Specifications

21 PowerEdge M820 Technical Guide
6 Storage
The Dell PowerEdge M820 provides comprehensive internal storage options, including several drive
types and storage controllers to choose from.
Express Flash PCIe SSD is a new option that can provide vastly accelerated performance over
previous technologies. Dell Express Flash drives use PCIe lanes to connect directly to the processor
and chipset and are easily accessible by hot-plug drive bay.
Internal storage
The M820 is available in three different hard-drive backplane options. Table 10 lists the options for
backplanes, hard-drive controllers, and drive types for the M820.
Table 10. Hard-drive backplane options
Number
of drives
Drive types
Backplane
Controller
4
SAS HDD
SAS
MiniPERC card
4
SAS HDD,
Express Flash
PCIe SSD
SAS (2)
PCIe SSD (2)
MiniPERC card, PCIe extender
2
SAS HDD
SAS
MiniPERC card
Supported hard drives
The M820 supports up to four 2.5-inch SAS or two 2.5-inch PCIe SSDs and shown in Table 11. For
the latest information on supported hard drives, visit Dell.com/PowerEdge.
Table 11. Supported hard drives
Form
factor
Type
Speed
(rpm)
Capacities
2.5”
Nearline SAS (6Gb)
7.2K
500GB, 1TB, 1TB (SED)
SAS (6Gb)
10K
300GB, 600GB, 900GB, 900GB (SED)
SAS (6Gb)
15K
146GB, 300GB, 300GB (SED)
SAS SSD (SLC, 6Gb)
N/A
200GB, 400GB
Express Flash PCIe
SSD (SLC)
N/A
175GB, 350GB
Express Flash drives
Express Flash drives use PCIe and SSD technologies to provide performance, scalability, and optimal
serviceability. Accelerated performance with high IOPs is made possible without requiring processor
resources or capturing DRAM. Also, Express Flash drives use a standardized, 2.5-inch hot-plug form
factor, which allows a common management process for all drives.