Dell PowerEdge SSDs at 3.84TB, 7.68TB and 15.36TB: what the R740 and R750 lists show

7.68 TB SSD Dell: which interface each PowerEdge list carries

A search for a 7.68 TB SSD for a Dell usually starts with the capacity. Dell's technical guides start with the interface, and at this size the answer changes between the R740 and the R750. Each guide lists the SSD sizes Dell offered for that machine, by interface.

Read across the rows and three facts fall out. On an R740, 7.68TB on Dell's list means SAS. On an R750, 7.68TB can be SAS or NVMe, at Gen4 or Gen3. And 15.36TB appears only on the R750's SAS row, while 3.84TB is the largest SATA size in both guides.

Dell's NVMe table for the R740 and R740xd, Table 10, lists five 2.5-inch devices, the largest 6.4TB, so a 7.68TB NVMe drive is not on it. Dell describes these drives as Express Flash drives that use PCIe lanes to connect directly to the processor and chipset, reached through a hot-plug drive bay.

7.68TB U.2 NVMe SSDs on Amazon.co.uk

This table holds the size and form factor at the top of the R750's Gen4 NVMe row: 7.68TB, 2.5-inch U.2. It holds 2 listings right now. Prices are pounds sterling inc VAT, lowest £/TB first. Dell lists NVMe at Gen4 (U.2) and at Gen3, both to 7.68TB; the table has no PCIe generation column, so confirm it on the maker's sheet for the part number you choose.

For an R740 these rows sit outside Dell's NVMe table, which ends at 6.4TB, and the 7.68TB route on the R740 list is SAS, covered next. The full 7.68TB field across every interface is on 7.68TB SSD.

In-stock alternatives

None of these is the product this page covers: they are what is in stock on Amazon.co.uk beside it right now. Each row says why it is listed. Check the interface, form factor and part number against your system before buying.

SAS SSDs: the R740's 7.68TB route, and the R750's to 15.36TB

SAS is the interface both guides carry furthest. The R740 list takes 2.5-inch SAS SSDs to 7.68TB, with 3840GB below it; the R750 list continues past 7.68TB to 12.8TB and 15.36TB. This page has no 7.68TB SAS table; the 3.84TB SAS table below is a size on the R740's SAS row.

It holds 1 listing right now. The table's interface column says SAS without the speed, so a row may be any SAS generation. Check the maker's sheet for the part number, and the controller in your server, before you buy.

3.84 TB SSD Dell: the largest SATA size in both guides

The largest SATA SSD on both lists is 3.84TB: the R740 guide writes it as 3840GB and the R750 guide as 3.84 TB. If you want a SATA SSD for an R740, R740xd or R750, 3.84TB is the largest on its list, and this is the table to start from.

3.84TB also appears on both NVMe lists: as a 2.5-inch device in the R740 table, and in the R750's Gen4 (U.2) and Gen3 rows. NVMe and SATA drives of the same capacity are different products for different bays, so the 3.84TB size alone tells you little. 3.84TB SSD sets every 3.84TB interface side by side.

Dell 15.36 TB SSD: SAS on the R750 list, U.2 in the table

The R750 guide prints its SAS SSD row across two lines, and the second line ends at 15.36 TB. That is the only 15.36TB entry in either guide. The R750's NVMe rows stop at 7.68TB, and the R740's lists stop lower still.

The table below is 15.36TB U.2 NVMe, which is on neither list. It is here for comparison: the Dell lists name SAS at 15.36TB, not U.2. It holds 1 listing right now.

Before you order an SSD for a Dell PowerEdge

• Model. R740 or R740xd, or R750: their SSD lists differ at 7.68TB and above.
• Interface. SAS, SATA or NVMe, as your model's list carries it at the size you want.
• Form factor. Dell's R750 Gen4 NVMe row names U.2. We have not found a Dell document on U.3 drives in these bays, so a U.3 row needs checking against your backplane.
• Carrier. We have not found a Dell document on SSD carriers; confirm what the bay needs before buying a bare drive.
• Endurance. The Dell tables list capacities, not endurance classes, so take write endurance from the drive's own sheet.

No row on this page is a Dell-labelled part; every listing is sold under the drive maker's name. Dell's lists show the capacities Dell offered for each machine, which is not the same as a limit on what a drive can be. We have not found a Dell document on how a PowerEdge treats an SSD that is not on its list.