Dell PowerEdge R940 12x SAS / SATA + 12x NVMe SFF Rack-Mountable 3U Server Chassis

Dell PowerEdge R940

The Dell PowerEdge R940 server is a 3U, 14th gen (14G), Intel-based rack server, which can weigh up to 101Lbs when fully configured. The server's motherboard supports 4x Intel LGA3647 / Socket-P sockets that accommodate Intel's Xeon Scalable V1 / V2 Series processors with a maximium TDP of 205W, maximum speed per processor of 3.90Ghz, and a maximum of 112 Cores. The Dell PowerEdge R940 server supports 12x DIMMs per CPU for a total of 48x RAM slots and a maximum of 12.3TB of PC4 / DDR4 ECC Registered memory with a max speed of 3200 Mhz.

The Dell PowerEdge R940 chassis takes 2x hot-plug / hot-swap redundant power supplies / PSUs with total wattage of up to 2,400 Watts. Max storage capacity exceeds 2949.1TB. Depending on the chassis configuration, the Dell PowerEdge R940 server can support a maximum of 24x SFF / 2.5 inch SATA / SAS drives or a maximum of 24x SFF / 2.5 inch NVMe drives. It does not support any LFF / 3.5 inch drives.

The Dell PowerEdge R940 server comes with a modular LOM / NDC slot that accommodates a wide range of network daughter card connections. Depending on the riser configuration, the Dell PowerEdge R940 server could take up to 13x PCIe 3.0 (Gen 3) NIC slots. Depending on the riser configuration, the Dell PowerEdge R940 server could accommodate up to 4x double-wide GPUs or up to 8x single-wide GPUs.

Key additional features include: support of Boss-S1 card with up to 2x M.2 SATA SSDs, Quick Sync 2 setup features, flex-zoning, and DRAC 9 Dell remote access capabilities.

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Rack-Mountable 3U 24-Bay PowerEdge R940 SFF quarter turn, lid open view DELL_PE_R940_24B-12NVME
Rack-Mountable 3U 24-Bay PowerEdge R940 SFF quarter turn view DELL_PE_R940_24B-12NVME
Rack-Mountable 3U 24-Bay PowerEdge R940 SFF front view DELL_PE_R940_24B-12NVME
Rack-Mountable 3U 24-Bay PowerEdge R940 SFF back view DELL_PE_R940_24B-12NVME
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Dell PowerEdge R940 12x SAS / SATA + 12x NVMe SFF Rack-Mountable 3U Server Chassis

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The selected chassis is a 3U 14th gen (14G) Dell PowerEdge R940 24-bay SFF / 2.5" SATA / SAS / NVMe rack server. The Dell PowerEdge R940 24-bay 12x SAS / 12x NVMe SFF server supports 4x Intel LGA3647 / Socket-P sockets that accommodate Intel's Xeon Scalable V1 / V2 Series processors with a maximium TDP of 205W, maximum speed per processor of 3.90Ghz, and a maximum of 112 Cores. The Dell PowerEdge R940 chassis supports 12x DIMMs per CPU for a total of 48x RAM slots and a maximum of 12.3TB of memory. The Dell PowerEdge R940 chassis takes 2x hot-plug / hot-swap redundant power supplies / PSUs with total wattage of up to 2,400 Watts. This Dell PowerEdge R940 server supports up to 553.0TB of SATA / SAS / NVMe storage natively. The Dell PowerEdge R940 24-bay 12x SAS / 12x NVMe SFF server can support a maximum of 12x SFF / 2.5 inch SATA / SAS drives or a maximum of 12x SFF / 2.5 inch NVMe drives. It does not support any LFF / 3.5 inch drives. The Dell PowerEdge R940 server comes with a modular LOM / NDC slot that accommodates a wide range of network daughter card connections. Depending on the riser configuration, the Dell PowerEdge R940 24-bay 12x SAS / 12x NVMe SFF server could take up to 13x PCIe 3.0 (Gen 3) NIC slots. Depending on the riser configuration, the Dell PowerEdge R940 chassis could accommodate up to 4x double-width GPUs or up to 8x single-width GPUs. When fully configured with all drives and accessories, the Dell PowerEdge R940 24-bay 12x SAS / 12x NVMe SFF server can weigh up to 101.0Lbs. Key additional features include: support of Boss-S1 card with up to 2x M.2 SATA SSDs and DRAC 9 Dell remote access capabilities.

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Documentation

  • iDRAC 9 User's Guide

    Dell Integrated Remote Access Controller 9 (iDRAC 9) serves as an out-of-band server management platform that allows IT administrators to remotely deploy, monitor, and troubleshoot infrastructure without relying on host operating systems or installed agents. This controller continuously tracks performance metrics across processor core counts, memory capacity allocations, and PCIe expansion slot utilization while mapping storage options and chassis form factors for rack, tower, and blade deployments. By aggregating these hardware telemetry streams into a composite CUPS index, the platform helps operations teams detect compute bottlenecks or thermal anomalies before they trigger service interruptions.

    Security and access control define the operational scope of iDRAC 9, with feature progression across Basic, Express, Enterprise, and Datacenter licensing tiers. The architecture enforces strict authentication through Active Directory, LDAP, smart card validation, multi-factor codes, and role-based privilege levels, alongside FIPS 140-2 compliance and mandatory TLS encryption for all management traffic. Network teams can harden deployments using IP blocking, configurable password strength policies, and dedicated management subnets, while programmatic automation remains accessible through RACADM CLI, Redfish API, WSMan, SSH, and IPMI protocols. Zero-touch provisioning further accelerates bare-metal scaling by automatically delivering Server Configuration Profiles via DHCP options over NFS or HTTP shares.

    Beyond identity and network hardening, Dell iDRAC 9 provides comprehensive storage subsystem control, enabling buyers to configure virtual disks across PERC controllers with RAID levels spanning zero through sixty, adjust cache policies, monitor drive wear endurance, and execute cryptographic erasure on SED drives. The management suite includes virtual media mounting, embedded vConsole KVM access, telemetry streaming, and automated firmware lifecycle procedures that support staged updates, rollback mechanisms, and SD-card recovery during catastrophic failures. Ultimately, this solution targets data center operations groups seeking to minimize downtime, enforce regulatory compliance, automate infrastructure scaling, and optimize energy efficiency through power capping and dynamic thermal profile adjustments across large-scale server fleets.

    Updated: October 1, 2026Download
  • Dell PowerEdge R940 Technical Guide

    The Dell EMC PowerEdge R940 is a high-performance 3U rack server designed by Dell EMC to deliver exceptional scalability and processing power for demanding enterprise workloads. Built on the second-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processor family, this system supports up to four processors, each capable of delivering up to twenty-eight cores with Hyper-Threading technology, providing robust multi-threading capabilities for complex computations. Memory flexibility is a cornerstone of the R940 architecture, offering forty-eight DDR4 slots that support speeds up to 2933 MT/s and configuration options including RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, and Intel Optane Persistent Memory to achieve total capacities of up to 15.36 terabytes. This vast memory footprint ensures the server can handle massive in-memory databases and analytics applications without bottlenecking performance.

    Addressing the need for high-throughput storage and extensive connectivity, the Dell EMC PowerEdge R940 accommodates up to twenty-four hot-plug drives on an active backplane, with support for PCIe NVMe solid-state drives and SAS or SATA options. Internal storage can scale to 184.32 terabytes, while RAID capabilities are managed through PERC controllers, BOSS modules, or the IDSDM with vFlash card for boot optimization. Expansion flexibility is maximized via up to thirteen PCIe Gen 3 slots in a four-socket configuration, allowing administrators to integrate diverse I/O cards for networking, graphics, or specialized accelerators. These resources make the PowerEdge R940 an ideal candidate for data warehouses, high-performance computing environments, and ecommerce platforms where low latency and massive concurrent processing are critical.

    Dell EMC has engineered the R940 with enterprise-grade security and management features to simplify deployment and maintenance across large data centers. The system integrates iDRAC9 Enterprise with Lifecycle Controller for out-of-band hardware monitoring and firmware automation, complemented by Quick Sync 2.0 for wireless management access. Security is reinforced with a Trusted Platform Module, cover latch, and power-off BIOS controls to protect sensitive infrastructure. Buyers requiring mission-critical reliability will appreciate the redundant cooling fans, hot-plug power supplies with 1+1 redundancy, and optional ProSupport services that offer proactive monitoring and rapid response. The PowerEdge R940 effectively meets the needs of organizations seeking a monolithic rack server that balances extreme compute density, expansive storage options, and sophisticated lifecycle management tools for business-critical applications.

    Updated: October 1, 2026Download
  • Dell PowerEdge R940 BIOS and UEFI Reference Guide

    The Dell PowerEdge R940 is a high-density four-socket enterprise server designed for demanding data center workloads, featuring comprehensive firmware control through its integrated BIOS and UEFI reference architecture. Built around support for up to four Intel processors with configurable core counts and adjustable turbo boost limits, the platform delivers scalable computational power optimized for virtualization, dense database operations, and high-performance computing tasks. Memory configurations accommodate massive capacity tiers per processor socket, supporting DDR4 RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, and Intel Optane Persistent Memory modules while offering advanced operational modes like Dell Fault Resilient Mode and adaptive double DRAM device correction. Storage flexibility is equally extensive, with embedded SATA controllers configurable for AHCI or RAID, native NVMe drive support, internal BOSS PCIe M.2 cards, and a dual SD card module serving as a reliable redundant OS location.

    Managing the Dell PowerEdge R940 requires precise hardware allocation across its expansion infrastructure. The chassis accommodates up to thirteen configurable PCIe slots depending on processor count, with manual bifurcation options allowing lanes to be partitioned into x4, x8, or x16 configurations for specialized accelerators and networking cards. Dell Active Power Controller profiles govern dynamic power distribution across cores and memory controllers, enabling administrators to balance performance-per-watt targets against raw throughput requirements. The firmware suite integrates intelligent cache prefetching, Sub NUMA clustering, and demand-based processor power management to maximize efficiency while maintaining low latency for clustered workloads. Network boot capabilities are fully supported through UEFI PXE, HTTP, and iSCSI protocols, streamlining zero-touch OS deployment across fleet environments without physical media.

    Security and lifecycle management on the Dell PowerEdge R940 are tightly controlled through layered firmware utilities and the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller interface. The system enforces boot integrity via UEFI Secure Boot with customizable policy objects, hardware-backed Trusted Platform Module activation, and optional Intel Trusted Execution Technology for measured startup routines. Administrators can lock pre-boot access with password jumpers and setup credentials while utilizing in-band manageability gates to restrict operating system interference with management engines. Pre-operating system control is centralized through the Dell Lifecycle Controller and System Setup menus, which automate hardware diagnostics, firmware updates, redundant OS mirroring, and remote deployment workflows. Ultimately, the server targets enterprise IT buyers requiring uncompromising availability, granular performance tuning, and robust out-of-band oversight for mission-critical infrastructure deployments.

    Updated: October 1, 2026Download

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