Dell PowerEdge R740 — Refurbished & Custom-Built
The Dell PowerEdge R740 (Dell R740) is a 2U, two-socket rack server from Dell’s 14th generation (launched 2017) — the most popular 2U of its era and one of the best price-to-performance buys on the refurbished market today. PC Server & Parts stocks the R740 and its storage-heavy R740xd / R740xd2 variants as Build-Your-Own configurations: choose CPUs, RAM, and drives, and we assemble and burn-in test the server before shipping with a free 1-year warranty. Browse all Dell servers or read our guide to buying a used server.
Dell R740 Specs at a Glance
| Form factor | 2U rack server |
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| Processors | 2× 1st/2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable, up to 28 cores each |
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| Memory | 24 DIMM slots, DDR4-2933 — up to 3 TB |
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| Drive bays | R740: up to 16× 2.5″ or 8× 3.5″ · R740xd: up to 32× 2.5″ / 18× 3.5″ mixed · R740xd2: up to 26× 3.5″ |
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| Storage controllers | PERC H330 / H730P / H740P |
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| GPU support | Up to 3× double-wide (R740) |
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| Management | iDRAC9 |
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| Generation / released | Dell 14G, launched 2017 |
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Choose Your Dell R740 Chassis
Every chassis opens a Build-Your-Own configurator — choose CPUs, memory, drives, and networking, and we assemble and test the complete server before it ships. Don’t see the layout you need? Request a quote.
What the Dell R740 Is Best At
The R740 family covers almost everything: virtualization clusters, SQL Server and Oracle databases, file and backup servers (xd/xd2 with LFF bays), video surveillance storage, and GPU-accelerated workloads with up to three double-wide cards. Massive parts availability and cheap DDR4 make it the workhorse refurbished 2U of 2026.
Dell R740 vs Related Models
- Dell R640 — the 1U counterpart: same CPUs and memory in half the space.
- Dell R750 — the 15th-gen successor with Ice Lake CPUs and PCIe Gen4 NVMe. Read the full R740 vs R750 comparison.
- Dell R840 — four sockets and 48 DIMMs for in-memory and analytics workloads.
- Dell R740xd — the storage-optimized sibling: shop all XD chassis, up to 32 bays with NVMe.
Why Buy a Refurbished Dell R740 from PCSP
With 17+ years refurbishing enterprise gear, PCSP ships R740s that are load-tested, configured to spec, and covered by a free 1-year warranty extendable to 5. Orders before 1:00 pm EST leave the same business day, and shipping is free in the lower 48. Building a cluster? Ask about multi-unit pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the R740, R740xd, and R740xd2?
Same 2U platform, different storage focus. The R740 offers up to 16× 2.5″ bays and the most GPU room; the R740xd adds mid-bay and rear drive cages for up to 32× 2.5″ or mixed 3.5″/2.5″ layouts, including NVMe; the R740xd2 is the density special — up to 26× 3.5″ drives for backup and object storage.
What CPUs and how much RAM does the Dell R740 support?
Two 1st or 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs (Bronze through Platinum, up to 28 cores each) and 24 DDR4 slots up to 3 TB. 2nd Gen (Cascade Lake) chips add DDR4-2933 support and are the sweet spot on the used market.
Is the Dell R740 still worth buying in 2026?
Absolutely — it is the price-performance king of the refurbished market. A dual 28-core R740 with 512 GB RAM typically costs a fraction of an equivalent 15th/16th-gen build, DDR4 and drive upgrades are cheap and plentiful, and VMware/Proxmox/Windows Server support remains full.
How is a refurbished Dell R740 covered if something fails?
All Dell R740 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 R740 configuration?
Yes. Pick any Dell R740 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.
