PowerEdge R720 Server
The Dell PowerEdge R720 is Dell's 12th-generation 2U workhorse: two Xeon E5-2600 v1/v2 sockets, 24 DIMM slots, and cheap, plentiful parts — a proven budget platform for labs and non-critical workloads.
Dell PowerEdge R720 & R720xd — Refurbished & Custom-Built
The Dell PowerEdge R720 (commonly shortened to Dell R720) is the 12th-generation dual-socket 2U that became the go-to budget server for homelabs, storage builds, and cost-conscious businesses — and its storage-dense twin, the R720xd, pushes drive capacity to 26 bays. PC Server & Parts configures both to order, burn-in tests every build, and backs each with a free 1-year warranty. Browse all Dell servers or the full refurbished server lineup.
Dell R720 / R720xd Specs at a Glance
| Form factor | 2U rack server (R720xd: storage-optimized) |
|---|---|
| Processors | 2× Intel Xeon E5-2600 / E5-2600 v2, up to 12 cores each |
| Memory | 24 DIMM slots, DDR3-1866 — up to 768 GB |
| Drive bays (R720) | 16× 2.5″ SFF or 8× 3.5″ LFF |
| Drive bays (R720xd) | Up to 26× 2.5″ (24 front + 2 rear) or 12× 3.5″ + 2× 2.5″ rear |
| Storage controllers | PERC H310 / H710 / H710P — RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60 |
| Management | iDRAC7 with Lifecycle Controller |
| Generation / released | Dell 12G, launched 2012 |
Choose Your Dell R720 or R720xd Chassis
- R720 8 Bay SFF (2.5″)
- R720 8 Bay LFF (3.5″)
- R720 16 Bay SFF
- R720xd 12 Bay LFF (3.5″)
- R720xd 12 Bay LFF + 2× Rear Flexbay
- R720xd 26 Bay SFF
Each chassis opens a Build-Your-Own configurator for CPUs, memory, drives, and networking; we assemble and load-test the build before it ships. 12th-gen stock moves fast — anything showing sold out can still be built to order, just request a quote.
What the Dell R720 Is Best At
The R720 earned its reputation as the homelab and budget-storage king: Proxmox virtualization hosts, TrueNAS and media-server builds on the R720xd’s 3.5″ bays, backup targets, and dev/test machines — a real dual-socket enterprise platform with proper out-of-band management for the price of a desktop. Fair warning from the people who refurbish them: it is a DDR3-era box, so power draw per unit of work is higher than 13th/14th-gen, and current VMware releases no longer support these CPUs — Proxmox, TrueNAS, and Linux run happily.
Dell R720 vs Related Models
- Dell R730 — the 13th-gen successor: DDR4 memory, E5-2600 v3/v4 CPUs, longer software runway.
- Dell R730xd — the next-gen storage twin: up to 26 bays on the DDR4 platform.
- Dell R620 — the 1U 12th-gen sibling: the same CPUs and DIMM count in half the rack space.
Why Buy a Refurbished Dell R720 from PCSP
We have refurbished PowerEdge hardware in Michigan for 17+ years. Every R720 and R720xd is cleaned, firmware-updated, and burn-in tested with your drives installed and verified — not just wiped and boxed. Shipping is free in the contiguous US, the 1-year warranty is included even at entry prices, and multi-unit orders get volume pricing.
Dell PowerEdge R720 Manuals and Resources
- Dell PowerEdge R720 Cable Management Arm Installation.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge R720 Getting Started Guide.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge R720 Owner's Manual.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge R720 Technical Guide.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge Rack Installation - Sliding Rails.pdf
- Intel 320 series SSD User's information for Dell PowerEdge Products.pdf
- Micron P400m Series SATA SSD for Dell PowerEdge Products.pdf
- Update your hardware using Dell OpenManage Essentials.pdf
- Updating Bios on the Dell PowerEdge Gen12 Servers.pdf
Dell PowerEdge R720xd Manuals
- Dell PowerEdge R720XD Spec Sheet.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge R720XD Systems Owner's Manual.pdf
- Dell PowerEdge R720XD Technical Guide.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the R720 and R720xd?
Drive capacity. The standard R720 holds 16× 2.5″ or 8× 3.5″ drives and keeps more room for PCIe cards; the R720xd trades that flexibility for up to 26× 2.5″ bays, or 12× 3.5″ up front plus two rear 2.5″ bays for boot or cache SSDs. CPUs, memory, and controllers are otherwise the same platform.
Is the Dell R720 good for a homelab in 2026?
It is still one of the best price-to-capability homelab servers: cheap DDR3 memory, plentiful spare parts, iDRAC7 remote management, and quiet-enough fans once idle. Budget for the power bill — it draws more per VM than newer generations — and plan around Proxmox or TrueNAS, since current VMware ESXi releases no longer support 12th-gen CPUs.
What CPUs and memory does the R720 support?
Two sockets for Intel Xeon E5-2600 or E5-2600 v2 processors, up to 12 cores each (24 cores total with a pair of E5-2697 v2). Memory tops out at 768 GB across 24 DDR3 slots; the sweet spot for most builds is dual E5-2650 v2 or E5-2680 v2 with 128–256 GB.
How is a refurbished Dell R720 covered if something fails?
All Dell R720 builds include PCSP’s free 1-year warranty — covered failures are repaired or replaced with parts, labor, and shipping included. You can extend coverage to up to 5 years at checkout, and on-site service plans are offered for production deployments.
Can I customize my Dell R720 configuration?
Yes. Pick any Dell R720 or R720xd chassis above and use the Build-Your-Own configurator to choose CPUs, memory, drives, RAID controller, NICs, and rails — we assemble and burn-in test the exact build before it ships. If the configuration you need isn’t listed, request a quote and our team will spec and source it.