Every refurbished server listing quotes what a platform supports. Almost none says which chassis configurations are actually in circulation. This page sets out all 65 chassis configurations TekBoost lists across 22 refurbished Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant platforms, and the patterns that fall out of them.
It is drawn from TekBoost's own configuration catalogue — the same data behind our configurators — not from a manufacturer brochure. It contains no customer or order information.
What the catalogue contains
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Server platforms listed | 22 |
| Distinct chassis configurations | 65 |
| Platforms listing an NVMe-capable front backplane | 3 of 22 |
| Dell 13th generation / 14th generation platforms | 8 / 8 |
| HPE Gen9 / Gen10 platforms | 3 / 3 |
| 1U rack / 2U rack / tower platforms | 6 / 8 / 8 |
Five findings
1. NVMe front bays are rare — three platforms out of twenty-two
Only the PowerEdge R630, R640 and R740XD list NVMe-capable front backplanes. That is 14% of the platforms in the catalogue. Everything else is SAS and SATA in the front bays, whatever the processor generation.
2. NVMe is not purely a generation question
The R630 is a 13th generation platform and it lists NVMe. The R730 and R730XD, from the same generation, do not. So "buy 14th generation for NVMe" is the wrong rule — it is a per-platform question, and two of the three NVMe platforms are 1U.
3. No tower platform lists an NVMe front backplane
All eight tower and 5U tower platforms in the catalogue — including the T640 and ML350 Gen10 — are SAS and SATA in the front bays. If a design needs hot-plug NVMe, it needs a rack chassis.
4. The highest bay counts are on towers, not racks
The T630 and T640 reach 32 x 2.5" and 18 x 3.5", above the 24 x 2.5" and 12 x 3.5" ceiling of the largest 2U rack platforms. Tower chassis have volume that 2U does not, and it shows up as drive capacity.
5. Listed controller options grew with each generation
Dell 13th generation and HPE Gen9 platforms list three storage controller options each. Dell 14th generation lists four. HPE Gen10 lists five. Practically, newer platforms give more room to specify the controller deliberately rather than accept whatever a unit shipped with.
The full matrix
Bay figures are the maximum listed for that form factor. A dash means no configuration in that form factor is listed for the platform.
| Platform | Generation | Form factor | Chassis configs | Max 2.5" | Max 3.5" | NVMe front bays | Controllers listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerEdge R430 | Dell 13G | 1U rack | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge R530 | Dell 13G | 2U rack | 1 | — | 8 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge R630 | Dell 13G | 1U rack | 3 | 10 | — | Yes | 3 |
| PowerEdge R730 | Dell 13G | 2U rack | 3 | 16 | 8 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge R730XD | Dell 13G | 2U rack | 2 | 24 | 12 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge T330 | Dell 13G | Tower | 1 | — | 8 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge T430 | Dell 13G | Tower | 2 | 16 | 8 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge T630 | Dell 13G | Tower | 4 | 32 | 18 | — | 3 |
| PowerEdge R340 | Dell 14G | 1U rack | — | 8 | 4 | — | — |
| PowerEdge R440 | Dell 14G | 1U rack | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | 4 |
| PowerEdge R640 | Dell 14G | 1U rack | 5 | 10 | — | Yes | 4 |
| PowerEdge R540 | Dell 14G | 2U rack | 2 | — | 12 | — | 4 |
| PowerEdge R740 | Dell 14G | 2U rack | 3 | 16 | 8 | — | 4 |
| PowerEdge R740XD | Dell 14G | 2U rack | 7 | 24 | 12 | Yes | 4 |
| PowerEdge T340 | Dell 14G | Tower | 1 | — | 8 | — | 4 |
| PowerEdge T440 | Dell 14G | 5U tower | 2 | 16 | 8 | — | 4 |
| PowerEdge T640 | Dell 14G | 5U tower | 4 | 32 | 18 | — | 4 |
| ProLiant DL360 Gen9 | HPE Gen9 | 1U rack | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | 3 |
| ProLiant DL380 Gen9 | HPE Gen9 | 2U rack | 3 | 24 | — | — | 3 |
| ProLiant ML350 Gen9 | HPE Gen9 | Tower | 3 | 16 | 8 | — | 3 |
| ProLiant DL360 Gen10 | HPE Gen10 | 1U rack | 3 | 10 | 4 | — | 5 |
| ProLiant DL380 Gen10 | HPE Gen10 | 2U rack | 4 | 24 | 12 | — | 5 |
| ProLiant ML350 Gen10 | HPE Gen10 | 5U tower | 3 | 16 | 8 | — | 5 |
How to read this
A chassis configuration is fixed when the server is built. The backplane is different hardware in an 8-bay and a 16-bay machine, so a server cannot be populated past its configuration by adding caddies. That is why this table is a buying constraint rather than a specification curiosity.
The counts describe what TekBoost lists as configurable or quotable, which is narrower than everything a manufacturer ever built and broader than what is in stock on any given day. The R340 row is included for completeness but is configured differently from the rest of the catalogue, so its configuration count is not directly comparable.
Where to go next
- Which Dell PowerEdge rack server? and rack or tower?
- R640 vs R740 — one of the two NVMe platforms against the one without
- R740 vs R740XD and T440 vs T640
- Storage & RAID Advisor — plan capacity against a specific platform
- Browse refurbished servers
Hardware bought from TekBoost carries our standard 3-year warranty with Next Business Day part replacement, subject to the terms, exclusions and conditions on that page. To check a configuration against current stock, request a quote.