Dell VxRail E660N
The Dell VxRail E660N is an ultra-low-latency 1U all-NVMe hyperconverged appliance configured with PCIe Gen4 NVMe solid-state drives across all drive bays. Designed for high-frequency trading platforms, real-time telemetry analytics, and latency-critical transactional databases, the E660N combines PCIe Gen4 direct bus throughput with VMware vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA).
Also written as: VxRail E660N, Dell EMC VxRail E660N, E660N All-NVMe 1U HCI
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | VxRail |
| Form factor | 1U rack |
| Released | Jun 2021 |
| Cpu platform | Dual Intel Xeon Scalable 3rd Gen (Ice Lake) processors (up to 40 cores per socket) |
| Memory max (GB) | 4,096 |
| Drive bays | Up to 10x 2.5-inch PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD bays |
| Raw capacity | Up to 153.6TB raw NVMe capacity |
| Network onboard | Broadcom or Intel OCP 3.0 mezzanine (dual 25GbE / 100GbE QSFP28) |
| Power supply | Dual redundant hot-plug 1400W Platinum power supplies |
Generations
- Previous generation: Dell VxRail E560N
Compatible parts
HBAs
540-BCMT Dell QLogic 2772 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
540-BCMU Dell Emulex LPe35002 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
Transceivers
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
Rail kits
770-BCKW Dell ReadyRails II Sliding Rails for 2U PowerEdge Servers (B6)
Drive caddies
DXD9H Dell 2.5-inch Gen14/Gen15/Gen16 Hot-Plug Drive Caddy Tray (SFF)
SSDs
400-AZPZ Dell 1.92TB SAS Read Intensive 12Gb/s 2.5-inch Hot-Plug SSD
400-BDSD Dell 3.84TB SAS Read Intensive 12Gb/s 2.5-inch Hot-Plug SSD
Works together
How the Dell VxRail E660N connects to servers, storage and the network: 1 way, with the parts and products on each path.
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
Adapters for the server
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
540-BBJL Dell Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BCND Dell Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx Dual Port 25GbE SFP28 PCIe Adapter
Switches
Dell PowerSwitch N3248TE-ON 1U switch
Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B 9U director chassis
Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch S5448F-ON 1U switch
Optics
407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)- 407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- Hypervisor advisor: which platform fits you mrplanb.com
- VM platform Ledger: hypervisors scored mrplanb.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- Dell E-Lab Navigator (Dell interoperability) dell.com
Check compatibility with Dell
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Dell has tested with the Dell VxRail E660N.
- Compatibility Dell E-Lab Navigator (storage and SAN interoperability) (free vendor sign-in)
- Support Dell Support: drivers, manuals and service tag lookup
Equivalent models from other brands
Buying a used VxRail E660N: what to check
Confirm NVMe backplane cables are PCIe Gen4 rated, verify NVMe drive health via vCenter storage health checks, test 100GbE/25GbE NIC throughput, and check dual 1400W power supplies.
FAQ
What advantage does NVMe provide over SAS SSDs on the E660N?
Direct PCIe Gen4 NVMe bus attachments bypass SAS controllers, slashing storage latency and boosting IOPS significantly.
Does the E660N require specialized NVMe cache drives?
Under vSAN OSA, high-end NVMe drives serve as write cache; under vSAN ESA, single-tier NVMe storage pools are utilized.
Buying or selling VxRail E660N?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Dell VxRail E-Series Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27