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The Dell PowerEdge line of servers are industry favorites and among the most effective at managing data center workloads. These servers combine excellent memory capacity, superior application performance, and data security to keep your everyday business functions running smoothly.

Two new models in the PowerEdge line are the Dell R640 and the Dell R740. The PowerEdge R640 is built for performance and optimal data center density. This means that processing hefty workloads will be made easier, effectively catering to evolving business requirements.

In comparison, the Dell R740 is a supreme workload accelerator. It is optimized for application performance and storage scalability, providing the resources necessary to provide power to the most demanding business environments.

Use the table below to compare and contrast the different specifications between the R640 and the R740.

Specs Comparison

ModelR640R740
ProcessorsTwo Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, up to 28 cores per processorTwo Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, up to 28 cores per processor
Form Factor1U rack2U rack
Memory24 DDR4 DIMM slots, Supports RDIMM /LRDIMM, speeds up to 2666MT/s, 3TB max
Up to 12 NVDIMM, 192 GB Max
Supports registered ECC DDR4 DIMMs only
24 DDR4 DIMM slots, Supports RDIMM /LRDIMM, speeds up to 2666MT/s, 3TB max
Up to 12 NVDIMM, 192 GB Max
Supports registered ECC DDR4 DIMMs only
Drive Bays/StorageFront drive bays
10 x 2.5” SAS/SATA with up to 8 NVMe SSD - 58TB or up to 10 NVMe drives - 64TB
4 x 3.5” SAS/SATA HDD - 48TB

Rear drive bays:
2 x 2.5” - SAS/SATA, NVMe SSD - 12TB
16 x 2.5” - SAS/SATA - 61TB
8 x 3.5” - SAS/SATA - 96TB
Storage ControllersInternal controllers: PERC H330, H730p, H740p, Software RAID (SWRAID) S140
Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem: HWRAID 2 x M.2 SSDs 120GB, 240 GB
External PERC (RAID): H840
12Gbps SAS HBAs (non-RAID): External- 12Gbps SAS HBA (non-RAID), Internal- HBA330 (non-RAID)
Internal controllers: PERC H330, H730p, H740p, Software RAID (SWRAID) S140
Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem: HWRAID 2 x M.2 SSDs 120GB, 240 GB
External PERC (RAID): H840
12Gbps SAS HBAs (non-RAID): External- 12 Gbps SAS HBA (non-RAID), Internal- HBA330 (non-RAID)
I/O SlotsNetwork daughter card options
4 x 1GE or 2 x 10GE + 2 x 1GE or 4 x 10GE or 2 x 25GE
Front ports: Video, 1 x USB 2.0, available USB 3.0, dedicated IDRAC Direct USB
Rear ports: Video, serial, 2 x USB 3.0, dedicated iDRAC network port
Video card: VGA, NVIDIA NVS310 available as PCIe card
Up to 3 x Gen3 slots, all x16
Network daughter card options
4 x 1GE or 2 x 10GE + 2 x 1GE or 4 x 10GE or 2 x 25GE
Front ports: Video, 2 x USB 2.0, available USB 3.0, dedicated IDRAC Direct Micro-USB
Rear ports: Video, serial, 2 x USB 3.0, dedicated iDRAC network port
Video card: VGA
Riser options with up to 8 PCIe Gen 3 slots, maximum of 4 x 16 slots
Embedded ManagementIPMI 2.0 compliant
iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller (Express, Enterprise)
Quick Sync 2 wireless module optional
IPMI 2.0 compliant
iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller (Express, Enterprise)
Quick Sync 2 wireless module optional
OpenManage™ SoftwareOpenManage Enterprise
OpenManage Essentials
OpenManage Mobile
OpenManage Power Center
OpenManage Enterprise
OpenManage Essentials
OpenManage Mobile
OpenManage Power Center
Integrations & ConnectionsIntegrations: Microsoft® System Center,
VMware® vCenter™, BMC Software
Connections: Nagios & Nagios XI,
Oracle Enterprise Manager,
HP Operations Manager, IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus,
IBM Tivoli® Network Manager,
CA Network and Systems Management
Integrations: Microsoft® System Center,
VMware® vCenter™, BMC Software
Connections: Nagios & Nagios XI,
Oracle Enterprise Manager, HP Operations Manager,
IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus,
IBM Tivoli® Network Manager,
CA Network and Systems Management
Supported Operating SystemsCanonical® Ubuntu® LTS
Citrix® XenServer®
Microsoft Windows Server® with Hyper-V
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server
VMware® ESXi
Canonical® Ubuntu® LTS
Citrix® XenServer®
Microsoft Windows Server® with Hyper-V
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux
SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server
VMware® ESXi

Optimizing Application Performance

The Dell R640 is capable of providing superior application performance by using only a 1U chassis. The architecture of the server is geared towards optimum flexibility, where plenty of data storage options are left available for expansion. With the server, you can combine up to 24 DIMM’s (up to 12 of which can be NVDIMM’s) where each has either a 2.5inch or 3.5inch drive. All this capacity is housed within a compact 1U chassis, providing superior performance in a compact and flexible design.

The server also comes equipped with an Intel Xeon SP processor, which provides an increase of 27% in processing cores and a 50% increase in bandwidth.
The Dell R740 is the next level in performance capabilities within a 2U chassis. Its workload acceleration is propelled by the scalable GPUs and drives that it contains. The R740 is capable of scaling up to three 300GPU’s or six 150W GPUs.

Automation of Core Functions

On the R640 servers, the Dell OpenManage platform makes it possible for this line of servers to automate routine and everyday tasks. It combines intelligent processing, agent-free management, and sync capabilities to offer flexible control from multiple devices. In addition, the server comes equipped with the new OpenManage Enterprise control that offers customized reporting.

The PowerEdge R740 also comes equipped with the Dell OpenManage portfolio. On this server, the automation capabilities of OpenManage end up freeing plenty of space and time for other more tasking projects on the server.

Data Security

The Dell PowerEdge servers are built with security at the core of their life cycle. The Dell R640 is able to leverage key security features that enhance protection and the delivery of accurate data to your customers. These features include an integrated secure boot along with cryptographically singed firmware packages, a server lock-down feature that prevents unauthorized or malicious changes, and a secure component supply chain that provides data protection from the factory to the data center.

Because these security standards are built into every Dell PowerEdge server, the R740 contains much the same security features as the R640. However, with the R740 being a workload powerhouse, the data safety via secure boot and the prevention of unauthorized access are even more critical.  The server is also equipped with the Quick Sync 2 feature for safe and reliable wireless management of data. Combined with advanced memory capabilities, the R740 can handle taxing workloads without the user worrying about data security.

Wrap Up

When choosing between these two top-end servers, your decision may ultimately come down to balancing between performance and budget. At Source Tech, we stock both the Dell PowerEdge R640 and R740 servers. We have been specializing in servers for over 20 years and we can help you make the right choice for your business.