6    PowerEdge R730 and R730xd Technical Guide   
1  System overview 
Introduction 
The Dell PowerEdge R730 is a general-purpose platform with highly expandable memory (up to 
768GB) and impressive I/O capabilities to match. The R730 can readily handle very demanding 
workloads, such as data warehouses, e-commerce, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), databases 
and high-performance computing (HPC). In addition to the R730’s capabilities, the R730xd offers 
extraordinary storage capacity, making it well suited for data-intensive applications that require 
storage and I/O performance, like medical imaging and email servers. 
Deliver peak performance 
Drive peak compute performance across a variety of workloads with the Intel
®
 Xeon
®
 processor  
E5-2600 v3 product family and state-of-the-art DDR4 memory. Boost data access for applications 
with up to 16 x 12Gb/s SAS drives and high-performance dual RAID. Take advantage of advanced 
accelerators and GPUs to maximize performance in HPC, VDI and imaging environments. 
Discover greater versatility 
With 24 DIMMs of high-capacity, low-power DDR4 memory, 7 PCI Express
®
 (PCIe) 3.0 expansion 
slots and highly scalable local storage, the R730 is extremely flexible. Create a dense, resource-rich 
virtualization environment with up to 16 x 2.5” drives. Combine that with the R730’s GPU capability 
to save infrastructure costs and consolidate management operations in a scalable and centralized 
virtual desktop environment. The GPU option also makes the R730 an excellent choice as a 
midrange medical imaging solution. 
Maximize operational efficiency 
PowerEdge servers let you construct and manage highly efficient infrastructures for data centers 
and small businesses. Accelerate time-to-production with automated deployment processes that 
use fewer manual steps and reduce the potential for error. Improve IT productivity with innovative-
at-the-server management tools like iDRAC Direct and iDRAC Quick Sync to deliver in-depth 
system health status and speed deployment. Optimize data center energy usage with improved 
performance-per-watt and more granular control of power and cooling. 
Innovative management with intelligent automation 
The Dell OpenManage systems management portfolio includes innovative solutions that simplify 
and automate essential server lifecycle management tasks — making IT operations more efficient 
and Dell servers the most productive, reliable and cost effective. Leveraging the incomparable 
agent-free capabilities of the PowerEdge embedded Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 
(iDRAC) with Lifecycle Controller technology, server deployment, configuration and updates are 
streamlined across the OpenManage portfolio and through integration with third-party 
management solutions. 
Monitoring and control of Dell and third-party data center hardware is provided by OpenManage 
Essentials and with anytime, anywhere mobile access, through OpenManage Mobile. OpenManage 
Essentials now also delivers Server Configuration Management capabilities that automate one-to-
many PowerEdge bare-metal server and operating system deployments, quick and consistent 
replication of configurations and ensure compliance to a predefined baseline with automated drift 
detection.