Which Drives Fit Dell PowerEdge R740, R640 and 14th Gen
The 14th generation PowerEdge line covers the R640, R740, R740xd, R940, R440 and their siblings, and the question buyers ask most is simply which drives fit. This answers it, including the parts of the answer that are not about the drive.
Which PowerEdge servers are 14th generation?
The common rack models are the R640 (1U), R740 and R740xd (2U), R940 (3U four-socket), R440 (1U single or dual socket), and the C6420 multi-node chassis. Tower equivalents are the T440 and T640.
All use socket LGA 3647 with Intel Xeon Scalable processors and iDRAC9. That shared platform is why drives, carriers and memory largely cross between them — with the exceptions below.
Our R740 guide and R640 guide cover the two most common machines in detail.
What drive carrier does 14th gen PowerEdge use?
The first thing to get right, because a drive in the wrong carrier does not seat.
14th generation uses a different carrier design from 13th generation (R630, R730). A carrier from an R730 does not fit an R740, and vice versa. The 14th generation carrier is also used on 15th and 16th generation machines in many configurations, which is why listings frequently say "for R740 R750 R760" — but confirm rather than assume.
Two carrier sizes: 2.5 inch small form factor and 3.5 inch large form factor, matching the chassis bays. A 2.5 inch drive can be fitted to a 3.5 inch bay using a hybrid carrier that includes an adapter; a 3.5 inch drive cannot go into a 2.5 inch bay at all.
Drives sold as Dell kits include the carrier. Drives sold bare do not. Our caddies guide covers why this is the most common omission in a storage order.
Which drive interfaces does the R740 support?
SAS, SATA and, in NVMe-capable configurations, NVMe U.2. But which bays support which interface is set by the backplane fitted, not by the model.
Three things to establish about your specific chassis.
How many bays and what size. Look at the front of the machine.
Whether any bays are NVMe-capable. An NVMe drive in a bay with no PCIe lanes routed to it does nothing. NVMe support is per-bay, not per-chassis.
Which controller is fitted. A PERC H730P or H740P handles SAS and SATA. NVMe drives bypass the PERC entirely and connect over PCIe. Our PERC guide covers what that means for redundancy.
Do I need Dell-branded drives for a PowerEdge R740?
Behind a PERC controller, Dell-coded drives are the safe choice.
PERC controllers validate drive firmware. A non-Dell drive may work, may be flagged in iDRAC as unsupported, may not report predictive failure warnings, or may be refused during an array rebuild. That last one is the worst moment to discover it.
Behind an HBA in pass-through mode, or for NVMe drives that bypass the controller, the constraint largely disappears and a bare manufacturer drive is frequently better value. Our OEM guide covers the trade.
Dell part numbers for drives take two forms: a Dell part number (the drive itself, like 0MCX6N) and a Dell SKU (the orderable kit, like 400-BHFN). Both refer to compatible items, and our part numbers guide covers telling them apart.
What sector format do 14th gen drives need?
Match what is already in the array.
14th generation supports 512n, 512e and 4Kn drives, but a RAID group must use one format throughout. A replacement with the wrong sector format may be refused during the rebuild even when everything else matches. Check the label on an existing drive before ordering — our sector format guide covers this.
For a new array, 512e is the safe choice unless you have confirmed 4Kn support at hypervisor and OS level.
What to send us before ordering
Five things, and a photograph covers most of them.
The model — R640, R740, R740xd and so on.
A photo of the front of the chassis, which shows bay count and size.
A photo of the label on a drive already installed, which shows part number, carrier type and sector format together.
The controller, from iDRAC or the label.
Whether you are replacing or adding, because adding means carriers.
With those we can confirm the drive, carrier and sector format together, which is what stops an order coming back. Our Dell SSD guide covers one specific example of this platform’s drives.
Frequently asked questions
Will an R730 drive caddy fit an R740?
No. 14th generation (R740) uses a different carrier design from 13th generation (R730). Carriers do not cross between the two generations, though 14th gen carriers frequently do fit 15th and 16th gen machines.
Can I put a 2.5 inch drive in a 3.5 inch R740 bay?
Yes, using a hybrid carrier that includes an adapter. The reverse is not possible — a 3.5 inch drive cannot go into a 2.5 inch bay.
Does the R740 support NVMe drives?
In NVMe-capable configurations, yes, but support is per-bay rather than per-chassis. A bay that physically accepts an NVMe drive may have no PCIe lanes routed to it. Confirm which bays are wired for it.
Do I need Dell drives for a PowerEdge R740?
Behind a PERC controller, Dell-coded drives are the safe choice because PERC validates drive firmware. Behind an HBA or for NVMe drives that bypass the controller, bare manufacturer drives are frequently fine and better value.
What is the difference between a Dell part number and a Dell SKU?
The part number identifies the drive itself. The SKU is the orderable kit, which typically includes the carrier. Both refer to compatible items; the SKU is what you order from Dell, the part number is what is printed on the drive.
What should I send to confirm a drive fits my R740?
The model, a photo of the chassis front, a photo of the label on an installed drive, the controller, and whether you are replacing or adding. With those we can confirm drive, carrier and sector format together.
Send us those five things and we will confirm the fit before anything ships.
