance of compute power, memory capacity, and storage versatility within a scalable and resilient platform. With support for dual Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or v4 processors, flexible drive configurations, and enhanced management features, the R730 is ideal for businesses seeking performance and efficiency in a data center-ready solution.

Performance

The R730 supports up to two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or v4 processors, offering up to 44 cores and 88 threads in a single server. These processors support advanced features like Hyper-Threading, Turbo Boost, and AVX2, delivering high throughput for multithreaded applications, transactional workloads, and virtualized environments. With clock speeds up to 3.5GHz and high core density, the R730 is purpose-built for compute-intensive tasks like enterprise applications, ERP systems, and large-scale virtualization. Its optimized architecture ensures high availability and workload responsiveness under peak demand.

Memory and Scalability

The Dell PowerEdge R730 offers 24 DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 1.5TB of RAM using Load-Reduced DIMMs (LRDIMMs) or 768GB with RDIMMs, depending on configuration. With memory speeds up to 2400MT/s, the R730 delivers low-latency memory access for data-heavy workloads. ECC memory support ensures data integrity, and Dell's Fault Resilient Memory is available to isolate critical virtual machines from hardware faults. This makes the R730 ideal for large virtualization clusters and memory-bound applications like in-memory databases and VDI.

Storage Flexibility

The R730 offers impressive storage flexibility with options including:

• Up to 16 x 2.5" hot-plug drives, or
• Up to 8 x 3.5" hot-plug drives, with support for
• SAS, SATA, SSDs, and select NVMe options,
• Optional hybrid storage configurations for tiered performance.
  

It supports the Dell PERC RAID controller family (H330, H730, H730P, H830), and RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60. The server also includes support for Dell’s BOSS (Boot Optimized Storage Solution) or M.2 boot drives, ensuring system reliability and fast startup. Whether configured for high-capacity archival storage or high-performance transactional workloads, the R730 adapts to evolving business needs.

I/O and Expandability

The R730 features up to 7 PCIe Gen 3.0 slots, allowing for expansion cards such as:

• High-speed 10GbE or 40GbE NICs,
• Fibre Channel HBAs, or
• GPUs for specialized applications (supports up to two 300W GPU cards like NVIDIA Tesla or AMD FirePro).
  

This makes it suitable for accelerated computing tasks like machine learning inference, VDI rendering, or HPC workloads. Connectivity includes embedded dual 1GbE NICs, optional dual SD cards for hypervisor redundancy, and dedicated management ports. These expansion capabilities allow the R730 to scale as workload requirements grow, all within a standard 2U form factor.

Virtualization and Use Cases

The R730 is optimized for virtualization, VDI, cloud infrastructure, ERP systems, and business intelligence applications. With robust memory, processor scalability, and storage performance, it's certified for major hypervisors including VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, and Red Hat KVM. Enterprises use the R730 as a cornerstone for software-defined data centers, private clouds, and multi-tenant environments due to its reliability and flexibility.

Management and Automation

Equipped with iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller, the R730 allows complete remote server administration, including firmware updates, monitoring, diagnostics, and power control. Dell’s OpenManage Suite integrates with VMware vCenter, Microsoft System Center, and other tools for seamless data center orchestration. Support for Redfish, WSMan, and RESTful APIs allows IT teams to automate server deployments and maintenance at scale. These tools reduce downtime, streamline operations, and lower administrative overhead.

Energy Efficiency

The R730 features high-efficiency 80 PLUS Platinum or Titanium-certified power supplies (495W, 750W, 1100W, or 1600W) and advanced multi-zone thermal management. Features like Dell’s Fresh Air cooling, power capping, and dynamic workload tuning ensure that the server uses only the energy required for current workloads. These energy-optimized components help businesses reduce their environmental impact and operating costs, especially in large deployments.

Reliability and Availability

The R730 is designed with business continuity in mind. It offers:

• Hot-swappable drives and redundant power supplies,
• Redundant fans and dual SD Cards for hypervisor failover,
• ECC Memory and predictive diagnostics via iDRAC.
  

It also includes self-healing BIOS, auto-recovery features, and proactive system alerts that help minimize downtime and streamline incident resolution. For mission-critical applications and 24/7 environments, the R730 delivers peace of mind with enterprise-grade availability.

Key Features at a Glance:

• Dual Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors, up to 44 cores
• Up to 1.5TB DDR4 ECC memory in 24 DIMM slots
• Up to 16 x 2.5” or 8 x 3.5” drives; SAS, SATA, SSD, and hybrid configurations
• Up to 7 PCIe Gen 3 slots for GPUs, NICs, and HBAs
• Certified for VMware, Hyper-V, Citrix, and KVM
• iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller and OpenManage integration
• 80 PLUS Platinum/Titanium PSUs and advanced thermal controls
• Redundant components, ECC memory, and predictive diagnostics
  

Business Value

The Dell PowerEdge R730 offers a powerful, flexible, and reliable solution for organizations operating in demanding IT environments. Its high-density compute power, extensive memory scalability, and rich I/O configuration make it ideal for virtualization, data analytics, enterprise applications, and more. With advanced remote management, robust availability features, and energy-efficient operation, the R730 provides exceptional return on investment (ROI) and low total cost of ownership (TCO). Whether deployed in core data centers, branch offices, or private cloud environments, the R730 delivers enterprise-class performance in a proven 2U platform.