The R740xd 24-Bay NVMe is Dell's maximum-density native NVMe platform in the 14th-generation 2U lineup — twenty-four 2.5" hot-swap bays connected directly to the CPU's PCIe lanes via a purpose-built NVMe backplane. This is not a SAS/SATA backplane with NVMe cards retrofitted — every bay is native NVMe, every drive connects at full PCIe bandwidth without controller overhead. At 24 bays, this platform enables NVMe cluster configurations that are otherwise only achievable with dedicated all-flash array appliances, at enterprise server economics.

We deploy this configuration for the most demanding storage performance requirements in the R740 family: large vSAN all-flash deployments running vSAN ESA architecture, NVMe-oF disaggregated storage targets serving high-concurrency compute clusters, and database platforms where sub-100 microsecond latency across a large drive population is a measured SLA. If NVMe performance at scale is the requirement, this is the platform.

Important architectural note: Native NVMe at 24 bays requires significant PCIe bandwidth. The platform manages this through PCIe bifurcation across multiple root complexes — but additional PCIe expansion cards (NICs, HBAs, GPUs) compete for the same PCIe bandwidth budget. We validate PCIe lane allocation for every 24-bay NVMe configuration before quoting. Do not assume your preferred expansion card combination is automatically compatible — let the quote process verify it.

Processors

Dual 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable (Cascade Lake). For NVMe-intensive deployments, CPU selection is more critical than on spinning disk configurations — NVMe drives connect directly to CPU PCIe lanes and high-IOPS storage workloads consume CPU cycles for I/O completion processing that a SAS HBA would otherwise handle in hardware. Gold-tier processors with 20+ cores are our standard recommendation: Gold 6230 (20 cores, 125W), Gold 6248 (20 cores, 150W), or Platinum 8260 (24 cores, 165W) for maximum NVMe throughput capacity.

High-TDP heatsink and fan requirement for processors above 150W applies — the 24-bay NVMe configuration generates significant heat from drive activity and requires correct chassis thermal management.

Memory

24 DDR4 DIMM slots. For NVMe workloads at this scale, memory is a critical design variable. vSAN ESA with 24 NVMe drives has specific memory reservation requirements per disk group — calculate these before finalizing DIMM count. For NVMe-oF storage targets, the host memory stack that manages NVMe namespaces and fabric connections has meaningful overhead at 24-drive scale. We include memory sizing validation for every NVMe configuration we quote.

Optane PMem is supported and particularly interesting alongside NVMe storage: PMem in App Direct mode provides a persistent memory tier above NVMe SSDs — useful for database log volumes, write-ahead logs, and caching architectures that need durability without the latency of NVMe writes.

Storage — 24 Native NVMe Bays

Twenty-four U.2 NVMe SSDs on a purpose-built NVMe backplane. Drive selection has significant implications for performance, endurance, and cost:

• Mixed-use NVMe (1–3 DWPD): For vSAN cache tier drives, write-intensive database storage, and any configuration with sustained write workloads. Do not use read-intensive drives for cache tier or write-heavy workloads — the endurance mismatch causes premature wear that isn't always visible until drives begin failing.
• Read-intensive NVMe (0.1–1 DWPD): For vSAN capacity tier, read-dominant database storage, object storage capacity tiers, and any configuration where writes are infrequent. Lower cost per TB than mixed-use drives with equivalent read performance.
• Capacity NVMe (high capacity, read-intensive): Newer high-capacity NVMe SSDs (up to 15 TB per drive in enterprise U.2 format) enable 24-bay configurations approaching 360 TB raw — at NVMe latency. This is the configuration for deployments where both capacity and NVMe performance are requirements that previously required multiple separate appliances.

NVMe endurance assessment on refurbished units: Every NVMe drive in a refurbished configuration is assessed for remaining endurance using SMART data and vendor tooling. We do not ship drives with significant endurance consumption without full disclosure and pricing adjustment. This is a non-negotiable part of our NVMe refurbishment process.

BOSS module: Mandatory. All 24 bays for NVMe data storage.

RAID / Storage Management

NVMe drives in this chassis connect directly to CPU PCIe lanes — traditional PERC RAID controllers do not manage NVMe backplane drives. Redundancy must be managed at the software layer:

• VMware vSAN ESA / OSA: vSAN manages NVMe drive redundancy through storage policies. HBA330 or equivalent pass-through for any SAS/SATA auxiliary drives — the NVMe backplane connects directly without a controller intermediary.
• Software RAID (ZFS, mdraid): For Linux-based NVMe-oF targets or object storage deployments managing redundancy at the software layer.
• NVMe-oF target software: SPDK, nvmet, or vendor-specific NVMe-oF target stacks manage drive access and fabric presentation for disaggregated storage architectures.

Networking

At 24 NVMe drives, the network is almost certainly the first bottleneck in any client-facing deployment. A single modern NVMe SSD can saturate a 10 GbE link — 24 drives simultaneously could generate throughput that exceeds 100 GbE if the workload pattern allows it. Our recommendations:

• Dual-port 25 GbE SFP28: Minimum viable for vSAN all-flash nodes in production deployments.
• Dual-port 100 GbE QSFP28: Our recommendation for NVMe-oF targets and high-concurrency vSAN clusters where network bandwidth must keep pace with storage performance.
• 200 Gb/s InfiniBand HDR: For NVMe-oF deployments requiring maximum fabric bandwidth and RDMA capability. Contact us for InfiniBand NIC availability and configuration at quote time.

Power Supplies

2x 1600W Platinum required for fully-populated 24-NVMe configurations. NVMe drives at 24-unit population draw approximately 150–240W steady-state (6–10W per drive depending on model and load state), plus CPU and memory draw. Total system draw at full load: 1000–1300W depending on CPU TDP selection. 1600W PSUs with redundant configuration provide appropriate headroom.

Our Assessment

The R740xd 24-Bay NVMe occupies a specific and compelling position in the market: enterprise server economics with dedicated all-flash appliance NVMe drive density. It is not a general-purpose server with NVMe bolted on — it is a purpose-built NVMe storage platform that also runs a full enterprise compute stack. The workloads that justify this configuration are specific and demanding: large-scale vSAN ESA deployments, NVMe-oF disaggregated storage in high-concurrency compute environments, and databases where latency at scale is a measured business requirement.

If your workload needs NVMe performance at 24-drive scale, this is the refurbished platform to evaluate. If you need fewer NVMe drives, the R640 10-Bay NVMe or R740xd at lower bay counts may provide a more cost-effective solution for your specific requirements.

Where to look instead:

• Fewer NVMe drives needed? → R640 10-Bay NVMe or R740xd at lower bay count
• Need SAS/SATA flexibility? → R740xd 24-Bay 2.5" SAS/SATA
• Need PCIe Gen4 NVMe? → R750xa (contact us for availability)

Workload Fit

Ready to Configure?

24-bay NVMe configurations start with a design conversation — PCIe lane allocation, vSAN architecture (ESA vs. OSA), drive endurance selection, network fabric sizing, and power budget all require validation before hardware ships. Contact our account team with your NVMe workload requirements, target drive count, fabric architecture (vSAN, NVMe-oF, software RAID), and quantity. We return a validated configuration and formal pricing within 24 hours.