Which Dell PowerEdge Server to Choose: T160, T360, R260, R360, R470, R670
Current Dell PowerEdge servers (Intel Xeon 6) come as towers and as rack servers. This guide summarizes the models DC Computer Network has in stock, how they differ and which workloads they suit.
1. Tower or rack?
Tower (T160, T360) – stands on the floor, no rack needed, quiet; ideal for offices and branches without a server room
1U rack (R260, R360, R470, R670) – only 1U high, saves rack space; ideal for server rooms and data centers, and easy to scale out
2. In-stock models compared
Model | Form / CPU | Drive bays (as configured) | Best for |
T160 | Tower, 1x Xeon 6 (6315P) | 3 cabled 3.5" drives (some configs add 2x 2.5") | File server, AD/DNS, small-office accounting |
T360 | Tower, 1x Xeon 6 (6315P / 6337P) | Up to 8 hot-plug 3.5", dual hot-plug PSUs | Mid-size file server, internal NAS, a few VMs |
R260 | 1U rack, 1x Xeon 6 (6315P) | 2 cabled 3.5" or 6 hot-plug 2.5" | Branches, edge, basic network services |
R360 | 1U rack, 1x Xeon 6 (6337P–6377P) | Up to 4 hot-plug 3.5", dual PSUs | Web/app servers, small databases, entry virtualization |
R470 | 1U rack, 1x Xeon 6 Performance 6505P (12 cores) | Up to 8 2.5" SAS/SATA, PERC H965i, dual 800W PSUs | Virtualization, databases, DDR5-6400 memory workloads |
R670 | 1U rack, 2x Xeon 6 Performance 6515P (2x 16 cores) | Up to 10 2.5" SAS/SATA, PERC H965i, 10GbE | Multi-host VMware/Hyper-V, ERP, sustained heavy workloads |
3. RAID controllers
PERC H355 – entry hardware RAID with RAID 0, 1, 10; fine for general use with two mirrored drives
PERC H755 – RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 with cache memory for faster writes; good for file servers and databases
PERC H965i – the newer controller in 17th-generation models (R470, R670) with higher performance for virtualization
4. How to choose
Count your virtual machines and concurrent users, then allow for at least three years of growth
Use high-capacity 3.5" drives for large file storage, and 2.5" SSDs for databases and VMs
For systems that cannot stop, choose dual redundant PSUs and RAID 1, 5 or 6
Most in-stock units include 3 years of ProSupport with 4-hour onsite service and 3 years of Keep Your Hard Drive (see each model's SPECIFICATION table)
Pair the server with a suitable UPS and plan backups from day one
5. In-stock servers and installation
See prices and full specs in our Server category (use the Server In Stock filter for ready-to-ship units). We also offer HPE ProLiant, and our engineers install VMware and Veeam backup. Send your requirements via Request a Quote for a business quotation.
