Dell PowerEdge R260 Specs and Features
Meet the PowerEdge R260 — Short-Depth 1U Built for SMB and Near-Edge
Newly designed short-depth 1U rack server — only 17 inches deep (461 mm without bezel), engineered for tight spaces and shallow racks
1.68-inch tall (42.8 mm) — fits any standard 1U rack slot while maximizing per-U density
Tailored for SMB and Near-Edge customers who need affordable enterprise reliability without a full data center footprint
Features the latest Intel Xeon E-2400 series processors and DDR5 ECC UDIMM memory for a meaningful performance leap over Gen 15
Filter bezel option shields internal components from dust and grease — ideal for warehouses, retail floors, and harsh near-edge environments
Energy Star 4.0 certified PSU — built for lowest possible operational energy consumption
Enterprise-grade iDRAC9 management, Silicon Root of Trust security, and full lifecycle support at a competitive SMB price point
Chassis: 42.8 mm H × 482 mm W × 461 mm D (1U); max weight 12.5 kg — fits standard EIA 19" racks and shallow enclosures
Engineered for Real-World SMB and Near-Edge Workloads
Mailing and messaging — reliable always-on email and collaboration services at the edge without a dedicated data center
Data analytics — process business intelligence reports and dashboards at the branch or near-edge node
Traditional business applications — ERP, CRM, accounting, and line-of-business software on a right-sized compact chassis
Non-data center deployments — warehouses, retail offices, desks, shelves, and closets benefit from the short depth and optional filter bezel
Near-Edge applications — 461 mm depth fits shallow racks and telecom-style enclosures where full-depth servers cannot
Virtualization — host multiple VMs on a single compact 1U chassis with up to 8 cores and 128 GB DDR5
Near-Edge / Warehouse
Retail / Branch Office
Data Analytics
Messaging & Mail
Virtualization
Business Apps
Intel Xeon E-2400 Series — Raptor Lake-E for SMB Performance
Intel Xeon E-2400 series (Raptor Lake-E) — Socket V0 (LGA-1700), up to 8 cores and 95 W max TDP, optimized for single-socket entry-level server workloads
16 PCIe Gen5 lanes @ 32 GT/s + 4 PCIe Gen4 lanes @ 16 GT/s integrated on-die — modern I/O bandwidth in a compact form factor
Intel Pentium G7400 / G7400T option — 2-core, 46 W TDP for ultra-low-power deployments where compute demand is minimal
Single-socket design — purpose-focused performance tuned for the SMB and near-edge workloads the R260 is built for
Cryptographically signed firmware — processor-level boot security verified from silicon up, consistent with Dell's Cyber Resilient Architecture
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Key processor options:
Xeon E-2478 — 8 cores / 2.8 GHz base / 5.0 GHz turbo / 65 W
Xeon E-2488 — 8 cores / 3.2 GHz base / 5.6 GHz turbo / 95 W
Xeon E-2456 — 6 cores / 3.3 GHz base / 5.1 GHz turbo / 80 W
Xeon E-2436 — 6 cores / 2.9 GHz base / 5.1 GHz turbo / 65 W
Pentium G7400 — 2 cores / 3.7 GHz / 46 W (ultra-low-power option)
DDR5 ECC UDIMM — Up to 128 GB at 4400 MT/s
4 DDR5 DIMM slots — up to 128 GB maximum memory using 32 GB UDIMMs
Speeds up to 4400 MT/s — DDR5 delivers significantly higher bandwidth than the R250's DDR4 at 3200 MT/s
Unregistered ECC DDR5 UDIMMs only — error-correcting code memory prevents memory-related corruption and unplanned downtime
ECC protection — single-bit errors corrected in-flight; double-bit errors detected — critical for always-on business applications
Operates at 5600 MT/s specification but limited to 4400 MT/s by the Intel Xeon E-2400 memory controller for validated stability
Major bandwidth upgrade from the R250's DDR4 platform — workloads that are memory-bound see immediate throughput gains
Flexible Storage for Every Workload — Up to 46 TB in 1U
Up to 6 x 2.5-inch hot-plug SAS/SATA front bays — max 46.08 TB raw capacity in the 6-bay configuration
Up to 2 x 3.5-inch cabled SAS/SATA front bays — max 32 TB for bulk storage in the 2-bay configuration
PERC H355 (Value) — 12 Gb SAS, no cache, RAID 0/1/10; cost-effective protection for non-performance-critical pools
PERC H755 (Performance) — 12 Gb SAS, 8 GB NV-backed cache, RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60; write-back performance without battery risk
HBA355i Adpt (Pass-Through) — 12 Gb SAS, no RAID; passes drives directly to OS for software-defined storage or JBOD
HBA355e Adpt (External HBA) — connects external SAS storage arrays for capacity expansion beyond internal bays
Software RAID S160 — PCIe-based software RAID 0/1/5/10 for Windows Server deployments without hardware RAID cost
Supports SAS, SATA HDD, SATA SSD, and NVMe drives — mix and match based on workload tiers
BOSS-N1 — Dedicated NVMe Boot Module for Clean OS Separation
BOSS-N1 (Boot Optimized Storage Subsystem) — hardware RAID-1 with 2 x M.2 NVMe SSDs for dedicated OS boot, completely separated from data storage
Frees all front drive bays 100% for application data — no wasted front-bay slots for the OS
Hardware RAID 1 mirroring — single NVMe SSD failure does not interrupt server operation; OS continues running on the surviving mirror
Internal USB 3.0 boot option also available for lightweight hypervisor boot media when BOSS-N1 is not required
Major upgrade from R250's BOSS-S1 — NVMe (PCIe) replaces SATA M.2 for significantly faster OS boot times and improved write endurance
Supports all major OS installations: Windows Server, RHEL, SLES, Ubuntu Server, and VMware ESXi
PCIe Gen4 Expansion — 2 Slots in a Short-Depth 1U Chassis
2 PCIe Gen4 expansion slots via the riser card — full Gen4 bandwidth in a compact 1U short-depth chassis
Slot 1: x8 bandwidth (x8 physical) — Half Length, Low Profile; supports NICs, additional HBAs, or accelerators within TDP limits
Slot 2: x8 bandwidth (x16 physical) — Half Length, Low Profile; accommodates dual-width or longer LP cards
PCIe Gen4 doubles bandwidth vs Gen3 (16 GT/s vs 8 GT/s) — future-ready I/O performance for 10/25 GbE NICs and NVMe HBAs
Riser available in over and under configurations for flexible rear-panel cabling layouts
Supports additional NIC cards, HBAs, and GPU accelerators where TDP and configuration restrictions permit
Embedded GbE LOM Plus PCIe NIC Expansion
2 x 1 GbE LOM (LAN on Motherboard) powered by Broadcom BCM5720 — dual onboard Ethernet for management and data plane traffic without consuming a PCIe slot
Dedicated iDRAC Ethernet port on the rear panel — fully isolated out-of-band management network for iDRAC9 access regardless of OS state or power cycling
PCIe Gen4 expansion slots support 10 GbE, 25 GbE, and higher NICs — upgrade bandwidth as workload requirements grow without replacing the server
Supports VLAN tagging, link aggregation (LACP), and QoS configuration — enterprise networking features on an SMB-class platform
Network boot (PXE) supported across all NIC configurations — enables automated OS deployment and imaging at scale
iSCSI boot and NVMe-oF supported via additional PCIe NIC cards for software-defined storage connectivity
450 W Platinum & 700 W Titanium — Efficient Power in a Compact Form
450 W Platinum PSU — 100–240 VAC, cabled, non-redundant; right-sized for standard Xeon E-2400 configurations
700 W Titanium PSU — 200–240 VAC or 240 VDC, non-cabled, non-redundant; highest PSU efficiency class available (>96% at 50% load)
New 60 mm PSU form factor — more compact than the previous generation, contributing to the R260's industry-leading short depth
Energy Star 4.0 certified — meets the strictest energy efficiency guidelines for enterprise computing hardware
DC power input option (700 W model) — ideal for telecom, edge, and DC-plant deployments with negative-rail DC power infrastructure
Cabled PSU reduces overall system depth to just 426.6 mm (16.8 inches) — enabling ultra-shallow rack cabinet deployments
Platinum efficiency: ≥93% at 20% load / ≥94% at 50% load; Titanium efficiency: ≥94% at 20% load / ≥96% at 50% load
Smart Airflow & Acoustic Performance — Office-Ready Cooling
Up to 5 Standard (STD) cabled fans plus 1 optional High Performance (HPR) fan — fan count scales with drive configuration and installed components
All fans are cabled — simpler serviceability and replacement compared to hot-plug fan modules in larger servers
iDRAC9-controlled dynamic fan speed — automatically adjusts RPM based on real-time workload and component temperature telemetry
Optional filter bezel shields internal components from dust and grease — critical for non-data center environments like warehouses, factories, and retail floors
Filter bezel maintains unobstructed airflow through a washable filter media — reduces cleaning cycles and extends component life
Optimized acoustic profile — suitable for office and near-edge environments without a dedicated cold aisle or raised floor
Ambient operating range: 10–35°C (ASHRAE A2); expanded range available depending on processor and configuration selections
Front, Rear & Internal Ports — Complete Access at Every Point
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Front panel ports:
1 x iDRAC Direct (Micro-AB USB 2.0) — direct laptop-to-server management connection via USB cable, no network required
1 x USB 2.0 — peripheral and media connectivity from the front bezel
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Rear panel ports:
1 x Dedicated iDRAC Ethernet — isolated out-of-band management, always accessible regardless of OS state
1 x USB 2.0 — rear-mounted USB for OS installation media and peripheral use
1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 — high-speed rear USB for log collection, external media, and backup
1 x VGA — rear console output for local KVM access without a crash cart
1 x Serial port — legacy console access for specialized network and storage appliance deployments
Internal port: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 — for internal USB boot media or hardware security keys without consuming a front or rear port
Cyber Resilient Architecture — Silicon Root of Trust to Zero Trust Operations
Silicon Root of Trust — hardware-anchored cryptographic boot verification; security anchored in the silicon at manufacturing, not bolted on after
Cryptographically signed firmware — every firmware update is digitally signed and verified before execution; tampered firmware is rejected
Secure Boot — UEFI Secure Boot blocks unauthorized OS loaders and rootkits at system startup
TPM 2.0 — FIPS 140-2 and CC-TCG certified; supports BitLocker, disk encryption key storage, and hardware attestation; China NationZ TPM 2.0 also available
Data at Rest Encryption (D@RE) — Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) with local iDRAC key management or external Enterprise Key Management (SEKM)
Secure Erase — cryptographic erasure and media sanitization compliant with NIST 800-88 for responsible hardware decommissioning
Secured Component Verification (SCV) — hardware integrity check from factory to site; confirms exactly what components arrived in the server
System Lockdown + MFA — prevents unauthorized configuration changes; requires iDRAC9 Enterprise or Datacenter license
Secured-Core Server — Microsoft's highest hardware security certification level for Windows Server deployments
iDRAC9 + OpenManage — Full Lifecycle Control from Any Location
iDRAC9 embedded in every server — always-on remote access controller, ready to manage, update, and troubleshoot before an OS is installed
iDRAC RESTful API with Redfish — industry-standard API for scripting, orchestration, and CI/CD pipeline integration (Ansible, Terraform, ServiceNow)
iDRAC Direct — front Micro-USB port lets a technician manage the server directly from a laptop with no network connection required
Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) — automatically configures newly connected servers from a centralized profile repository when DHCP is available
OpenManage Enterprise — one-to-many console for monitoring, updating, and managing entire fleets of PowerEdge servers from a single pane of glass
OpenManage Mobile — manage and monitor servers from a smartphone; ideal for near-edge deployments without on-site IT staff
Third-party integrations: VMware vCenter, Microsoft System Center, Red Hat Ansible, Terraform, BMC TrueSight, ServiceNow
Lifecycle Controller 3.x — embedded firmware management, bare-metal OS deployment, and rollback without external management software
Broad OS & Hypervisor Ecosystem — Certified for Your Environment
Microsoft Windows Server with Hyper-V — full WHQL certification; ideal for SMB Windows workloads, Active Directory, SQL Server Express, and Exchange
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) — Tier-1 certified support with standard and realtime kernels; runs containerized workloads and OpenShift at the edge
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) — enterprise Linux with long-term support for SAP and business-critical applications
Canonical Ubuntu Server LTS — certified for long-term support releases; well-suited for DevOps, Kubernetes, and cloud-native workloads
VMware ESXi — industry-standard bare-metal hypervisor; run multiple VMs on the R260's 8-core/128 GB platform
OEM-Ready — from bezel to BIOS to packaging, the R260 can be branded and configured as an OEM solution for resellers and white-label deployments
For the full interoperability matrix and certified driver versions, see dell.com/ossupport
Short-Depth Rack Integration — Fits Where Others Cannot
Standard 1U rack form factor — fits all standard 19-inch EIA rack enclosures at 42.8 mm (1.68 inches) height
Short-depth chassis: 461 mm without bezel — deploys in shallow racks, network closets, and on-premise cabinets inaccessible to full-depth servers
With cabled PSU: depth shrinks to 426.6 mm (16.8 inches) — works in ultra-shallow telecom enclosures and branch office racks
Compatible with Dell ReadyRails sliding rail systems — toolless installation and cable management for rapid deployment
Optional Cable Management Arm (CMA) for organized rear cabling — reduces cable tangling during service and server access
Width: 482.0 mm (18.97 inches) — standard EIA rack width compliant; no custom adapters required
Maximum rack density: at 1U height with short depth, more R260s fit per cabinet than any comparable entry-level 1U server
R260 vs. R250 — Why This Gen 16 Upgrade Pays Off
Processor generation leap — Intel Xeon E-2400 (Raptor Lake-E) vs. E-2300 (Rocket Lake-E); more cores, higher turbo clocks, and faster memory controller
DDR5 vs. DDR4 — 4400 MT/s DDR5 replaces 3200 MT/s DDR4, delivering significantly more memory bandwidth for analytics and VM workloads
BOSS-N1 replaces BOSS-S1 — M.2 NVMe boot replaces M.2 SATA for faster OS boot times and improved write endurance
More hot-plug drive bays — up to 6 x 2.5" hot-plug vs. the R250's maximum 4 x 3.5" cabled; add drives without powering down
Energy Star 4.0 / Titanium PSU — Gen 15 had Bronze/Platinum options; R260's Titanium PSU reaches >96% efficiency vs. Platinum's 94%
Shorter chassis depth — 461 mm vs. the R250's 585 mm (23.02"); the R260 fits in enclosures the R250 physically cannot
Software RAID upgrades to S160 — PCIe-based S160 replaces S150 for improved NVMe RAID options in Windows Server
| Feature | R250 (Gen 15) | R260 (Gen 16) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Xeon E-2300 (Rocket Lake-E) | Intel Xeon E-2400 (Raptor Lake-E) |
| Memory Type | DDR4, max 3200 MT/s | DDR5, max 4400 MT/s |
| Boot Module | BOSS-S1 (M.2 SATA) | BOSS-N1 (M.2 NVMe) |
| Drive Bays | Up to 4 x 3.5" cabled | Up to 6 x 2.5" hot-plug (46 TB) |
| PSU Efficiency | Bronze / Platinum | Platinum / Titanium (Energy Star 4.0) |
| Chassis Depth | 585 mm (23.02") | 461 mm (18.15") — significantly shorter |
| Software RAID | S150 | S160 (PCIe NVMe support) |
Dell ProSupport & ProDeploy — World-Class Support Wherever You Are
ProSupport Infrastructure Suite — 24/7 access to Dell engineers in 170+ countries; next-business-day on-site parts and labor
ProDeploy Basic — hardware installation and cabling by Dell technicians with firmware updates during standard business hours
ProDeploy — hardware installation plus OS/software configuration using Dell's certified deployment engineers; ideal for remote and near-edge sites
ProDeploy Plus — in-region or on-site resources for complex deployments, including post-deployment assistance and training credits
ProDeploy Factory Configuration — custom OS images, system settings, and asset tagging completed before shipping for volume rollouts
Dell Residency Services — embedded Dell experts work alongside your IT team for knowledge transfer and day-to-day operational support
APEX Flex on Demand — consume-as-you-go payment model that scales payments to actual usage, reducing upfront capital commitment for cash-constrained SMBs
DAY 2 Automation Services — Red Hat Ansible playbooks and automation frameworks for ongoing server operations and configuration management
Built Responsibly — Runs Efficiently — Retires Cleanly
Energy Star 4.0 certified PSU — designed for the lowest possible operational energy consumption at every load level
Titanium-rated PSU efficiency: >96% at 50% load — less waste heat, lower electricity bills, and reduced cooling infrastructure requirements
iDRAC Power Manager — tracks and optimizes energy consumption across your entire PowerEdge fleet from a single console
Recycled materials used in products and packaging across the PowerEdge portfolio — reduced environmental footprint from manufacture
Short-depth chassis reduces material usage vs. full-depth 1U alternatives — less metal, less shipping weight, smaller carbon footprint in delivery
Dell Technologies Asset Recovery Services — responsible hardware recycling, secure data destruction, and refurbishment for decommissioned servers
Part of Dell's commitment to Net Zero carbon goals across the full product lifecycle from manufacturing to end-of-life recovery
Frequently Asked Questions — Dell PowerEdge R260
The Dell PowerEdge R260 supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 ECC memory across 4 DIMM slots at up to 4400 MT/s — the first entry-class Dell rack server to support DDR5, delivering roughly 50% more memory bandwidth than the DDR4-based R250 it replaces.
The R260 supports up to 6 × 2.5-inch SFF drives or 2 × 3.5-inch LFF drives. NVMe hot-plug options and a BOSS-N1 M.2 bootflash module allow all data bays to serve workload storage.
The R260 uses a single-socket LGA1700 platform (Socket V0) supporting Intel Xeon E-2400 series processors (Raptor Lake-E) with up to 8 cores and 16 threads, plus PCIe Gen 5.0 — doubling bus bandwidth once more over the PCIe Gen 4 platform in the predecessor R250.
Yes. Express Computer Systems stocks professionally reconditioned Dell PowerEdge R260 rack servers ready to deploy at ECS-grade testing standards. Configure a refurbished Dell R260 at ECS.
The R260 (Gen 16) succeeds the R250 (Gen 15) with Intel Xeon E-2400 vs E-2300, DDR5 vs DDR4 (roughly 50% more bandwidth), PCIe Gen 5.0 vs Gen 4.0, and a new BOSS-N1 NVMe bootflash module replacing the R250's BOSS-S1 SATA module — all in a significantly shorter 461 mm chassis vs 585 mm.
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