Dell R740 Server

Balanced 2U Performance For Enterprise Workloads

The PowerEdge R740 is a versatile Dell 14th Gen server for businesses that need a strong mix of compute, memory, storage, and PCIe expansion.

R740 Storage & Expansion Options

The R740 is a balanced 2U platform with flexible drive bay and PCIe expansion options for general-purpose enterprise deployments.

R740 Vs Other Dell 14th Gen Servers

Built-To-Order Refurbished Enterprise Hardware

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Dell PowerEdge R740 Specifications At A Glance

A quick reference for the R740's core platform capabilities. Exact configuration availability depends on chassis and processor selection.

Dell R740 Processor & CPU Support

The R740 supports up to two Intel Xeon Scalable processors from either the 1st Generation ("Skylake") or 2nd Generation ("Cascade Lake") family, with core counts ranging up to 28 per processor. The two generations should not be mixed within the same system. 2nd Generation processors generally offer higher clock speeds and support faster memory at the same core count, making them the stronger choice for memory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads like virtualization and databases.

Dell R740 Memory & DIMM Configuration

Each R740 has 24 DDR4 DIMM slots supporting registered ECC memory (RDIMM or LRDIMM), with speeds up to 2933MT/s depending on the installed processor. Populated with LRDIMMs across both processors, the platform supports up to roughly 3TB of total memory. For most virtualization and application workloads, a mid-capacity RDIMM configuration covers real-world needs without the cost premium of full LRDIMM population.

Dell R740 RAID & Storage Controller Options

Storage controller options on the R740 range from the PERC S140 software RAID controller (SATA drives only, no cache) up through the PERC H330 (hardware RAID, no cache), the PERC H730P (hardware RAID with 2GB cache), and the PERC H740P (hardware RAID with 8GB cache) for the most write-intensive or performance-sensitive workloads. Controller choice should match the workload: S140 for simple boot or light-duty configurations, H330 for general-purpose hardware RAID, H730P or H740P where cached write performance matters most.

Dell R740 Networking, PCIe & GPU Expansion

The R740 accepts a network daughter card plus additional PCIe adapters, with daughter card options spanning 1GbE (Intel I350, Broadcom 5720), 10GbE (Intel X540/X550/X710, Broadcom 57412/57800S), and 25GbE (Mellanox ConnectX-4). Unlike the denser 1U models in the Dell 13th and 14th Generation lineup, the R740's 2U chassis has room for genuine additional PCIe expansion beyond the network daughter card, which is what makes it a platform Dell built with GPU and accelerator support in mind. Exact PCIe slot count and GPU compatibility depend on the riser and chassis configuration selected — confirm compatibility for the specific card or accelerator your environment needs.

Dell R740 iDRAC9 Remote Management

The R740 includes Dell's iDRAC9 out-of-band management controller, a generation ahead of the iDRAC8 found on Dell's 13th Generation platforms. iDRAC9 gives administrators remote console, virtual media, monitoring, and firmware-update access independent of the installed OS, with a modernized interface and faster remote console performance than iDRAC8. iDRAC9 ships in Express and Enterprise license tiers — Express covers basic remote management, while Enterprise adds full remote console and more granular configuration, useful when managing multiple servers.

R740 Vs R740XD: When Should You Choose The R740?

The R740 and R740XD share the same 2U chassis footprint, the same Intel Xeon Scalable processor family, and the same DDR4 memory architecture — the real difference is storage capacity. The R740 tops out at 16 front drive bays, while the R740XD offers up to 32 total 2.5" bays across front, mid, and rear bay positions, with a larger share of those bays NVMe-capable. Choose the R740 when your workload is compute- or memory-bound and a standard drive count is enough — virtualization hosts, application servers, and database instances that lean on external or moderate local storage. Choose the R740XD instead when the workload needs more raw drive capacity or a higher NVMe drive count than the R740's chassis options provide, such as software-defined storage, backup targets, or storage-heavy virtualization.

R740 Vs R730: Is The Newer Generation Worth It?

The R730 is the R740's direct 13th Generation predecessor, built around Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processors and iDRAC8, compared to the R740's Xeon Scalable processors and iDRAC9. The R740 supports faster DDR4 memory speeds, a higher maximum memory ceiling, and more PCIe expansion for GPU and accelerator use, making it the stronger choice for workloads that benefit from newer CPU instruction sets or higher per-core performance. The R730 remains a proven, lower-cost platform on the refurbished market, and is a reasonable choice for buyers who don't need the R740's newer processor family and want to minimize cost. Neither platform is universally better — the choice comes down to how much the newer generation's performance and memory ceiling matter for your workload versus budget.

R740 Lifecycle & Refurbished Buying Context

Dell does not publish a fixed end-of-life or end-of-support date for PowerEdge servers, but as a 14th Generation platform first released in 2017, the R740 is a mature, well-established platform with a large installed base and strong parts availability on the refurbished market. It remains a solid choice for virtualization, databases, general enterprise workloads, and select GPU-assisted use cases where a newer processor generation isn't required. Buyers who specifically need the latest hypervisor certifications, the newest CPU instruction sets, or the highest per-core performance should look at a 15th or 16th Generation platform instead; for most other enterprise workloads, the R740's compute, memory, and expansion balance still holds up well.

Dell PowerEdge R740 Questions