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Dell PowerEdge R730xd

The Dell PowerEdge R730xd is a high-density 2U dual-socket enterprise rack server designed for storage-intensive and compute-demanding workloads. Supporting Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors, up to 3TB DDR4 memory, up to 24 × 2.5-inch drives, flexible SAS/SATA storage, optional NVMe, Dell PERC RAID, PCIe Gen 3 expansion, redundant hot-plug power supplies, and iDRAC8 management, the R730xd is ideal for virtualization, software-defined storage, databases, private cloud, backup, and data-intensive enterprise applications.

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Description

The Dell PowerEdge R730xd is a versatile 2U, dual-socket rack server engineered for organizations that need a combination of high processing performance and exceptional internal storage density.

As an expanded-storage variant of the PowerEdge R730 family, the R730xd provides significantly greater drive capacity and storage flexibility. Its chassis is designed to accommodate large numbers of drives while retaining powerful dual-processor computing capabilities.

The R730xd is particularly well suited to virtualization clusters, software-defined storage, databases, backup and archive infrastructure, private cloud environments, file servers, and other workloads requiring high storage density.


Key Features

  • Brand: Dell
  • Model: PowerEdge R730xd
  • Form Factor: 2U Rack Server
  • CPU Sockets: 2
  • Processor: Up to 2 × Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors
  • Memory: DDR4 ECC RDIMM/LRDIMM
  • Memory Slots: 24 × DIMM
  • Maximum Memory: Up to 3TB
  • Memory Speed: Up to 2400 MT/s, configuration dependent
  • Storage: SAS / SATA / SSD / selected NVMe configurations
  • Drive Capacity: Up to 24 × 2.5-inch drives in supported configurations
  • RAID: Dell PERC H330 / H730 / H730P and supported controllers
  • Expansion: PCIe Gen 3
  • Networking: 1GbE / 10GbE and other supported adapters
  • GPU Support: Selected configurations
  • Remote Management: iDRAC8 with Lifecycle Controller
  • Power: Redundant hot-plug power supplies
  • Primary Applications: Virtualization, Storage, Databases, Backup, Cloud & Enterprise Applications

Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 Processing

The R730xd supports up to two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or v4 processors, providing substantial multi-core processing capacity.

The dual-socket architecture makes it suitable for:

  • Virtualization
  • Database servers
  • Storage appliances
  • Software-defined storage
  • Private cloud
  • Enterprise applications
  • Data processing
  • Backup infrastructure

Processor selection can be tailored according to core count, frequency, cache and workload requirements.


Up to 3TB DDR4 Memory

The R730xd provides 24 DDR4 DIMM slots and can support up to 3TB of memory in supported configurations.

ECC memory improves reliability and helps protect data integrity in enterprise environments.

High memory capacity is useful for:

  • Virtualization
  • Large databases
  • Software-defined storage
  • In-memory applications
  • Analytics
  • VDI
  • Cloud infrastructure

High-Density Storage

Storage capacity is one of the key advantages of the R730xd.

Depending on the chassis and drive configuration, it can support up to 24 × 2.5-inch drives, allowing organizations to install a large number of HDDs or SSDs in a relatively compact 2U form factor.

Supported storage technologies include:

  • SAS HDD
  • SATA HDD
  • SAS SSD
  • SATA SSD
  • Selected NVMe configurations

This high drive density makes the R730xd particularly suitable for storage-intensive applications.


Storage-Optimized Design

The R730xd is designed to provide more storage flexibility than a standard R730.

It can be configured for:

High-capacity HDD storage
for file services, backup and archive workloads.

High-performance SSD storage
for databases and virtualization.

Hybrid storage
combining HDDs and SSDs for capacity and performance.

Storage-intensive virtualization
for environments requiring large local datastores.


NVMe Support

Selected R730xd configurations support NVMe PCIe SSDs, providing high-performance, low-latency storage.

NVMe can be particularly beneficial for:

  • Databases
  • Virtualization
  • High-performance applications
  • Analytics
  • Caching
  • Storage acceleration

Exact NVMe support depends on the specific chassis, backplane and configuration.


Dell PERC RAID Controllers

The R730xd supports Dell PERC RAID controllers, including options such as:

  • PERC H330
  • PERC H730
  • PERC H730P
  • Other supported storage controllers

PERC controllers provide capabilities including:

  • RAID data protection
  • Drive redundancy
  • Storage performance optimization
  • Drive monitoring
  • Storage management

The appropriate controller depends on the required RAID level and storage configuration.


PCIe Gen 3 Expansion

The R730xd provides PCIe Gen 3 expansion slots for additional enterprise hardware.

Expansion options can include:

  • 10GbE network adapters
  • Fibre Channel HBAs
  • SAS HBAs
  • Storage controllers
  • RAID adapters
  • GPU accelerators
  • Other PCIe devices

This allows the server to be adapted to changing infrastructure requirements.


Enterprise Networking

The R730xd supports a range of network adapters.

Depending on configuration, networking can include:

  • 1GbE
  • 10GbE
  • Fibre Channel through supported HBAs
  • Other PCIe network adapters

Multiple interfaces can be used for:

  • Production
  • Storage
  • Management
  • Backup
  • Virtualization

High-speed networking is particularly useful when the R730xd is deployed as part of a storage or virtualization cluster.


iDRAC8 Remote Management

The Dell Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 8 (iDRAC8) provides remote monitoring and management capabilities.

Administrators can remotely:

  • Monitor server health
  • View hardware inventory
  • Configure system settings
  • Manage firmware
  • Control server power
  • Troubleshoot hardware
  • Access remote console functions
  • Deploy operating systems

iDRAC8 simplifies server administration and reduces the need for physical access to the rack.


Enterprise Reliability

The R730xd includes enterprise-oriented features designed to support continuous operation.

These include:

  • ECC memory
  • Hot-plug drives
  • Hot-plug power supplies
  • Hardware monitoring
  • Redundant components
  • Dell Lifecycle Controller
  • Remote management through iDRAC8

Redundant Hot-Plug Power Supplies

The R730xd supports redundant hot-plug power supply configurations.

The appropriate PSU capacity depends on:

  • CPU configuration
  • Memory
  • Number of drives
  • PCIe cards
  • Network adapters
  • GPU configuration

Redundant power supplies can help maintain availability if one power supply fails.


Ideal Applications

Storage Server

The high-density drive configuration makes the R730xd an excellent platform for storage-intensive applications.

Virtualization

The dual Xeon processors and high memory capacity make it suitable for virtualization clusters and local storage environments.

Software-Defined Storage

The large number of drive bays makes the R730xd particularly suitable for storage platforms such as software-defined storage architectures.

Backup & Archive

Large numbers of HDDs can provide substantial capacity for backup, archival and data-protection workloads.

Database Server

SSD configurations combined with high memory capacity can provide a strong platform for database workloads.

Private Cloud

The R730xd can provide compute and local storage resources for private-cloud deployments.

Enterprise File Services

Its high storage density makes it suitable for file servers and enterprise data repositories.


Technical Specifications

Specification Details
Brand Dell
Model PowerEdge R730xd
Form Factor 2U Rack Server
CPU Sockets 2
Processor Family Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4
Memory Slots 24 × DDR4 DIMM
Maximum Memory Up to 3TB
Memory Type DDR4 ECC RDIMM/LRDIMM
Memory Speed Up to 2400 MT/s, configuration dependent
Storage SAS / SATA / SSD / selected NVMe
Drive Capacity Up to 24 × 2.5″ in supported configurations
RAID PERC H330 / H730 / H730P / supported controllers
Expansion PCIe Gen 3
Networking 1GbE / 10GbE / supported adapters
GPU Support Selected configurations
Remote Management iDRAC8
Power Redundant hot-plug PSU options
Rack Height 2U
Primary Applications Storage, Virtualization, Databases, Backup, Cloud & Enterprise Applications

Note: Exact processor model, memory capacity, drive-bay arrangement, NVMe support, RAID controller, networking, PCIe risers, GPU compatibility and PSU capacity depend on the specific R730xd configuration.


Key Benefits

High Storage Density: Up to 24 × 2.5-inch drives provide substantial storage capacity in a 2U chassis.

Dual-Socket Processing: Supports two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors for demanding workloads.

Large Memory Capacity: Up to 3TB DDR4 memory supports virtualization, databases and storage applications.

Flexible Storage: SAS, SATA, SSD and selected NVMe options provide flexibility for capacity and performance.

Advanced RAID: Dell PERC controllers provide storage protection and management.

PCIe Expansion: Multiple PCIe Gen 3 slots support networking, storage and accelerator hardware.

Remote Management: iDRAC8 enables remote monitoring and administration.

Redundant Power: Hot-plug redundant PSUs improve server availability.

Storage-Optimized Platform: Particularly well suited to storage-heavy virtualization, backup, database and software-defined storage environments.


Product Summary

The Dell PowerEdge R730xd is a high-density 2U dual-socket enterprise rack server designed for organizations requiring substantial internal storage alongside strong compute and memory capabilities.

With support for dual Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors, up to 3TB DDR4 ECC memory, up to 24 × 2.5-inch drives, SAS/SATA/SSD and selected NVMe storage, Dell PERC RAID, PCIe Gen 3 expansion, high-speed networking, redundant hot-plug power supplies and iDRAC8 management, the R730xd is an excellent platform for storage, virtualization, databases, backup, software-defined storage, private cloud and enterprise applications.