Dell PowerEdge MX5016s
The Dell PowerEdge MX5016s is a single-width scale-out storage sled designed for the 7U PowerEdge MX7000 modular enclosure. It provides up to 16 front-accessible, hot-pluggable 2.5-inch SAS or SATA hard drives and solid-state drives, connected via dual 12Gb/s SAS expanders to Fabric C. Storage drives in the MX5016s can be dynamically mapped to any compute sled in the chassis (such as the MX760c or MX750c) or pooled together for software-defined storage (VMware vSAN). A fully loaded MX7000 chassis with seven MX5016s sleds can house up to 112 direct SAS drives. Used buyers should inspect drive caddies and check Fabric C SAS expander modules.
Also written as: PowerEdge MX5016s, Dell MX5016s, MX5016s Storage Sled
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | PowerEdge MX |
| Form factor | blade |
| Released | Sep 2018 |
| Drive bays | Up to 16x 2.5-inch hot-pluggable SAS/SATA drives |
| Pcie slots | Dual 12Gb/s SAS fabric expanders connecting to Fabric C |
| Power supply | Shared redundant power from PowerEdge MX7000 7U chassis |
Compatible parts
RAID controllers
PERC-H730P Dell PERC H730P 12Gb/s SAS 2GB NV Cache Mini Mono / PCIe RAID Controller
Works together
How the Dell PowerEdge MX5016s connects to servers, storage and the network: 1 way, with the parts and products on each path.
Direct-attached SAS
12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.
Servers
Dell PowerEdge MX840c blade
Dell PowerEdge MX750c blade
Dell PowerEdge MX760c blade
Dell PowerEdge R240 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R340 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R6415 1U rack
Adapters for the server
405-AANT Dell 12Gbps SAS HBA Dual Port External PCIe Controller
405-AASU Dell HBA355e External SAS 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter
05-50076-01 Broadcom HBA 9500-16e PCIe 4.0 Tri-Mode 16-Port External Host Bus Adapter
804398-B21 HPE Smart Array E208e-p SR Gen10 12G SAS External Controller
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- LTO tape prices and archive advisor tapebackup.org
- Enterprise backup Ledger: backup software scored mrplanb.com
- LTO tape for backup 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 PowerEdge MX5016s.
- 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
- HPE Synergy D3940
Buying a used MX5016s: what to check
Confirm all 16 drive caddies are provided, inspect rear blind-mate SAS connector pins, and verify compatibility with the MX7000 chassis Fabric C SAS I/O switch modules.
FAQ
How does the MX5016s connect to compute sleds?
It connects across the MX7000 midplane via redundant 12Gb/s SAS Fabric C switches, allowing drive assignment via OpenManage Enterprise-Modular.
How many MX5016s sleds fit in an MX7000?
Up to seven storage sleds can be installed alongside at least one compute sled in the 8-slot chassis.
Buying or selling MX5016s?
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 PowerEdge MX5016s Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27