Servers’ management is not an easy task; it is often quite challenging. The system administrator – who has ultimate control – is in charge of keeping the servers running efficiently, and performing optimally.
Servers are designed to introduce the modernization of Information Technology (IT). The largest Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), such as Dell and HP, design servers that suit almost every business need.
We’re writing this blog and this Dell PowerEdge server comparison chart to shed some light on Dell servers specifically, and their key features.
What Types of Server Verticals?
The Dell PowerEdge line of servers is the most popular. Dell PowerEdge servers are currently in their 14th generation. While very few 14th gen servers are currently available for resale in the secondary market, 11th, 12th & 13th gen servers represent the largest verticals in the secondary market (refurbished servers).
Below is a Dell comparison table for some of the most popular Dell PowerEdge servers:
| Dell PowerEdge R420 | Dell PowerEdge R610 | Dell PowerEdge R620 | Dell PowerEdge R710 | Dell PowerEdge R720 | |
| Generation | 12th Gen | 11th Gen | 12th Gen | 11th Gen | 12th Gen |
| Description | The PowerEdge R420 is an Intel processor-based 2-socket, 1U internal expandability for dense workloads supporting growth through the life of the server | The PowerEdge R610 is an Intel processor-based 2-socket, 1U rack server well-suited for server rooms or corporate data centers and remote sites that require exceptional virtualization, systems management and energy efficiency | The PowerEdge R620 is a hyper-dense 2-socket, 1U rack server with a large memory footprint and impressive I/O options that make it an exceptional platform for space-sensitive environments | The PowerEdge R710 is a mainstream Intel processor-based 2-socket, 2U rack server great for server rooms or corporate data centers and remote sites that require exceptional virtualization, systems management and energy efficiency | The PowerEdge R720 is designed to excel at running a wide range of applications and virtualization environments for both mid-size and large enterprises. R720 is a general purpose platform with expandable memory up to 768GB and impressive I/O capabilities to match |
| Form Factor | 1U | 1U | 1U | 2U | 2U |
| Processor(s) Type | Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family | Intel Xeon processor 5500 or 5600 series | Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family | Intel Xeon processor 5500 or 5600 series | Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 product family |
| Memory | □ 12x memory slots □ Up to 192GB 1600MT/s |
□ 12x memory slots □ Up to 192GB 1333MT/s |
□ 24x memory slots □ Up to 768GB 1600MT/s |
□ 18x memory slots □ Up to 288GB 1333MT/s |
□ 24x memory slots □ Up to 768GB 1600MT/s |
| Hard Drive Bays | □ 4-Bay LFF 3.5" Drives □ 8-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives |
□ 6-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives | □ 8-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives □ 10-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives |
□ 6-Bay LFF 3.5" Drives □ 8-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives |
□ 8-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives □ 8-Bay LFF 3.5" Drives □ 12-Bay Express Flash PCIe SSDs □ 16-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives □ 12-Bay LFF 3.5" Drives (720xd) □ 24-Bay SFF 2.5" Drives (720xd) |
| PCI Slots | 2x PCIe 3.0 + 1x Storage | 2x PCIe 2.0 + 1x Storage | Up to 3x PCIe 3.0 | 4x PCIe 2.0 + 1x Storage | Up to 7x PCIe 3.0 |
| RAID Controllers | □ PERC S110 □ PERC H310 □ PERC H710 (512MB Cache) □ PERC H710P (1GB Cache) □ PERC H810 (External) |
□ SAS 6i/R □ PERC 6i □ PERC H200 □ PERC H700 (512MB Cache) □ PERC H700 (1GB Cache) □ PERC H800 |
□ PERC S110 □ PERC H310 □ PERC H710 (512MB Cache) □ PERC H710P (1GB Cache) □ PERC H810 (External) |
□ SAS 6i/R □ PERC 6i □ PERC H200 □ PERC H700 (512MB Cache) □ PERC H700 (1GB Cache) □ PERC H800 |
□ PERC S110 □ PERC H310 □ PERC H710 (512MB Cache) □ PERC H710P (1GB Cache) □ PERC H810 (External) |
| Integrated NIC | Two embedded Broadcom NetXtreme 5720 Gigabit Ethernet NICs | Two embedded Broadcom 5709C Gigabit Ethernet NICs | Select Network Adapter— minimum configuration: 4 x 1Gb | Four embedded Broadcom® NetXtreme II™ 5709C Gigabit Ethernet NICs | Select Network Adapter— minimum configuration: 4 x 1Gb, 10GbE (optional) |
| Power Supplies | □ 350W □ 550W |
□ 502W □ 717 |
□ 495W □ 750W □ 1100W |
□ 570W □ 870W |
□ 495W □ 750W □ 1100W |
Dell has expanded its server capabilities for defined software, edge, as well as high-performance computing. All PowerEdge servers are industry-leading, and are considered the bedrock of modern data centers.
The Dell PowerEdge R420 Servers are 12th gen, Intel-based, two-socket, 1U rack servers with internal expandability for dense workloads. The four-bay version of the R420 supports Large Form Factor (LFF) drives (i.e. 3.5”), while the eight-bay version supports Small Form Factor (SFF) drives (i.e. 2.5”).
The Dell PowerEdge R610 is an 11th gen, Intel-based, two-socket, 1U rack server that is well-suited for corporate data centers and remote sites that require exceptional virtualization, systems management and energy efficiency. The R610 only comes in a six-bay version, which supports SFF drives.
The Dell PowerEdge R620 is a 12th gen, Intel-based, hyper-dense two-socket, 1U rack server with a large memory footprint and impressive I/O options that make it an exceptional platform for space-sensitive environments. The R620 comes in various bay configurations (four-bay, six-bay – supporting Express Flash (EF) Solid State Drives (SSDs), eight-bay and ten-bay), all of which only support SFF drives.
The Dell Power Edge R710 is an 11th gen mainstream Intel-based, two-socket, 2U rack server, which is ideal for corporate data centers and remote sites that require exceptional virtualization, systems management and energy efficiency. The R710 comes in a six-bay version, which supports LFF drives, and an eight-bay version, which supports SFF drives.
The Dell PowerEdge R720 is a 12th gen, Intel-based, two-socket, 2U rack server, which is designed to excel while running a wide range of applications and virtualization environments for both mid-sized and large enterprises. The R720 is a general-purpose platform with expandable memory of up to 768GB, as well as impressive I/O capabilities to match. The R720 comes in an eight-bay version, which supports SFF drives, as well as another eight-bay version that supports LFF drives. It also comes in a 12-bay version that supports EF SSDs, and a 16-bay version that supports SFF drives. The R720xd (the R720’s sibling) comes in a 12-bay version that supports LFF drives, and a 24-bay version that supports SFF drives.
Which Servers Are Suitable for Me?
Understanding what server to buy can often be challenging; see some examples of what we think may be best suited for you depending on what matters most to you.
I Am on a Very Low Budget!
You care about how much space your server will take? Then consider buying a Dell PowerEdge R610:
Mid-Level Dell PowerEdge R610 Server 2x 2.53Ghz E5540 QC 24GB – $114.61
High-End Dell PowerEdge R610 Server 1x 2.93Ghz X5570 QC 8GB – $151.20
Don’t care as much about how much space your server will take? Then consider buying a Dell PowerEdge R710:
Economy Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 2x 2.00Ghz E5504 QC 24GB – $156.01
Mid-Level Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 2x 2.40Ghz E5620 QC 24GB – $178.17
I Need Something Energy-Efficient
But you have a very limited budget and are ok with a slightly older generation? Consider an R610 or an R710:
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R610 Server 2x 2.26Ghz L5520 QC 16GB – $148.47
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 2x 2.40Ghz L5530 QC 32GB – $178.17
You have a limited budget but need a newer generation? Consider one of these 12th gen options:
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R420 Server 2x 2.00Ghz E5-2430L 6C 32GB – $401.60
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R620 Server 2x 2.00Ghz E5-2630L 6C 64GB – $738.61
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R720xd Server 2x 2.00Ghz E5-2630L 6C 64GB – $727.17
I Am Trying to Balance Budget and Performance
But you do care about both space and not the generation as much? Consider one of these R610 options:
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R610 Server 2.26Ghz 12-Core 128GB 1x 1TB + 5x Spare Caddies – $598.43
Premium Dell PowerEdge R610 Server 2x 3.47Ghz X5690 6C 128GB 6x Caddies – $659.20
You care about both the space and the generation? Then consider one of these options below:
Dell PowerEdge R420 Server 2.40Ghz 20-Core 32GB 2x 256GB SSD + 2x 600GB HDD + 4x Spare Caddies – $878.59
High-End Dell PowerEdge R620 Server 2.90Ghz 16-Core 64GB 6x 300GB + 2x Spare Caddies – $1,016.61
You care about the generation but not the space as much? Consider one of these R720 options:
Energy-Efficient Dell PowerEdge R720 Server 1.80Ghz 16-Core 32GB 2x NEW 800GB SSD – $999.65
High-End Dell PowerEdge R720 Server 2.90Ghz 16-Core 144GB 1x 1TB + 1x 2TB Ubuntu 16 LTS – $1,158.75
You don’t care about space or the generation? Then consider one of these R710 options below:
Mid-Level Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 2.26Ghz 8-Core 48GB 2x 300GB + 6x 900GB – $743.47
High-End Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 2x 2.93Ghz X5670 6C 72GB 6x 2TB – $792.07
I Want the Best Dell PowerEdge Server!
And who wouldn’t? See some options below:
Premium Dell PowerEdge R710 Server 12-Core 288GB 3x 960GB SSD + 5x 1.2TB HDD Windows 2016 Standard Edition – $2,998.61
Enterprise Dell PowerEdge R420 Server 2x 2.10Ghz E5-2450 8C 192GB 8x 960GB SSD – $2,533.00
High-End Dell PowerEdge R620 Server 2x 2.90Ghz E5-2690 288GB 2x New 800GB SSD + 6x 960GB SSD – $3,428.14
Mid-Level Dell PowerEdge R720xd Server 2.20Ghz 16-Core 64GB 24x New 800GB SSD – $5,288.02
Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Please ask Mike here.
2 comments
Thanks for reaching out, TJ. Would love some more information on what you’re looking for, will be getting in touch with you via email!
Sir,
I am trying to buy a server which can be used for a dental practice. I want the server to support cloud-based sharing of patient information. Among that is CT scans and other 2d radiology along with other patient specific infomation which can be large files.
TY