Dell EMC Unity XT Upgrade Guide
Maximize the performance and lifespan of your Dell EMC Unity XT (Unity). Every upgrade option below is verified compatible.
Verified Specifications
| Processor Options | Dual-active controllers. 380/380F: 2x Intel CPUs, 12 cores per array, 1.7GHz; 480/480F: 2x dual-socket Intel CPUs, 32 cores per array, 1.8GHz; 680/680F: 2x dual-socket Intel CPUs, 48 cores per array, 2.1GHz; 880/880F: 2x dual-socket Intel CPUs, 64 cores per array, 2.1GHz |
| Memory Configuration | System memory/cache per array: 380/380F 128 GB; 480/480F 192 GB; 680/680F 384 GB; 880/880F 768 GB (+ FAST Cache on hybrids up to 800GB/1.2TB/3.2TB/6.0TB) |
| Drive Configurations | 2U DPE with 25x 2.5-inch drives; min 6 SSDs or 10 HDDs; max drives: 380 = 500, 480 = 750, 680 = 1000, 880 = 1500; max raw capacity 2.4/4.0/8.0/16.0 PB; DAEs: 2U 25x 2.5-inch (all models), 3U 15x 3.5-inch (hybrid only); F models all-flash |
| Power Supply Options | 2 power supplies per DPE/DAE; each PSU can power the entire module if the peer PS is removed or faulted; Battery Back Up (BBU) module within the SP enclosure for power-failure cache protection |
| RAID Controllers | RAID 1/0, 5, 6 |
| Networking Options | Embedded 4x 4-lane 12Gb/s SAS back-end ports per array; mezzanine cards/IO modules: 4-port 10Gbase-T, 4-port 10GbE Optical (SFP+/twinax), 4-port 25GbE Optical, 4-port 32Gb FC (auto 4/8/16 or 8/16/32Gb), 4-port 12Gb SAS V3.0 (480/680/880); max front-end ports per array: 20 (380) / 24 (480/680/880) |
| Specification Source | Dell official documentation (verified 2026-07-02) |
About the Dell EMC Unity XT
The Dell Dell EMC Unity XT (Unity) is part of Dell's enterprise storage lineup. ICD maintains a comprehensive parts inventory and engineering expertise to support fleet operators through its full service lifecycle, from initial deployment to end-of-support upgrade or migration planning.
Technical specifications
| Generation | Unity |
|---|---|
| Device type | Storage |
| End of Sale | 2024-02-02 |
Recommended upgrade strategy
Storage systems like the Dell EMC Unity XT accept drive bay expansion, controller upgrades, cache module additions, and protocol cards (Fibre Channel, iSCSI, NVMe over Fabrics). Dell Dell EMC Unity XT supports tier-1 enterprise drives — ICD verifies firmware compatibility and pre-images replacement units before shipment.
ICD Dell expertise
Dell server upgrades require attention to PowerEdge generation (12G through 17G use different RAID controllers, memory speeds, and PSU connectors). ICD Dell specialists verify every part against the iDRAC compatibility report before quoting, eliminating field surprises.
Upgrade categories ICD can quote for the Dell EMC Unity XT
Even when our database does not yet list specific compatible parts for the Dell EMC Unity XT, ICD engineering team sources verified-compatible components across these categories. Submit a quote request with your current configuration:
- Memory — DDR3, DDR4, DDR5 RDIMM, LRDIMM, ECC SO-DIMM modules at maximum supported capacity
- Storage — Enterprise SSDs (SAS, SATA, NVMe), HDDs (NL-SAS, SAS 10K/15K RPM), and tape generations
- RAID and HBA controllers — Hardware RAID, JBOD passthrough, fabric attach, with cache battery
- Network adapters — 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 100GbE NICs plus SFP+ and QSFP transceiver modules
- Power supplies — Redundant hot-swap PSUs in matching wattage and connector specification
- CPUs — Intel Xeon Scalable and AMD EPYC where socket-compatible with this platform
- GPUs — NVIDIA Tesla, A-series, and RTX A-series for compute and visualization workloads
- Accessories — Bezels, mounting rails, drive caddies, cooling fans, and chassis hardware
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