DELL PowerEdge R740xd2 2U rack server 2x Xeon 8160 24C 2.1GHz 512GB DDR4 26x 4TB SATA HBA330 1100W PSU

High-density 2U rack server

The Dell PowerEdge R740xd2 is a 2U rack server built for data-intensive workloads that demand exceptional storage density. It ships with two Intel Xeon Platinum 8160 processors running at 2.1GHz with 3.7GHz turbo, 512GB of DDR4-2666 ECC registered memory, and a Dell PERC HBA330 storage controller. The chassis holds 26 front-accessible 3.5-inch drive bays populated with 4TB 7.2K SATA hard drives, delivering over 100TB of raw capacity. Dual 1100W platinum power supplies and iDRAC 9 Enterprise remote management complete the enterprise-ready platform.

Suited for storage-heavy deployments

This server fits software-defined storage clusters, backup repositories, big data analytics and media archives that prioritise capacity over raw compute density. The 26-bay layout and HBA330 controller provide a direct path to massive SATA or SAS arrays without a RAID abstraction layer. Organisations needing more than two sockets, higher core counts per socket or GPU acceleration should evaluate alternative platforms. Buyers who require integrated RAID functionality or a smaller rack footprint will need a different chassis design.

26-bay 3.5-inch drive capacity

The defining specification is the 26-drive bay configuration supporting 3.5-inch SATA and SAS drives in a 2U form factor. This density decides whether the R740xd2 matches a storage topology built around high-capacity spinning media. The installed HBA330 controller presents drives directly to the operating system, so the storage software layer controls redundancy and performance. Verify that your rack power and cooling can sustain the fully populated configuration before deployment.