Dell PowerEdge R240 Review — Gen 14 1U Entry-Level SMB Rack Server
Versatile Performance for SMB and Service Providers
Web Hosting & E-Commerce — Delivers steady throughput for small-to-midsize websites and lightweight e-commerce platforms with room to grow
Mail Server — Reliable single-socket platform suited for hosting Microsoft Exchange or similar business email services
File & Print Services — Handles shared network storage and print queue management for offices with dozens of concurrent users
DHCP & DNS Infrastructure — Low-TDP CPU options keep infrastructure services running with minimal power draw around the clock
Surveillance & Security — Compact 1U chassis supports dense rack deployments managing IP camera feeds and access event logging
SAN Proxy Server — Single-socket performance and dual-port LOM cover lightweight SAN pass-through and proxy offloading
General Business Applications — Broad OS compatibility and flexible storage configurations support a wide range of productivity and line-of-business workloads
Up to 8-Core Intel® Xeon® E-2200 Series Processor
Intel Xeon E-2200 Family — Coffee Lake Refresh silicon with up to 8 cores and 16 threads at up to 3.7 GHz base on a single LGA1151 socket
Wide SKU Range — From Intel Celeron G4930 (2C/2T, 54 W) to Xeon E-2288G (8C/16T, 95 W) to match every budget and TDP requirement
Turbo Boost 2.0 — All Xeon E-2200 SKUs support automatic frequency scaling up to rated boost clocks when operating below thermal and power limits
Up to 2666 MT/s DDR4 — Integrated two-channel DDR4 memory controller maximizes bandwidth across all four UDIMM slots
16 PCIe Gen 3 Lanes — 20% more PCIe bandwidth vs. the E3-1200 v6 predecessor; supports RAID cards, NICs, and BOSS modules simultaneously
Intel SGX Support — Software Guard Extensions available on E-2274G, E-2276G, E-2286G, E-2288G and select E-2100 SKUs for enclave-based workload isolation
Intel VT-x / VT-d — Hardware virtualization support enables efficient guest OS management under VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM
DDR4 ECC UDIMM — Up to 64 GB at 2666 MT/s
4 DIMM Slots — Single-socket platform with four DDR4 UDIMM slots; a fully populated 4 × 16 GB configuration reaches the 64 GB maximum
ECC Only — Unbuffered ECC DDR4 corrects single-bit errors across all 72-bit channels (64 data + 8 ECC bits), protecting workload integrity
Up to 2666 MT/s — Maximum memory speed with 8 GB or 16 GB UDIMMs across all channel configurations; 11% faster than the R230's 2400 MT/s ceiling
Supported Capacities — 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB UDIMM modules supported; single-DIMM minimum configuration starts at 8 GB in slot A1
Dual-Channel Mode — Intel Flex Memory Technology enables dual-channel operation when both memory channels are populated, maximizing throughput
1.2 V Operating Voltage — DDR4 lower voltage reduces platform power draw compared to DDR3-based predecessor servers
Flexible Upgrade Path — Begin with a single DIMM and expand in-service; all four slots can be populated independently for incremental memory growth
Up to 4 × 3.5-Inch Hot-Plug or Cabled Drive Bays
Hot-Plug Configuration — 4 × 3.5-inch bays accepting SAS, SATA, Nearline SAS, and SSD drives with full hot-swap capability (SSD available in hot-plug only)
Cabled Configurations — 2 × 3.5-inch or 4 × 3.5-inch cabled SATA/Nearline SAS options for cost-sensitive deployments where hot-swap is not required
2.5-Inch Drives Supported — Optional 3.5-inch to 2.5-inch carriers allow installation of 2.5-inch SAS, SATA, and SSD drives in the hot-plug chassis
Up to 56 TB Raw Capacity — Four 3.5-inch bays populated with 14 TB NL-SAS or SATA HDDs deliver maximum dense storage in a 1U footprint
6 Gbps & 12 Gbps Drives — Both 6 Gbps SATA and 12 Gbps SAS/NL-SAS drive protocol speeds are supported across all chassis configurations
SSD Capacities — 2.5-inch SATA SSDs from 240 GB to 7.68 TB and SAS SSDs from 800 GB to 7.68 TB for high-IOPS workloads
Optional Optical Drive — One slim 9.5 mm ODD bay accepts DVD-ROM or DVD+ROM; external LTO-6, LTO-7, and LTO-8 SAS tape drives also supported
BOSS M.2 Module & Internal Dual SD Module
BOSS Card — Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem occupies one PCIe slot and provides dedicated M.2 SATA SSD media for OS boot, keeping all drive bays free for data
Dual M.2 Configuration — Two M.2 240 GB modules support RAID 1 mirrored operation or No-RAID for maximum flexibility
Single M.2 Configuration — One M.2 240 GB module operates in No-RAID only mode when full redundancy is not required
Full OS Support — BOSS supports any full operating system unlike IDSDM, which is optimized for hypervisor-only (ESXi) deployments
IDSDM — Internal Dual SD Module (optional) provides two microSD ports directly on the motherboard; supported card capacities of 8, 16, 32, and 64 GB
IDSDM RAID 1 — Both microSD cards operate in a mirrored pair; single-card mode also supported for basic boot media without redundancy
ESXi Optimized — IDSDM is the preferred boot option for VMware ESXi deployments; BOSS is recommended for Windows Server and Linux full OS installs
PERC H730P, H330, and Software RAID S140
PERC H730P — Hardware RAID controller with 2 GB NV flash cache; supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 for high-performance write-intensive workloads
PERC H330 — Entry-level hardware RAID controller supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 without an onboard cache module
PERC S140 — Next-generation software RAID built into the chipset; supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 without any add-in controller card
HBA330 Internal — Host Bus Adapter for JBOD pass-through scenarios where the OS or a software-defined storage layer manages data protection
12 Gbps SAS HBA (External) — External SAS Host Bus Adapter for connecting SAS disk shelves, tape libraries, and direct-attached storage enclosures
Improved vs. R230 — S140 replaces S130; H730P replaces H730 with NV cache; HBA330 internal adapter is new in Gen 14
6 Gbps & 12 Gbps SAS/SATA — All controller options support both SATA III and SAS-3 drives across the full mix of supported drive types
2 × PCIe Gen 3 Slots for Add-In Cards
Slot 1 — Low Profile — x8 PCIe Gen 3 slot with x4 CPU lanes; accepts half-height, half-length cards up to 68.9 mm tall and 167.65 mm long
Slot 2 — Full Height — x16 PCIe Gen 3 slot with x8 CPU lanes; accepts full-height, half-length cards up to 111.15 mm tall and 167.65 mm long
20% More PCIe Bandwidth — The Gen 14 Intel C246 platform delivers 20% more PCIe lane bandwidth than the predecessor C236-based R230
BOSS Card Placement — BOSS M.2 module occupies one PCIe slot; install it in Slot 1 (LP) to reserve Slot 2 (FH) for a PERC controller card
No GPU Output — E-2100 and E-2200 platform does not support discrete graphics output due to processor-level technical restrictions
NIC Add-In Cards — Intel I350 and Broadcom 5720/5719 dual- and quad-port 1 GbE cards available in FH or LP form factors for added network ports
12 Gbps SAS HBA — External SAS HBA occupies one slot for direct-attached SAS expansion shelves and tape library connectivity
Dual 1GbE LOM with Optional PCIe Add-In NICs
2 × Broadcom BCM5720 LOM — Integrated dual-port 1GbE network controller on the rear panel (Gb1 and Gb2) for out-of-box Ethernet connectivity
iDRAC Dedicated NIC — Separate 1GbE management port reserved exclusively for iDRAC9 out-of-band access; does not share bandwidth with host LOM ports
10/100/1000 Mbps Auto-Sensing — Both LOM ports support full auto-negotiation at all three Ethernet speeds for legacy and modern switch compatibility
Optional Dual-Port 1GbE NIC — Intel I350 DP or Broadcom BCM5720 DP add-in cards available in both full-height and low-profile form factors
Optional Quad-Port 1GbE NIC — Intel I350 QP or Broadcom BCM5719 QP for environments requiring four additional host network ports
PCIe Gen 3 Bandwidth — Network add-in cards connected via x4 or x8 PCIe Gen 3 lanes running at up to 8 GT/s transfer rate
SMB-Ready Stack — Dual 1GbE LOM covers all typical SMB and service provider bandwidth requirements without requiring an additional NIC card
250 W Bronze or 450 W Platinum Cabled PSU
250 W Bronze PSU — Cabled AC power supply rated at 100–240 V autoranging; ideal for low-TDP Celeron, Pentium, and entry Xeon configurations (max 1039 BTU/hr)
450 W Platinum PSU — High-efficiency Platinum-rated cabled supply for E-2288G maxed-out configurations with full drives and PCIe cards installed (max 1725 BTU/hr)
BIST Diagnostics — Built-in Self Test button and LED on the rear panel allow no-boot PSU testing without removing system covers
Cabled Design — Fixed cable routing optimized for compact 1U chassis; non-redundant single-PSU architecture keeps cost and footprint low
Wide Voltage Range — Autoranging 100–240 V AC at 50/60 Hz supports worldwide power infrastructure without requiring a voltage selector switch
80 PLUS Efficiency Ratings — Bronze (250 W) and Platinum (450 W) ratings reduce excess heat generation and lower total cost of ownership over time
Right-Sized Power Selection — 250 W suits E-2224, Pentium, and Celeron processors; 450 W covers E-2288G with four 3.5-inch HDDs fully loaded
Multi-Vector Cooling for Quiet, Efficient Airflow
Multi-Vector Cooling — Dell's thermal algorithm automatically calculates and delivers the optimal airflow profile for every hardware configuration
3–4 Non-Redundant Fans — Fan count scales with drive count: 2-drive cabled chassis uses 2 × 40 mm fans; 4-drive hot-plug chassis uses 4 × 40 mm fans
Closed-Loop Control — Temperature sensors on the CPU, chipset, and drive backplane feed real-time data to the fan speed controller for dynamic adjustment
Open-Loop Baseline — System configuration inventory pre-sets a baseline fan speed for detected hardware before sensor feedback begins
DAPC Default Profile — Power Optimized thermal mode (Dell Active Power Controller) keeps acoustics low during typical workloads
Office-Capable Acoustics — Minimum configuration operates at only 39–40 dBA at 25 °C; suitable for attended or near-office rack environments
10–35 °C Operating Range — Standard operation certified up to 3048 m altitude; expanded range to 40 °C with appropriate hardware configuration limits
Comprehensive Front and Rear Port Layout
Front USB — 1 × USB 2.0 port for local management media; 1 × iDRAC Direct Micro USB 2.0 port for at-the-server diagnostics and console access
Rear USB — 2 × USB 3.0 ports for external storage, OS installation media, or peripheral dongles; USB 3.0 provides 5 Gbps transfer bandwidth
Internal USB — 1 × USB 3.0 internal header for boot drives, licensing dongles, or system management USB keys housed inside the chassis
VGA Display Port — 1 × VGA port on the rear panel; integrated Matrox G200 with 16 MB frame buffer supports up to 1280 × 1024 resolution
Serial Console Port — 1 × DB-9 serial port on the rear panel for legacy serial console access, BIOS configuration, and headless terminal sessions
NIC & Management Ports — 2 × RJ-45 1GbE LOM ports (Gb1, Gb2) and 1 × dedicated iDRAC9 RJ-45 NIC port on the rear panel
PCIe Add-In I/O — Half-height LP and full-height FH PCIe slots expose add-in card ports at the rear of the chassis for NICs, HBAs, and RAID controllers
End-to-End Cyber Resilient Security Architecture
Silicon Root of Trust — Cryptographic fingerprint burned into the iDRAC9 chip validates every firmware component from power-on before the OS loads
Cryptographically Signed Firmware — All Dell firmware packages carry a certificate; any tampered or unsigned package is rejected at installation time
Secure Boot — UEFI Secure Boot prevents unauthorized or unsigned operating system bootloaders and kernel code from executing
TPM 1.2 / TPM 2.0 — Optional Trusted Platform Module provides hardware-rooted key storage for BitLocker, Intel TXT, and attestation workloads
iDRAC9 Server Lockdown — Prevents unauthorized firmware, BIOS setting, or hardware configuration changes during runtime (requires iDRAC Enterprise or Datacenter license)
System Erase — Wipes all storage media including NAND flash, HDDs, and SSDs to cryptographic erasure standards before asset decommissioning or resale
Chassis Intrusion Switch — Hardware switch logs and alerts on unauthorized chassis opening events through iDRAC9 hardware inventory and event log
iDRAC9 Out-of-Band Management with Lifecycle Controller 3.0
iDRAC9 Embedded Controller — Dedicated management processor with its own NIC, power rail, and firmware; operates fully independent of the host OS
Lifecycle Controller 3.0 — Agent-free provisioning, firmware updates, configuration backup, and OS deployment—all accessible without a running OS
OpenManage Enterprise — One-to-many console for policy-based fleet management, hardware inventory, monitoring, and alerting across all PowerEdge generations
OpenManage Mobile — Manage the R240 remotely from iOS or Android devices using the OpenManage Mobile app with OpenManage Enterprise integration
iDRAC RESTful API with Redfish — Standards-based REST/JSON API supports scripting and infrastructure automation via Ansible Modules, Python, and PowerShell
VFlash (Optional) — Virtual flash memory module extends iDRAC9 media storage for OS images, configuration archives, and diagnostic tools
SupportAssist Integration — Automated case creation, predictive failure alerting, and up to 72% reduction in IT effort resolving server hardware issues
Windows, Linux, VMware & Citrix Hypervisor Support
Windows Server 2019 — Certified for Standard and Essentials editions with Hyper-V; supports Windows Admin Center for modern browser-based management
Windows Server 2016 — Fully supported with Hyper-V Standard and Essentials for environments standardized on the 2016 platform
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5 — RHEL 7.5 certified for mission-critical workloads requiring long-term platform support and enterprise-grade kernel stability
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 — SLES 15 supported for file/print, SAP, and SUSE-standardized customer environments
Ubuntu Server 18.04.1 LTS — Open-source option for developer teams and lightweight cloud-native services running on bare-metal Ubuntu
VMware ESXi 6.5 / 6.7 — Certified for both ESXi releases; integrates with vCenter and Dell OpenManage Integration for VMware vCenter (OMIVV)
Citrix XenServer 7.1 — Hypervisor support for virtual desktop infrastructure and hosted application delivery environments
ReadyRails™ Tool-Less Mounting for Standard Racks
ReadyRails Static Rails — Included for tool-less sliding installation in 4-post racks with square or unthreaded round holes; no cage nuts or screws required
Tooled Mounting Support — Supports screw-in installation in 4-post threaded racks and 2-post (Telco) racks for maximum mounting flexibility
1U Compact Profile — 42.8 mm chassis height occupies a single rack unit; chassis depth of 573.6 mm (22.58 in.) fits standard 1000 mm rack enclosures
CMA Connector — Rear panel system status indicator port accepts an optional Cable Management Arm for organized cable routing
Maximum Weight — System weighs up to 12.2 kg (26.89 lb.) with four 3.5-inch drives and full memory population; well within standard rail load ratings
Rail Kit Documentation — Complete installation guides and rack compatibility matrices available at dell.com/poweredgemanuals
Standard 19-Inch Racks — Certified for use in standard 19-inch four-post rack enclosures per Dell EMC rack integration standards
R240 vs R230 — 100% More Cores, Faster DDR4, and iDRAC9
100% More Cores — The R240 delivers up to 8 cores vs. 4 cores on the R230, doubling threaded compute capacity for the same 1U footprint
11% Faster Memory — DDR4 speed increases from 2400 MT/s (R230) to 2666 MT/s (R240), improving bandwidth-sensitive workload performance
20% More PCIe Bandwidth — Intel C246 platform versus C236 delivers more PCIe Gen 3 bandwidth for faster NIC, RAID, and HBA throughput
iDRAC9 vs iDRAC8 — iDRAC9 adds Silicon Root of Trust, Redfish API, faster inventory, server lockdown, and system erase capabilities not present in iDRAC8
BOSS Boot Storage — R240 introduces the BOSS M.2 module for dedicated OS boot media; R230 had no equivalent, requiring a drive bay for OS installation
HBA330 & S140 RAID — R240 adds HBA330 internal adapter and upgrades S130 software RAID to S140 with RAID 5 support
Optional 450 W Platinum PSU — R230 only offered 250 W Bronze; R240 adds a Platinum-rated 450 W option for high-wattage CPU and full drive configurations
| Feature | R230 (Gen 13) | R240 (Gen 14) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Family | Xeon E3-1200 v6 (up to 4C) | Xeon E-2100/E-2200 (up to 8C) |
| Max Cores | 4 cores | 8 cores (+100%) |
| L3 Cache | Up to 8 MB | Up to 12 MB |
| Chipset | Intel C236 | Intel C246 |
| Memory Speed | Up to 2400 MT/s | Up to 2666 MT/s (+11%) |
| RAID Options | S130, H330, H730 | S140, H330, H730P, HBA330 |
| Boot Storage | Not supported | BOSS M.2 240 GB |
| Management | iDRAC8 Express / Enterprise | iDRAC9 Express / Enterprise |
| PSU Options | 250 W Bronze only | 250 W Bronze or 450 W Platinum |
| Form Factor | 1U Rack | 1U Rack |
ProSupport Plus for Maximum Business-Critical Uptime
ProSupport Plus — Dell's most comprehensive service plan includes 24×7 proactive monitoring, predictive failure alerting, and priority access to senior engineers
SupportAssist Automation — Automated diagnostics and case creation reduce IT effort by up to 72% compared to manual troubleshooting under Basic Warranty
ProSupport — Hardware support with 24×7 phone availability and on-site next-business-day or next-day dispatch service options for standard SLA requirements
ProDeploy Enterprise Suite — Advanced deployment with BIOS, OS, and application configuration; options range from Basic Deployment to ProDeploy Plus
Residency Services — Embedded Dell engineers available for extended on-site engagement covering configuration, optimization, and knowledge transfer
Remote Consulting Services — Expert remote guidance for data migration, configuration review, and infrastructure planning projects
Dell Education Services — Instructor-led and self-paced online training covering iDRAC9 administration, OpenManage Enterprise, and PowerEdge lifecycle management
Frequently Asked Questions — Dell PowerEdge R240
The Dell PowerEdge R240 supports up to 64 GB of DDR4 ECC UDIMM RAM across 4 DIMM slots, using 4 × 16 GB modules at speeds up to 2666 MT/s. It supports ECC UDIMMs only — not RDIMMs or LRDIMMs — in 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB capacities. Dual-channel operation activates when both memory channels are populated for maximum throughput. Configure your R240 memory at ECS.
The Dell PowerEdge R240 holds up to four 3.5-inch hot-plug drives (SAS, SATA, NL-SAS, or SSD) in the hot-plug chassis configuration, or 2 or 4 cabled 3.5-inch SATA/NL-SAS drives in the non-hot-plug versions. Four bays populated with 14 TB NL-SAS or SATA HDDs deliver up to 56 TB raw capacity in a 1U footprint. The BOSS M.2 module provides a separate dedicated OS boot drive, keeping all four data bays free for workload storage.
The Dell PowerEdge R240 supports Intel Xeon E-2100 and E-2200 series processors in a single LGA 1151 socket — up to 8 cores and 16 threads with the Xeon E-2288G (3.7 GHz, 8C/16T, up to 5.0 GHz Turbo, 95 W). It also accepts Intel Core i3 and Intel Pentium processors for the most cost-sensitive deployments. The Intel C246 chipset platform delivers PCIe Gen 3 expansion and full support for ECC UDIMMs across all CPU options.
Yes. Express Computer Systems stocks professionally reconditioned refurbished Dell PowerEdge R240 servers tested, cleaned, and configured to your exact CPU, memory, and storage specifications — ready to deploy for edge computing, branch office, or SMB workloads at significant cost savings versus new. Shop refurbished Dell R240 servers at ECS.
The Dell PowerEdge R240 (Gen 14) upgrades the R230 (Gen 13) with 100% more CPU cores (up to 8 vs 4), 11% faster DDR4 memory at 2666 MT/s vs 2400 MT/s, iDRAC9 replacing iDRAC8 (adding Silicon Root of Trust, Redfish API, and system lockdown), a dedicated BOSS M.2 boot module absent on the R230, the new HBA330 internal adapter, software RAID upgraded from S130 to S140 with RAID 5 support, and an optional 450 W Platinum PSU replacing the R230’s 250 W Bronze-only configuration — all within the same 1U rack chassis.
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