Buying guides
Practical guides for IT buyers and procurement teams: how to read part numbers, choose the right condition, and get the right part the first time.
Buying basics
How part numbers, conditions and RFQs work.
How to Send an RFQ for IT Hardware
How to write an RFQ or BOM for servers, drives, memory and networking parts - part numbers, quantities, conditions, dates, country and Incoterms.
5 min readRead guide
New vs Refurbished vs Used IT Hardware
What new, refurbished and used mean for servers, drives, memory and switches, and how to weigh price, warranty, lead time and risk for each workload.
4 min readRead guide
Server Part Numbers Explained: Option, Spare, FRU and OEM Numbers
How HPE option and spare numbers, Lenovo option and FRU numbers, Dell part numbers and Cisco PIDs work, and where to find them on a part label.
5 min readRead guide
Buying End-of-Life Hardware: Keeping Legacy Systems Running
What EOL and end-of-support notices mean, how to find replacement part numbers, and how to source spares for legacy servers, storage and switches.
4 min readRead guide
Servers
Generations, models and what changed between them.
Dell PowerEdge 14th Gen: R640, R740, R740xd and R440
Compare Dell PowerEdge R440, R540, R640, R740, R740xd, T440 and T640: sockets, memory slots, drive bays, and what to check before buying refurbished.
6 min readRead guide
Dell PowerEdge 13th Gen: R630, R730, R730xd and R430
How to choose and buy Dell PowerEdge R630, R730, R730xd, R430, R530, T430 and T630 servers for budget and legacy estates, with a refurbished checklist.
6 min readRead guide
HPE ProLiant DL380 and DL360: Gen9 vs Gen10 vs Gen10 Plus
Compare HPE ProLiant DL380 and DL360 Gen9, Gen10, Gen10 Plus and Gen11: processors, memory slots, network options, drive layouts and CTO part numbers.
6 min readRead guide
Storage
Drive interfaces, capacities, controllers and enclosures.
SAS, SATA and NVMe Drives: A Buyer's Guide
How to choose server drives - SAS, SATA and NVMe interfaces, SFF, LFF, U.2 and M.2 form factors, RPM, SSD endurance (DWPD) and drive carriers.
4 min readRead guide
16TB to 24TB Enterprise Hard Drives: Exos, Ultrastar, MG
Choose a 16TB to 24TB enterprise hard drive: Seagate Exos, WD Ultrastar and Toshiba MG, SATA vs SAS, 512e vs 4Kn, SED and OEM part numbers for servers.
5 min readRead guide
Dell PERC RAID Controllers: H730P, H740P, H755, HBA355
Which Dell PowerEdge RAID controller fits your server: PERC H730P, H740P, H750, H755, H965i, HBA355 and BOSS, with form factors, cache and NVMe support.
6 min readRead guide
Dell PowerVault MD1200, MD1400, ME4 and ME5: JBOD vs Array
Compare Dell PowerVault MD1200, MD1220, MD1400, MD1420 JBODs with ME4 and ME5 SAN/DAS arrays: bays, host interfaces, controllers and expansion limits.
6 min readRead guide
Networking
Switches, adapters, optics and cables.
Choosing a Network Switch: Access, Aggregation and Data Center
How to choose a switch - access, aggregation or data center role, PoE classes and power budgets, uplinks, layer 2 vs layer 3, stacking and licenses.
4 min readRead guide
Cisco Catalyst 9200 vs 9300: Models, Uplinks and Stacking
Compare Cisco Catalyst 9200, 9200L, 9300, 9300L and 9300X switches: stacking bandwidth, PoE budgets, fixed vs modular uplinks and C9300-NM-8X modules.
5 min readRead guide
10Gb Server Network Cards: Intel X710, X550, E810 and More
How to choose a 10GbE server network card: SFP+ vs 10GBASE-T, Intel X710 and X550, 10/25G SFP28, port count, and Dell, HPE and Lenovo OEM part numbers.
5 min readRead guide
Transceivers and Cables: SFP, QSFP, DAC and AOC Explained
How to choose optics and cables - SFP, SFP+, SFP28 and QSFP28, SR vs LR vs ER reach, multimode vs single-mode fiber, DAC vs AOC and vendor coding.
4 min readRead guide
10G SFP+ Optics: SFP-10G-SR vs LR vs ER vs ZR
Compare Cisco SFP-10G-SR, LR, LRM, ER and ZR optics, S-Class and extended-temperature versions, 10GBASE-T SFP+ and DAC cables, with reach and fiber type.
5 min readRead guide
Cisco GLC-TE, GLC-T, GLC-SX-MMD and GLC-LH-SMD Explained
What Cisco GLC-TE, GLC-T, GLC-SX-MMD and GLC-LH-SMD 1G SFP modules do, which fiber or cable each needs, and how to pick OEM or compatible coding.
5 min readRead guide
Memory
Module types, ranks and population rules.
Server Memory Guide: RDIMM, LRDIMM, 3DS, Ranks and Population
How to choose server memory - RDIMM vs LRDIMM vs 3DS, ranks and organization such as 2Rx4, speeds, channel population and mixing rules.
5 min readRead guide