A practical comparison of the Dell PowerEdge R740 and R750 to help UK organisations decide whether moving to a newer generation is justified, or whether the R740 remains the most suitable refurbished server for their workload and budget. For IT teams supporting offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham or regional data centres across the UK, choosing the right server platform is often about balancing performance requirements with long-term cost control.
Understanding the Differences Between Dell R740 and R750
A clear comparison between the Dell PowerEdge R740 and R750 helps businesses assess whether an upgrade to a newer generation is truly necessary, or whether the R740 still offers the best value as a refurbished server.
The decision between Dell R740 and Dell R750 typically depends on performance requirements, expected growth, and budget constraints. Both models are widely deployed in enterprise environments and remain strong options on the refurbished server market. However, they are designed for different generations of workloads.
The R740 is a proven and stable platform that supports modern virtualisation, GPU workloads and large memory configurations at a significantly lower total cost. The R750 introduces newer processors, PCIe Gen4 support and a higher performance ceiling – but also a higher upfront investment.
This comparison explains when upgrading to the R750 makes sense and when the R740 remains a relevant refurbished choice.
Dell R740 vs R750: Key Differences at a Glance
This Dell R740 vs R750 comparison focuses on the hardware differences that matter most when selecting refurbished servers.
| Specification | Dell PowerEdge R740 | Dell PowerEdge R750 |
| CPU | 2× Intel Xeon Scalable (1st / 2nd Gen) | 2× Intel Xeon Scalable (3rd Gen) |
| Max Cores | Up to 56 cores | Up to 80 cores |
| Memory Slots | 24 DIMM slots | 32 DIMM slots |
| Max RAM | Up to 3TB DDR4 | Up to 8TB DDR4 |
| PCIe | PCIe Gen3 | PCIe Gen4 |
| GPU Support | Up to 3× 300W GPUs | Higher GPU density & newer accelerators |
| Storage | NVMe / SAS / SATA | Faster NVMe via PCIe Gen4 |
| Ideal Use | Virtualisation, GPU workloads, databases | High-density virtualisation, AI, future-proofing |
Performance & CPU Architecture
The biggest difference between the Dell R740 and R750 lies in the processor generation.
The R740 uses 1st or 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs. These processors are still widely deployed across UK production environments and deliver stable performance for virtual machines, databases and GPU workloads.
The R750 runs on 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs and provides:
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higher core counts
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increased memory bandwidth
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improved performance per watt
For organisations running stable, predictable workloads, the R740 continues to deliver more than enough performance. The R750 becomes relevant where higher core density or significant headroom for future growth is required.
Memory Capacity & Virtualisation
Memory is often a deciding factor when comparing the R740 and R750.
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R740: up to 3TB RAM
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R750: up to 8TB RAM
For many UK-based virtualisation environments, 3TB of RAM is already more than sufficient. As a result, the R740 remains widely used for:
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VMware and Hyper-V environments
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ERP systems
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database workloads
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VDI deployments
The R750 is justified where organisations require:
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very large VM clusters
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in-memory databases
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consolidation of enterprise platforms
Key takeaway:
If you do not clearly need more than 3TB of RAM, the R740 is usually the more sensible choice.
PCIe Gen4, Storage & Future Growth
The most notable advantage of the Dell R750 is PCIe Gen4 support.
PCIe Gen4 enables:
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faster NVMe storage
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increased bandwidth for modern GPUs
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better support for next-generation accelerators
However, many current workloads do not fully saturate PCIe Gen3. In those scenarios, the R740 delivers very similar real-world performance at a lower overall cost.
Practical rule:
Choose the R750 only if PCIe Gen4 is a requirement today, not just a possible future consideration.
GPU and Accelerator Support
Both servers support GPU configurations, but they are suited to different use cases.
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R740: well suited for GPU workloads such as AI inference, rendering and VDI
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R750: better prepared for newer accelerators and higher GPU density
In most refurbished GPU server builds, the R740 already supports common enterprise GPUs at a lower platform cost.
If your roadmap includes newer accelerators or higher thermal density, the R750 is the safer long-term option.
Cost and Value on the Refurbished Market
This is where the Dell R740 vs R750 comparison becomes most practical for UK buyers.
On the refurbished market:
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the R740 is significantly more affordable
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CPUs, memory and spare parts are widely available
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total cost of ownership is lower
The R750 carries a higher cost, not only for the chassis but also for processors, memory and supporting components.
For most organisations, the R740 offers the best balance of performance, longevity and cost. The R750 makes sense where performance density or future scalability is critical.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Dell R740 if you need:
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Strong virtualisation performance
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GPU workloads without overspending
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High RAM capacity at lower cost
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A proven, stable platform
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The best price-to-performance ratio
If you’re currently running an older Dell platform, you can also see how the R740 compares to the previous generation in our Dell R740 vs R730 comparison.
Choose Dell R750 if you need:
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Higher core density
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PCIe Gen4 for storage or GPUs
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Very large memory configurations
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A longer future-proof horizon
Configure R740 or R750 with Refurbished Components
Both the Dell R740 and Dell R750 can be configured with enterprise-grade refurbished components, tested by certified technicians and ready for production environments.
Using the server configurator, you can select CPUs, memory, storage, GPUs and networking options that match your workload precisely – without paying for unused capacity.
For many UK organisations, the R740 fully supports virtualisation, database and GPU use cases at a lower total cost. The R750 becomes relevant when higher core density, PCIe Gen4 support or extremely large memory configurations are required.
If you are unsure which platform fits best, starting with an R740 configuration is often the most practical and cost-effective approach, with the option to scale later.
Start Configuring Your Server
Use the server configurator to compare and configure Dell R740 and R750 servers side by side, or speak with our team for guidance on selecting the right configuration for your UK deployment.