DELL PowerEdge R640 1U rack server 2x Xeon Gold 6134 3.2GHz 8-core 64GB DDR4 8x 1.2TB SAS H730P

Purpose-built 1U rack server

The Dell PowerEdge R640 is a dual-socket 1U rack server designed for dense scale-out data center computing. It ships with two Intel Xeon Gold 6134 processors running at 3.2 GHz with eight cores each and 64 GB of DDR4 2666 MHz registered ECC memory. A PERC H730P controller with 2 GB cache manages eight 1.2 TB 10K SAS drives, while an Intel X520/I350 daughter card provides two 1 GbE and two 10 Gb SFP+ ports. Dual 750 W platinum hot-swap power supplies, iDRAC 9 Enterprise, rails and a front bezel complete the package.

Fit and alternatives

This configuration suits workloads that need high core density, redundant power and hardware RAID in a single rack unit. Virtualization hosts, database nodes and HPC clusters benefit from the 24 DIMM slots supporting up to 3 TB of memory and the eight 2.5-inch drive bays. Buyers who require more than two processors, additional drive bays beyond eight, or GPU compute capability should consider larger chassis platforms.

Deciding specification

The installed PERC H730P controller with 2 GB battery-backed cache enables RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60 plus pass-through mode across all eight SAS bays. If the deployment demands hardware RAID with cache protection for the supplied 1.2 TB drives, this server meets the requirement; if software RAID or a different controller is preferred, the H730P becomes an unnecessary cost.