Dell PowerEdge R770AP Review: 256-Core Xeon 6 Server Packs 32 NVMe Bays, Benchmarks Pending

What the R770AP is​

ServeTheHome describes the R770AP as a 2U air-cooled, dual-socket server with high core density. It supports up to two Xeon 6980P processors, each with 128 cores, for 256 cores in total. The reviewer says he wanted to test Intel's Xeon 6+ "Clearwater Forest" chips, but Intel couldn't supply any. That is the reviewer's account of why the test didn't happen. It is not a limit of the product.

Dell's own figures line up with this. Dell calls it a two-socket, 2U rack server built on Intel Xeon 6 6900-series processors. The spec sheet lists 24 DDR5 DIMM slots, registered ECC DDR5 only, and up to 3 TB at speeds up to 6400 MT/s. Dell also notes that the installed processor may reduce DIMM speed. The review segment doesn't say how much memory its test unit carried, so the 3 TB figure is a platform maximum, not a measurement of the sample.

The StorageReview write-up is a useful comparison. Its unit had dual Xeon 6978P processors with 120 cores each, for 240 cores and 3 TB of DDR5. That makes it a different configuration from ServeTheHome's 6980P-based platform description. The R770AP is sold in several processor configurations.

Chassis and front panel​

Dell lists the depth at 802.40 mm with the bezel and 801.51 mm without it. ServeTheHome rounds this to 801 mm. Height is 86.80 mm and width is 482 mm.

The front panel is the main hardware story:

• Layout: Two banks of vertically oriented E3.S carriers sit either side of a central ventilation section. Each bank has 16 bays.
• Density: The reviewer says older 2.5-inch designs usually offered fewer than 24 U.2 bays and had no dedicated central air channel.
• Latches: E3.S carriers are smaller than U.2 carriers, which helps density but makes the latches slimmer.
• Bay labels: On the review unit the service tag sits where drive numbering would normally go. The bays are labeled 25-31 with an arrow.
• Drives installed: The sample had four Dell DC NVMe CD8P E3.S MU 1.6 TB SSDs. The reviewer identifies them as Kioxia CD8 drives.

Dell's storage options differ from what the reviewer installed. The spec sheet lists up to 16 2.5-inch NVMe SSDs (maximum 245.76 TB) or up to 32 EDSFF E3.S Gen5 NVMe SSDs (maximum 491.52 TB). Dell's service manual also documents a no-backplane layout, and an 8 x 2.5-inch layout that the spec sheet doesn't list. Check the configurator for the exact bay options before ordering.

The front USB port is a single USB 2.0 Type-C port. The reviewer warns against expecting Thunderbolt and calls it more of a service port. Dell's manual puts this port in the right control panel, alongside the health LED, system ID, power button and host-status LED.

Rear I/O, boot and networking​

• Power: The review unit has redundant 1.8 kW supplies. One retailer lists 1500 W, 1800 W, 2400 W and 3200 W hot-swap redundant options. The 1.8 kW figure is therefore only what this sample used.
• Management and console: Dell lists a dedicated Ethernet port for iDRAC management, one VGA port and two USB 3.1 Type-A ports on the rear. The dedicated iDRAC port gives out-of-band management its own physical connection, separate from data networking. The reviewer's remarks about VGA carts are commentary, not a Dell requirement.
• Boot: A rear BOSS-N1 DC-MHS module holds two 480 GB M.2 NVMe drives. The reviewer says it provides RAID 1 for the OS volume and saves two front bays. He names VMware and Windows Server as examples where hardware RAID for boot can matter. He doesn't claim either OS requires this module.
• Networking: Primary networking uses OCP NIC 3.0 cards. The review unit has Broadcom BCM57608 and ConnectX-6 Dx controllers with QSFP56 200 Gbps ports. The reviewer says Xeon 6 can drive 400 Gbps NICs (one 400G or two 200G), if the network supports it. That describes the platform, not what this sample delivered.

The reviewer also notes that NICs have not risen in price as much as memory and storage. He argues that faster networking is therefore becoming a popular way to lift cluster performance. That is his market view, not a measured result.

Cooling and cabling limits​

Dell's air-cooling restrictions matter if you plan a high-end build. The 6900P series pairs high core counts with 12-channel memory and up to 96 PCIe Gen5 lanes per socket. Dell's thermal table lists the 6980P as a 500 W, 128-core part. It requires the high-performance Platinum fan in every listed storage layout. Those layouts are no backplane, 8 x 2.5-inch, 16 x 2.5-inch and 32 x E3.S.

Dell adds a cabling rule. For rear-I/O configurations, PCIe or OCP cards at 25 Gb and above require DAC cables or 85°C-rated active optics. A server with 200 Gbps NICs therefore needs cooling and cabling decisions made at the planning stage.

Practical takeaways​

1. Treat the review unit as one sample. Storage, power, risers and NICs all vary.
2. Plan for NVMe only. The listed front options are all NVMe (2.5-inch or E3.S). Dell's spec sheet lists no GPU options, per Express Computer Systems.
3. Check cooling before choosing a CPU. The 500 W SKUs need Platinum fans.
4. Check optics and cables early. The 25 Gb-and-above rule applies to rear cards.
5. Wait for benchmarks. This segment gives no throughput, power or efficiency data.

Bottom line​

On the evidence available, the R770AP is a flexible and dense Xeon 6 platform. It offers 32 E3.S bays, a rear boot module that frees front bays, a dedicated management port and room for 200 Gbps-class networking. Whether it is actually fast in ServeTheHome's AgentSTH V7 tests will have to wait for the performance sections of the review. Treat the reviewer's comments on Intel's roadmap as his outlook, not a confirmed schedule.