Are you in the market for a high-performance, versatile 1U rack server to power your most demanding workloads? Look no further than the Dell PowerEdge R630. This powerhouse 2-socket server delivers an ideal balance of density, flexibility, performance, and value, making it a top choice for IT environments of all sizes. In this in-depth article, we‘ll explore the key features and benefits of the R630, and show you why it should be at the top of your evaluation list.
1. Scalable, Enterprise-Class Performance
At the heart of the PowerEdge R630 are two Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 or v4 processors, providing up to 44 cores of raw computational power. The E5-2600 v4 processors, in particular, offer impressive specs:
| Processor Model | Cores | Clock Speed | Cache |
|---|---|---|---|
| E5-2699 v4 | 22 | 2.2 GHz | 55 MB |
| E5-2698 v4 | 20 | 2.2 GHz | 50 MB |
| E5-2697 v4 | 18 | 2.3 GHz | 45 MB |
| E5-2695 v4 | 18 | 2.1 GHz | 45 MB |
| E5-2690 v4 | 14 | 2.6 GHz | 35 MB |
With top speeds up to 3.6 GHz and huge L3 caches, these processors provide ample horsepower for even the most demanding enterprise workloads. The R630 has been demonstrated to deliver up to 2100 SPECint_rate2006 and 830 SPECfp_rate2006 with top-end processors.[^1]
The R630 also supports a massive 1.5 TB of DDR4 memory running at up to 2400 MT/s. With 24 DIMM slots, you can scale up and tailor your memory configuration as your needs grow. Advanced RAS features like memory mirroring and sparing ensure your critical applications stay up and running.
2. Flexible, High-Density Storage
For such a dense 1U server, the PowerEdge R630 provides exceptional storage flexibility and scalability. It offers both 2.5" and 1.8" chassis options, supporting up to ten 2.5" drives or 24 1.8" SSDs. A range of 12Gbps SAS and 6Gbps SATA drives are available:
| Form Factor | Capacity | Speed | Type | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5" | 300 GB | 15K RPM | SAS | Performance-optimized |
| 2.5" | 600 GB | 10K RPM | SAS | High performance |
| 2.5" | 1.2 TB | 10K RPM | SAS | High capacity |
| 2.5" | 1 TB | 7.2K RPM | SATA | Boot/bulk storage |
| 1.8" | 400 GB | N/A | SAS SSD | Ultra-fast I/O |
| 1.8" | 200 GB | N/A | SATA SSD | Fast reads |
With the option for up to four NVMe PCIe SSDs, the R630 can also provide lightning-fast storage performance for your most I/O-intensive applications.[^2] The PERC H330 and H730 RAID controllers enable you to provide multiple levels of data protection and performance optimization as well.
3. Rich GPU and Coprocessor Options
For graphics-intensive workloads like VDI, as well as HPC and AI inferencing, the PowerEdge R630 provides multiple GPU and coprocessor options. It can be configured with up to two 300W GPUs, such as:
- NVIDIA Tesla M10 – Optimized for graphics virtualization, with support for up to 64 users per card
- NVIDIA Tesla M60 – Versatile GPU for VDI, professional graphics, HPC, and deep learning inferencing
- Intel Xeon Phi 7120P – 61-core coprocessor ideal for highly-parallel HPC and machine learning workloads
With such potent GPU options, the R630 is an excellent platform to support large-scale VDI environments, as well as computationally-intensive server-side graphics and HPC applications.
4. High-Speed, Flexible Networking
Providing fast, flexible networking is essential for modern virtualization, clustering, storage, and HPC workloads. The PowerEdge R630 supports an array of high-bandwidth, low-latency network options, including:
- 4 x 1Gb onboard (optional)
- Broadcom 57800S 2x10Gb DA/SFP+
- Intel x520 2x10Gb DA/SFP+
- Intel X540 2x10Gb Base-T
- Mellanox ConnectX-3 Pro 2x10Gb DA/SFP+
- Mellanox ConnectX-3 2x40Gb Direct Attach QSFP+
- Emulex OCe14102-N1-D 2x10Gb SFP+
- Emulex OCm14102-N1-D 2x10Gb SFP+
With such a breadth of NIC options, you can optimize your R630 networking for both bandwidth and IOPS based on your specific application needs. These adapters have been tested and validated for compatibility with all major operating systems and hypervisors.
5. Exceptional Management Capabilities
One of the hallmarks of the PowerEdge R630 is its comprehensive built-in systems management, centered around the Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) 8. iDRAC8 provides agent-free, out-of-band management of the server hardware and firmware via a web-based GUI, command-line, or API. Key capabilities include:
- Deployment – Remote OS install, server configuration replication, auto-discovery
- Monitoring – Extensive health monitoring, real-time power/thermal data, alerts
- Maintenance – Server configuration backup/restore, update management
- Remediation – Remote troubleshooting even if OS is down, SupportAssist integration
The iDRAC8 can save administrators significant time and effort throughout the server lifecycle, ensuring optimal performance, health and availability of R630 infrastructure. Additional management tools like OpenManage Essentials and the OpenManage Mobile app provide enterprise-wide monitoring and control.
6. Validated, Certified Designs
Dell has thoroughly validated the PowerEdge R630 with a range of popular enterprise operating systems, hypervisors, and applications, taking the guesswork out of the deployment process. Certified platforms include:[^3]
- Microsoft Windows Server, Hyper-V, and Azure Stack HCI
- VMware vSphere, vSAN, and VMware Cloud Foundation
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux, KVM, OpenStack, and Ansible
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
- Oracle Linux and Oracle VM
- SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver
- Hadoop and analytics distributions from Cloudera, Hortonworks, and DataStax
These certifications give you the confidence that your R630 infrastructure will be stable and supported for your mission-critical workloads. Dell also offers engineering-validated and deployment-ready solutions for Microsoft SQL, VDI, and other common use cases.
7. Robust Security and Availability
The PowerEdge R630 incorporates a range of advanced reliability, availability, and security features to ensure your workloads stay up and running. Some key RAS capabilities include:
- Hot-plug drives, power supplies, and fans
- Dual SD cards for redundant hypervisors
- Hardware RAID with battery backup and flash cache options
- TPM 1.2/2.0 and cryptographically-signed firmware
- Secure Boot, UEFI, and BIOS-level intrusion detection
- System Lockdown (requires iDRAC Enterprise)
Combined with Dell‘s proactive support and optional premium support offerings, these features make the R630 an excellent choice to run your business-critical databases, applications, and infrastructure.
8. Impressive Real-World Performance
The PowerEdge R630 has demonstrated outstanding performance across a range of real-world customer deployments and industry-standard benchmarks. A few examples:
-
A global travel technology company replaced 500 legacy servers with just 16 PowerEdge R630s, resulting in an 80% footprint reduction and 50% energy savings.[^4]
-
An energy company reduced Oracle licensing costs by 70% by moving to PowerEdge R630 servers.[^1]
-
The R630 holds world records for SPECvirt_sc2013 (virtualization) and SPECmpiM_base2007 (HPC/parallel processing) benchmarks.[^5]
-
In the TPCx-BigBench benchmark, which measures performance in Hadoop environments, a cluster of R630 servers holds the top non-accelerated result.[^6]
Such impressive real-world results further validate the exceptional versatility and capabilities of the PowerEdge R630 across a range of demanding enterprise workloads. IT organizations around the world are using the R630 to accelerate mission-critical applications while reducing TCO.
9. Global Support and Deployment Services
Dell offers a comprehensive set of global support and deployment services for the PowerEdge R630, helping ensure a smooth ownership experience no matter where you are located. Key offerings include:
- Dell ProSupport – 24×7 access to elite ProSupport engineers for rapid issue resolution
- ProSupport Plus – All the benefits of ProSupport, plus a designated Technical Account Manager and predictive failure prevention
- Dell Deployment Services – End-to-end deployment assistance to configure and integrate R630 servers into your environment
- Dell Training Services – Extensive training options to bring your IT staff up to speed on R630 management and optimization
With Dell‘s global logistics network and 60,000+ service professionals, you can rest assured that you‘ll get the right support at the right time.[^7] Dell can even tailor support and service terms to the unique needs of your organization.
10. Compelling Value at Every Stage of the Lifecycle
One of the most appealing aspects of the PowerEdge R630 is the value it delivers at every stage of the server lifecycle. When purchased new, the R630 offers immense configuration flexibility to meet your precise performance and budget requirements. Dell‘s frequent deals and promotions can help you acquire new infrastructure at attractive price points as well.
For more value-oriented buyers, the thriving secondary market for the PowerEdge R630 makes it possible to acquire higher-end configurations at an impressive discount. Trusted vendors offer thoroughly refurbished R630 servers with plenty of warranty remaining, providing peace of mind.
To determine the potential cost savings, we can compare the price of a new R630 configuration to a comparably-equipped refurbished model:
| Component | New Price | Refurb Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2x E5-2660 v4 CPUs | $3,192 | $1,849 |
| 8x 16 GB DDR4 DIMMs | $1,000 | $440 |
| 4x 600 GB 10K HDDs | $1,320 | $600 |
| PERC H730 RAID | $299 | $179 |
| iDRAC8 Enterprise | $299 | $169 |
| 3 Year ProSupport | $1,738 | $900 |
| Total | $7,848 | $4,137 |
In this scenario, opting for a refurbished R630 saves nearly 50% compared to new. Considering most organizations replace servers every 3-5 years, a quality refurbished unit with 1-2 years of warranty can be a smart choice for the remaining useful life of the platform.
Conclusion
As this deep dive has shown, the Dell PowerEdge R630 is a truly compelling server platform that meets the needs of a wide range of IT environments. By packing immense performance, memory, and storage into an ultra-dense 1U form factor, the R630 gives you the flexibility to tackle virtually any enterprise workload.
Through the exceptional iDRAC8 management platform and global support services, Dell makes it easy to deploy and maintain R630 infrastructure. And with a thriving secondary market, the R630 can provide even greater value for the remainder of its lifecycle.
So if you‘re looking for a proven, versatile, and efficient server to power your most demanding applications, the Dell PowerEdge R630 should absolutely be on your short list. Its combination of performance, scalability, and value is hard to beat.
[^1]: "PowerEdge R630 Rack Server." Dell.com. https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/povw/poweredge-r630
[^2]: "Dell PowerEdge R630 Technical Guide." Dell.com. https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments/Shared-Content_data-Sheets_Documents/en/dell-poweredge-r630-technical-guide.pdf
[^3]: "Dell EMC PowerEdge R630 Spec Sheet." Dell.com. https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments/Product_Docs/en/poweredge-r630-spec-sheet.pdf
[^4]: "Rovia Improves Productivity and Reduces Carbon Footprint." Dell.com. https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/collaterals/unauth/customer-profiles-case-studies/products/servers/rovia-poweredge-fps-casestudy.pdf
[^5]: "PowerEdge R630 Rack Server System for SAP HANA." Dell.com. https://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/04/shared-content~data-sheets~en/documents~poweredge_r630_sap_hana_spec_sheet.pdf
[^6]: "Dell EMC PowerEdge R630." spec.org. https://www.spec.org/power_ssj2008/results/res2016q3/power_ssj2008-20160725-00734.html
[^7]: "Enterprise Support Services." Dell.com. https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/services/support-services/enterprise-support-services.htm
