DELL PowerEdge R940 3U Rack Server 4x Xeon Gold 5118 2.3GHz 12-Core 512GB DDR4 H730P

Mission-critical compute density

The Dell PowerEdge R940 is a 3U rack server built for organisations that run large databases, virtualisation clusters or in-memory analytics. Four Intel Xeon Gold 5118 processors deliver 48 cores at 2.3 GHz with 3.2 GHz turbo, while 512 GB of registered ECC DDR4 across 16 slots provides the memory bandwidth those workloads demand. Redundant 1600 W platinum power supplies and iDRAC 9 Enterprise keep the platform available for continuous operation.

Scaling from dual-socket limits

Teams that have maxed out two-socket servers and still need more threads or memory capacity will see an immediate jump by moving to this four-socket design. The Intel C620 chipset supports up to 6 TB of DDR4 across 48 slots, so the installed 512 GB can grow without a platform change. The PERC H730P controller adds hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60 plus pass-through, letting you migrate existing SAS or SATA arrays without reconfiguration.

Rack integration and common pitfalls

The unit ships with ready rails and a front bezel, so it mounts in a standard 3U space without extra hardware. Eight 2.5-inch SAS/SATA trays are populated but empty; you must supply compatible drives and cable them to the H730P backplane. The X520/I350 daughter card provides two 1 GbE and two 10 Gb SFP+ ports — verify your switch optics match SFP+ before deployment. iDRAC 9 Enterprise requires a dedicated management network and valid licence for full remote console and lifecycle features.