Enterprise servers require ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory. Non-ECC memory from desktops will not work — and could cause data corruption. Here is why. ECC vs Non-ECC Feature ECC Non-ECC Error Detection Yes (single-bit correct, multi-bit detect) No Data Integrity Guaranteed Not guaranteed Server Compatible Yes No (most servers reject it) Price 10-20% more Baseline Types […]
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Server Form Factors Explained: 1U vs 2U vs 4U vs Blade vs Tower
Server form factor determines how much hardware you can fit in each chassis. This guide explains the trade-offs between rack-mount, tower, and blade servers. Rack Server Comparison Form Factor Height Max Drives Max GPUs Use Case 1U 44mm 4-10 SFF 0-1 Compute density, web servers 2U 88mm 8-24 SFF / 12 LFF 1-3 General purpose, […]
NVIDIA GPU for Servers: Tesla T4 vs A100 vs H100 Comparison
NVIDIA GPU accelerators transform general-purpose servers into AI/ML powerhouses. This guide compares the three most common data center GPUs. GPU Comparison Feature Tesla T4 A100 (80GB) H100 (80GB) Architecture Turing Ampere Hopper FP32 TFLOPS 8.1 19.5 67 Memory 16GB GDDR6 80GB HBM2e 80GB HBM3 TDP 70W 300W 700W Form Factor Low-profile PCIe / SXM4 PCIe […]
Supermicro Server Parts: Where to Buy Compatible Components
Supermicro servers use a mix of standard and proprietary components. This guide covers what is interchangeable and what requires Supermicro-specific parts. Standard vs Supermicro-Specific Parts Component Standard? Notes Memory (RDIMM/LRDIMM) Yes Standard DDR4/DDR5, any brand CPU (Xeon/EPYC) Yes Standard socket, any brand SAS/SATA Drives Yes Standard interface Drive Caddies Supermicro-specific Must match chassis model Power […]
IBM System x End of Life: Parts and Support for Legacy Servers
IBM System x servers (x3550, x3650, x3850) were sold to Lenovo in 2014 but many remain in production. ICD provides parts and support for all System x models. System x Generations Model Status CPU System x3650 M4 Legacy Xeon E5-2600 v2 System x3650 M5 EOSL Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 System x3850 X6 Legacy Xeon E7-4800 v3/v4 […]
Dell EMC Unity End of Life: What Happens Next
Dell EMC Unity and Unity XT storage arrays have reached end of sale, replaced by Dell PowerStore. Here is the timeline and your options. Unity EOSL Timeline Model End of Sale Replacement Unity 300/400/500/600 Jul 2020 PowerStore / Unity XT Unity 400F/600F Jan 2018 Unity XT / PowerStore Unity XT 380/480/680/880 Aug 2025 PowerStore Gen2 […]
HPE 3PAR End of Life: Migration Options and Third-Party Support
HPE 3PAR storage arrays reached end-of-sale in 2021 and will hit end of support by August 2026. If you are still running 3PAR, here are your options. 3PAR EOSL Timeline Model End of Sale End of Support Replacement 3PAR 8200/8400/8440/8450 2021 Aug 31, 2026 HPE Alletra Storage MP 3PAR 9450 2022 May 1, 2027 HPE […]
NVMe vs SAS SSD for Servers: When to Use Each in 2026
Both NVMe and SAS SSDs are enterprise-grade, but they serve different purposes. This guide helps you choose the right interface for your workload. Head-to-Head Comparison Feature NVMe SSD SAS SSD Interface PCIe 4.0/5.0 12Gbps SAS Random Read IOPS 1M+ 200-400K Latency 10-20 microseconds 50-100 microseconds Dual-Port No (typically) Yes RAID Support Software/HW (PERC H755) Hardware […]
SFP vs SFP+ vs QSFP: Server Transceiver Module Guide
Transceiver modules connect your server NICs and switches to the network. Choosing the wrong one means no link. This guide covers every common type. Transceiver Types Type Speed Reach (MM Fiber) Reach (SM Fiber) SFP (1G) 1 Gbps 550m (SX) 10km (LX) SFP+ (10G) 10 Gbps 300m (SR) 10km (LR) SFP28 (25G) 25 Gbps 100m […]
Dell PowerEdge R740xd Storage Guide: Drive Bays, RAID, Maximum Capacity
The Dell PowerEdge R740xd is a 2U storage-optimized server supporting up to 32x 2.5″ SFF drives or 18x 3.5″ LFF drives plus 2x rear 2.5″ drives. This guide covers storage configuration options. Drive Bay Configurations Config Front Bays Rear Bays Best For 24 SFF 24x 2.5″ 2x 2.5″ SSD-heavy, mixed workloads 12 LFF + 2 […]