CONFIGURE & QUOTE - Dell PowerEdge T360 8-Bay 3.5" Tower [16th Gen: New]

The Dell PowerEdge T360 8-Bay 3.5" Hot-Swap is the maximum-capacity LFF configuration of Dell's 16th-generation entry-tier single-socket tower platform: eight 3.5" hot-plug front bays for high-capacity SAS or SATA drives, a single Intel Xeon E-2400 or Xeon 6300 series processor, DDR5 UDIMM memory, PCIe Gen5 expansion, and the office-friendly 4.5U tower form factor that the T-series entry-tier represents. This is the 16th gen successor to the T340 (14th gen) and T350 (15th gen), with all the generational improvements: DDR5 memory (vs. DDR4), PCIe Gen5 (vs. Gen4 on T350 and Gen3 on T340), BOSS-N1 NVMe boot (vs. BOSS-S1 SATA on prior generations), and current 16th gen security baseline.

The T360 is current-production at Dell. For 16th gen entry-tier tower deployments at SMB, ROBO, and near-edge scale, refurbished T360 8-Bay is the cost-correct call vs. buying new at full list price. The platform's market positioning is genuinely entry-tier: single-socket, 8-core CPU ceiling (Xeon E-2400 maxes at 8 cores at 95W TDP), 128 GB UDIMM memory ceiling, and a single-width 60W GPU envelope. The T360 8-Bay is the right platform when those constraints actually match the workload requirement; it is the wrong platform when the workload needs dual-socket compute, more than 128 GB memory, or any serious GPU acceleration.

The 8-Bay 3.5" is the canonical T360 configuration at Wholesale Servers because it covers the broadest range of T360 deployments: SMB file servers, small-office NAS replacements, branch-office backup targets, retail back-office workhorses, and any LFF-storage-primary entry-tier workload where 8 large drives is the right capacity envelope. The 4-Bay 3.5" sibling is the smaller-capacity variant for deployments that genuinely fit in 4 LFF bays.

Processors

The T360 is a single-socket platform supporting three processor families: Intel Xeon E-2400 series, Intel Xeon 6300 series, and Intel Pentium G7400/G7400T. The Xeon E-2400 is the volume choice for production server workloads; the Xeon 6300 is the higher-tier option for compute-heavier deployments; the Pentium G7400 is the budget-floor configuration for ultra-light workloads where 2 cores is enough.

Common SKU choices we see in deployment:

• Xeon E-2414 (4 cores, 2.6 GHz, 55W TDP): The volume entry-tier choice. Cost-optimized for small-business file server, light virtualization (3-5 VMs), and basic application server workloads. Sufficient for the storage-primary deployments the 8-Bay LFF chassis is designed for.
• Xeon E-2436 (6 cores, 2.9 GHz, 65W TDP): Balanced entry-tier choice. Higher clock speed for application servers with mixed workload patterns, moderate VM density (5-10 VMs), and dedicated database hosts at small-business scale.
• Xeon E-2486 (6 cores, 3.5 GHz, 95W TDP): Maximum-frequency T360 choice. For SQL Server licensing scenarios (per-core licensing makes higher-frequency lower-core CPUs more cost-effective) and frequency-sensitive single-threaded workloads.
• Xeon E-2488 (8 cores, 3.2 GHz, 95W TDP): Maximum-core T360 choice. The CPU ceiling on this platform. For mixed virtualization or modest application server consolidation at the limit of T360 envelope.
• Xeon 6315P (4 cores, 2.8 GHz): Higher-tier 16th gen entry option with DDR5-5600 memory support. For deployments that specifically benefit from the higher memory bandwidth.
• Pentium G7400 (2 cores, 3.7 GHz, 46W TDP): Budget-floor option for ultra-light workloads: print server, basic file share for a small office, light NAS appliance replacement. Not recommended for any deployment with growth plans.

Honest CPU ceiling discussion: The Xeon E-2400 series caps at 8 cores per socket. The T360 is single-socket. The platform compute ceiling is 8 cores total. For workloads that need more cores, the T360 is the wrong platform; the T560 (16th gen dual-socket tower, up to 64 cores per socket) is the step up. Do not size the T360 against workloads that scale beyond 8 cores and 128 GB RAM; the platform will not stretch to fit those.

Memory

4 DDR5 UDIMM slots (Unbuffered ECC). 1 DPC architecture per memory channel. Maximum 128 GB with 32 GB UDIMMs. Memory speed: 4400 MT/s at 1 DPC; 4000 MT/s at 2 DPC on most Xeon E-2400 SKUs. Xeon 6315P supports DDR5-5600 at the platform interface.

UDIMM vs. RDIMM is the entry-tier signature. Production server platforms typically use Registered DIMMs (RDIMM) for better signal integrity at higher capacities and 2 DPC configurations. The T360 uses Unbuffered ECC DIMMs (UDIMM), which is the entry-tier and workstation-class DIMM format. UDIMM has lower per-DIMM cost but lower maximum capacity per DIMM (32 GB max UDIMM vs. 256 GB max RDIMM) and tighter signal integrity constraints. The 4-slot 128 GB ceiling reflects the UDIMM architecture, not an artificial limit.

Practical configurations:

• 32 GB (4 x 8 GB UDIMM): Volume floor configuration. Sufficient for file server, print server, single light VM host, basic application server.
• 64 GB (4 x 16 GB UDIMM): Balanced configuration. SMB file server with light VM consolidation, departmental database server.
• 128 GB (4 x 32 GB UDIMM): Maximum T360 memory. For T360 deployments at the upper end of the platform envelope. Beyond 128 GB requires stepping up to the T560 or rack platform.

No LRDIMM or Optane PMem support. Both are flagship-platform features; the T360 entry-tier does not have either.

Storage — 8 LFF Bays

Eight 3.5" SAS/SATA hot-swap front bays. The 8-Bay backplane is SAS/SATA only; NVMe support on the T360 is via specific alternative chassis configurations (the 6 x 3.5" + 2 x 2.5" NVMe direct-attached configuration is a different chassis variant; the 8-Bay 3.5" is fully populated with LFF bays and has no NVMe direct-attached slots).

Maximum capacity: 8 x 16 TB = 128 TB raw on SATA HDDs, or 8 x 22 TB on enterprise SAS NL-SAS = 176 TB raw at the upper end. Most T360 deployments configure with 8 x 4-12 TB drives covering 32-96 TB raw.

Common 8-Bay configurations:

• SATA HDDs (4-22 TB): The volume entry-tier SMB and ROBO file server configuration. Lower per-drive cost than SAS; sufficient throughput for office file-sharing and backup-target workloads. RAID 6 recommended at 8 TB+ drive sizes.
• NL-SAS HDDs (4-22 TB): Mid-tier reliability and dual-port redundancy. For deployments where SAS-grade drives are required by procurement policy or where the marginal reliability improvement over SATA justifies the cost.
• SAS 10K / 15K HDDs: Higher random IOPS than NL-SAS at lower per-drive capacity. For workloads needing better random performance without paying for SSD.
• SAS / SATA SSDs: 3.5" SSDs exist but are rarely the right call (per-TB cost is significantly higher than 2.5" SSDs in 3.5" adapter caddies, which require a different chassis variant). For SSD-primary deployments, the 8 x 2.5" T360 chassis variant via the 3.5"-to-2.5" hybrid adapter caddies is the right path.
• Mixed configurations: 2-4 SAS SSDs in select bays as a hot tier, 4-6 NL-SAS HDDs for capacity. For file servers where frequent-access data benefits from SSD tier alongside bulk HDD capacity.

BOSS-N1 standard for OS boot. Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem with 2 x M.2 NVMe SSDs in hardware RAID 1. This is the 16th gen successor to BOSS-S1 (SATA M.2 on 14th and 15th gen). NVMe boot is faster than SATA boot and improves patch deployment windows. We configure BOSS-N1 on every T360 we ship; all 8 front bays remain for data.

RAID 6 mandatory at 12+ TB drive sizes. Single-drive rebuild times on 16-22 TB NL-SAS drives can exceed 24 hours. RAID 5 leaves the array exposed during rebuild to second-drive failure. RAID 6 with two parity drives is the only defensible RAID level for capacity-class NL-SAS at this drive size.

RAID Controllers

• PERC H355 (entry-tier RAID, no cache): The standard T360 hardware RAID controller. RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 supported. No flash-backed cache. For most entry-tier file server and backup-target workloads, the H355 covers the requirement at lower cost than higher-tier PERCs. The right pick for T360 deployments.
• PERC H965i (Series 12, 8 GB flash-backed cache): Available as an upcharge on T360 for deployments requiring battery-backed write cache. Rare at the T360 price point; if H965i is being specified, it's worth asking whether the deployment should be on the T560 instead.
• HBA355i (pass-through): For software-defined storage (ZFS, basic Linux LVM with software RAID). The T360 is rarely the platform for SDS deployments, but HBA355i is supported if the buyer wants drive-pass-through behavior.
• S160 software RAID: Chipset-level software RAID for SATA drives. Note: S160 does NOT support NVMe RAID on the T360 per Dell's documentation. For boot mirrors and entry-tier RAID 1, S160 covers the requirement at zero additional cost. Not recommended for production data tiers.

NVMe RAID limitation: Per Dell's T360 specification, NVMe drives on the T360 platform do not support hardware RAID via any PERC controller, and S160 software RAID does not support NVMe. NVMe on the T360 is direct-attached pass-through only, useful for boot (via BOSS-N1, which is its own hardware RAID 1 module) and for software-managed NVMe configurations. The 8-Bay 3.5" chassis does not have direct-attached NVMe slots; that's a different chassis variant.

PCIe Gen5 Expansion

The T360 supports PCIe Gen5 expansion slots, which is meaningful for an entry-tier platform. The slot count and specific configurations depend on the chosen riser; typical T360 configurations have 2-3 expansion slots usable. PCIe Gen5 at x16 = 64 GB/s bandwidth (double Gen4), enabling future-proofing for high-bandwidth NICs and the single supported GPU.

Available slots are typically a mix of x8 Gen5 and x4 Gen4 configurations. Specific layout depends on riser config selection at order time.

GPU Support

The T360 supports up to 1 single-width 60W GPU. NVIDIA A2 (60W, single-width, low-profile) is the explicit Dell-qualified option. This is the only GPU configuration the platform supports.

Realistic use cases for the T360 + A2 combination:

• Entry-level video transcoding: Small-business or branch-office video workloads where the A2's 60W envelope is sufficient.
• Light AI inference at the edge: Edge inference for retail analytics, manufacturing quality control, or basic computer vision tasks at branch deployments.
• Modest VDI acceleration: Single-host VDI deployments at 5-15 desktops with light graphics acceleration needs.

For any serious GPU workload (multi-GPU inference, AI training, professional VDI, double-width GPU configurations), the T360 is the wrong platform. The T560 supports up to 2 x 300W double-wide GPUs; rack platforms (R760) support up to 2 x 350W double-wide GPUs. The T360's 1 x 60W GPU envelope is genuinely entry-level.

Networking

2 x 1 GbE LOM ports standard on the planar. PCIe expansion slots available for higher-speed NICs.

• 2 x 1 GbE built-in: Sufficient for SMB and ROBO deployments where 1 GbE office connectivity is the network ceiling. Standard configuration on every T360.
• 10 GbE PCIe NIC: Available as an upgrade for deployments needing higher network throughput. Intel X550-T2 (10GbE Base-T) or Intel X710 (10GbE SFP+) variants supported.
• 25 GbE PCIe NIC: Rare at the T360 price point but supported. If 25 GbE is required, the T360 is usually being undersized for the workload.

OCP 3.0 mezzanine support: the T360 does NOT support OCP 3.0 mezzanine cards (those are flagship-platform features). Networking is via the built-in 1 GbE LOM plus PCIe expansion slots only.

Power Supplies

The T360 PSU range reflects the entry-tier positioning. Available options: 450W cabled (non-redundant, lowest cost), 600W Titanium hot-swap redundant, 700W Titanium hot-swap redundant.

PSU recommendation: The 450W cabled non-redundant configuration is the cost-floor option for ultra-budget deployments. For any production deployment, 2 x 600W or 700W Titanium hot-swap redundant is the right call. The cost difference is small and the operational benefit of PSU redundancy at SMB and ROBO sites is real.

Management & Security

iDRAC9 Basic is the standard T360 management baseline. Enterprise license upgrade available and recommended for any unattended deployment (virtual console redirection, virtual media, automated firmware updates via Lifecycle Controller).

iDRAC9 Basic vs. Enterprise: The Basic license is sufficient for local-rack on-site management. For SMB and ROBO deployments where the T360 sits at a remote site with no on-site IT staff, iDRAC9 Enterprise pays for itself the first time the server needs remote console access for troubleshooting. We recommend Enterprise on every T360 we quote and include it in the BOM by default.

16th gen security baseline: Silicon Root of Trust (cryptographic boot verification), TPM 2.0 standard, Secure Boot, System Lockdown, signed firmware. Required for federal compliance baselines and increasingly common in SMB security audits.

Physical Specs & Platform Notes

• Form factor: 4.5U single-socket tower. Office-deployable; rack-convertible with optional rail kit.
• Chassis dimensions: Comparable to the T350 predecessor.
• Acoustics: Office-friendly at idle and balanced workloads. Acoustic profile is excellent for an office environment; the T360 is genuinely deployable at a desk-adjacent location with the right fan tier.
• Cooling: Air-cooled only. No DLC option (flagship platform feature). Standard fan configuration covers all T360 CPU/storage combinations.
• Bezel: Optional security bezel.
• Operating temperature: Standard office and SMB ambient ranges; not a high-ambient or extended-temperature platform.
• Rack rail kit: Sold separately. The T360 is rackable but the rail kit is a separate BOM line item.

Our Assessment

The T360 8-Bay 3.5" is the right call for SMB and ROBO deployments where the workload genuinely matches the entry-tier envelope: single-socket compute up to 8 cores, up to 128 GB memory, bulk LFF storage at 8 large drives, and at most one single-width 60W GPU. For SMB file servers, branch-office backup targets, departmental file shares, retail back-office workhorses, small-business email and application hosts (Exchange / SQL / line-of-business apps for under 50 users), medical / dental / legal practice servers running EHR / case-management software, and ROBO virtualization at 5-10 VMs, the T360 8-Bay is the cost-correct platform.

Where it falls short of the right answer: anything that genuinely needs more than 8 cores, more than 128 GB memory, dual-socket compute, or serious GPU acceleration. The T360 is not a virtualization-density host (use T560 or R760 for that). It is not a GPU compute platform beyond entry-level inference (use T560 or R760 with proper GPU envelope). It is not a high-IOPS database server (the 8-Bay LFF SAS/SATA configuration tops out at modest IOPS). For workloads at the T360's ceiling that might grow beyond it within the server's productive life, sizing up to the T560 at procurement is cheaper than replacing the server in 2-3 years.

Bottom line: this is the 16th gen entry-tier tower for genuinely entry-tier workloads. The platform is sized exactly for SMB / ROBO / near-edge deployments and is the cost-correct call when those constraints actually fit. Pushing it past its envelope is buying the wrong tool; we will say so directly at quote time.

Workload Fit

Honest Limitations

• 128 GB UDIMM memory ceiling. 4 DIMM slots at 32 GB UDIMM max. No LRDIMM, no RDIMM, no Optane PMem. For deployments needing more memory, the T360 is structurally the wrong platform.
• 8-core CPU ceiling. Xeon E-2400 series caps at 8 cores per socket; the T360 is single-socket. Total compute = 8 cores. Workloads scaling beyond 8 cores belong on the T560 or rack platforms.
• UDIMM signal integrity at 2 DPC drops memory speed. 4400 MT/s at 1 DPC; 4000 MT/s at 2 DPC. Fully populated 4-slot configurations drop slightly in memory speed. Not a meaningful constraint for the workloads the T360 targets.
• NVMe does not support hardware RAID on this platform. Per Dell's T360 specification, NVMe drives are direct-attached only. S160 software RAID does not support NVMe. The 8-Bay 3.5" chassis has no direct-attached NVMe slots anyway (those are on different chassis variants).
• GPU is capped at 1 single-width 60W. NVIDIA A2 is the qualified option. No double-wide GPU support. No multi-GPU support. Genuinely entry-level GPU envelope.
• OCP 3.0 mezzanine not supported. Networking is built-in 1 GbE LOM plus PCIe expansion only. For higher-speed networking, PCIe NICs consume PCIe slot budget.
• No DLC option. Flagship-platform feature. T360 is air-cooled only. CPU TDP envelope caps at 95W (E-2488).
• iDRAC9 Basic is the default. Enterprise upgrade strongly recommended for remote deployments; if the server sits in a branch office without IT staff, Enterprise is mandatory for remote console troubleshooting.
• Spinning-disk acoustic profile under load. 8 active HDDs in a 4.5U tower generates some noise; not whisper-quiet but office-acceptable for the workloads this platform targets.
• Rack rails sold separately. The T360 is rack-convertible with the optional kit. Add to BOM if rack deployment is planned.
• Single-PSU 450W cabled configuration eliminates PSU redundancy. The cost saving over dual 600W hot-swap is small; we recommend dual PSUs for every production deployment.
• 3.5" SAS SSD is rarely the right call. Per-TB cost is significantly higher than equivalent 2.5" SAS SSDs in 3.5" adapter caddies (which require a different T360 chassis variant). If SSD is the storage requirement, the 8 x 2.5" T360 chassis is the right platform.

Generation Context

vs. T350 (15th gen Rocket Lake predecessor): The T360 brings DDR5 memory (vs. DDR4 on T350), PCIe Gen5 (vs. Gen4 on T350), BOSS-N1 NVMe boot (vs. BOSS-S1 SATA on T350), 16th gen security baseline (Silicon Root of Trust improvements), and Intel Xeon E-2400 series (vs. E-2300 on T350). Generational performance and security improvements are meaningful, though the entry-tier positioning is unchanged. For deployments at the T350's envelope that need 15th gen platform currency, the T360 is the upgrade path. For 14th/15th gen-class entry-tier deployments at cost-primary pricing, the older T-series tower platforms (T340, T350) remain valid at refurbished pricing.

vs. T560 (16th gen mid-range dual-socket tower): The T560 is the step up from the T360 within the 16th gen tower family. Dual-socket, 16 DDR5 RDIMM slots (vs. 4 UDIMM on T360), up to 64 cores per socket on Emerald Rapids (vs. 8-core single-socket ceiling on T360), 2 x 300W double-wide GPU envelope (vs. 1 x 60W on T360), and broader PSU range. For workloads at the T360's envelope ceiling that might grow, the T560 12-Bay 3.5" or one of the T560 SFF variants is the cost-correct call at procurement. See T560 12-Bay 3.5" for the mid-range tower platform documentation.

vs. R360 (16th gen rack equivalent): The R360 is the 1U rack equivalent of the T360, with the same single-socket Xeon E-2400 processor support, DDR5 UDIMM memory, and entry-tier positioning. For deployments where rack infrastructure is available, the R360 saves U-space; for office and SMB deployments without a rack, the T360 tower is the right form factor.

vs. T360 4-Bay 3.5" sibling: The 4-Bay variant is the smaller-capacity T360 chassis configuration. Same platform fundamentals; half the LFF bay count. For deployments that genuinely fit in 4 LFF bays, the 4-Bay is the lower-cost choice. For deployments that might grow beyond 4 LFF bays during the server's productive life, the 8-Bay (this page) is the right procurement decision. See T360 4-Bay 3.5".

Ready to Configure?

Tell us your workload, target memory capacity, drive count and capacity per drive, GPU requirements (if any A2-class inference is needed), networking speed requirement, and quantity. We respond within 24 hours. Volume pricing applies at 5 units and above.

Every Wholesale Servers T360 ships after a 12+ hour burn-in test covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay. Standard 180-day warranty included; 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium warranty options available. New-server pricing with Dell manufacturer warranty available on select configurations. Call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page.