Add NVMe Storage to a R720/R630-10-SFF

Add NVMe Storage to a Dell R720 or R630-10-SFF #

Written: 02/27/25
PROMPT: You want to make use of U.2 NVMe storage in your Dell R720 or your R630 10-bay SFF. You don’t want to make use of internal PCIe slots for various reasons (no support for bifurcation on 12th gen, lack of pcie slots, no access while server is running, etc.)

Resources: #

R720:
ktnr74’s comment on this Reddit thread
This ebay listing, a kit containing all the part numbers
^^ If unavailable, here is a link to the item description.
R630:
Forroden’s comment on this Reddit thread
William Desportes’ blog

Prerequisites: #

  • Must have R720 or R630-10-SFF (no support for ExpressFlash on R720xd or the typical R630 8-bay SFF)
    • Interestingly, there is support for ExpressFlash on R730xd but not R730. I believe you use the same parts for the R730xd as the R630 upgrade, however I have not tried this configuration.
  • Dual CPUs are required for this upgrade, both R720 and R630.
  • For the R720, we are upgrading from a single 8-bay configuration, if you currently have a 16-bay configuration, you will need to purchase an 8-bay backplane.
  • For the R630, make sure your Riser Card 1 is a YNF4C or 999FX, and not a 37RG8. The latter is for an R620 and will not work. I mention this since one of our R630s from ebay came installed with a 37RG8, which led to this modification. Unfortunately it was a fruitless endeavour, given it was never bound to work.

Notes: #

Dell Part Numbers for R720 Upgrade:

  1. Backplane Signal Cable: KV109
  2. 4-bay NVMe Backplane: 693W6
  3. SAS-8087 Cables: GKTHG
  4. 8-bay Drive Cage: P51CF
  5. PCIe SAS Expander Card (PLX Switcher): YPNRC
  6. Backplane Power Cable: 123W8
  7. (Optional, for aesthetics) 4-bay Blank: 4V3T9

Dell Part Numbers for R630-10-SFF Upgrade:

  1. SAS-8643 Cables: K9TVP
  2. PCIe SAS Expander Card (PLX Switcher): GY1TD