Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility: Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers
- server-parts.eu server-parts.eu
- May 1
- 8 min read
Nutanix is a cloud platform that combines storage, computing, and virtualization into one integrated solution—running on compatible hardware—to help businesses easily manage applications across private and public clouds. Nutanix’s hyperconverged clusters thrive on modern, well-supported hardware. The latest server platforms offer faster CPUs, more memory, blazing NVMe storage, and 25/100Gb Ethernet – all of which boost AHV performance and scalability.
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Nutanix users are shifting from older generations (Dell R740/R730, HPE Gen10, Lenovo Gen2) to newer hardware. Below is a detailed rundown of the newest platforms and components that have been validated by community labs and production users alike (no sales fluff – just practical specs!).
✅ Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility Matrix + Recommended Servers
Component | Minimum Requirement | Recommended for Optimal Performance | Dell PowerEdge | HPE ProLiant | Lenovo ThinkSystem |
CPU | Intel Xeon Scalable (3rd Gen or newer) | 4th or 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable; AMD EPYC 7004 (Genoa) | Xeon 4th/5th Gen (R650, R750) | Xeon 4th/5th Gen (DL360/380 Gen11) | Xeon 4th/5th Gen or EPYC 7004 (SR630/650 V3) |
Memory (RAM) | 512 GB per node | 1–2 TB DDR5 per node; up to 8 TB with 3DS RDIMMs | Up to 8 TB DDR5 | Up to 8 TB DDR5 | Up to 8 TB DDR5 |
Storage Type | SAS/SATA SSDs | PCIe Gen4/5 NVMe SSDs | U.2/U.3 NVMe supported | EDSFF/U.2 NVMe supported | Up to 36x NVMe (SR650 V3) |
Storage Devices | 1x Cache + 1x Capacity per Disk Group | All-NVMe configurations | Up to 24x NVMe | Up to 20x EDSFF NVMe | Up to 36x NVMe |
PCIe Version | PCIe Gen3 | PCIe Gen5 | PCIe Gen5 | PCIe Gen5 | PCIe Gen5 |
Network Speed | 10GbE | 25–100GbE (RDMA or offloads preferred) | Up to 100GbE (Intel E810) | 25/100GbE (OCP 3.0 NICs) | 100/200GbE (Mellanox/BlueField) |
Form Factor | 1U or 2U rackmount | 2U preferred for NVMe capacity & airflow | R650 (1U), R750 (2U) | DL360 (1U), DL380 (2U) | SR630 (1U), SR650 (2U) |
Nutanix Certification | Nutanix Ready Node | Nutanix Certified Hardware | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Notes:
Ensure that all hardware components are listed in the Nutanix Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for production deployments.
DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen5 are strongly recommended for optimal performance, especially in all-NVMe configurations.
Networking components should support RDMA or offloads for enhanced performance.
For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official Nutanix HCL.
🖥️ Dell PowerEdge (15th Gen: R750, R650, R750xs) - Nutanix Server Requirements and Compatibility
The new Dell PowerEdge rack servers (15th generation) replace the R730/R740 line.
🧠 CPU & Memory
Dual-socket support for:
4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable (Sapphire Rapids, up to ~60 cores each)
AMD EPYC 7004 (Genoa, up to 96 cores)
Uses DDR5 RDIMMs (up to 5600 MT/s)
Dell PowerEdge R750/R650 can hold several TB of RAM
High memory density:
Example: 32 DIMMs = ~8 TB in Lenovo SR650 V3
Dell offers similar capacity
💾 Storage Bays
Dell PowerEdge R750 (2U):
Up to ~24× 2.5″ drive bays (hot-swap NVMe or SSD/HDD)
Or ~12× 3.5″ in low-profile configurations
Dell PowerEdge R650 (1U):
Typically supports ~10× 2.5″ bays
Dell PowerEdge R750xs:
Similar to Dell PowerEdge R750, but optimized for max DIMM count and memory
All models support NVMe/U.2 or U.3 drives for the Nutanix data tier
🌐 Networking
Broad PCIe expansion allows multiple high-speed NICs
On-board 10GbE available
Optional PCIe cards for:
25GbE
100GbE
Common NIC choices:
Intel E810-series (100Gb/25Gb)
Mellanox ConnectX-6 (100Gb)
Typical Nutanix deployments:
Dual-port 100GbE
Quad-port 25GbE for cluster fabric
🔐 Special Notes
Dell Integrated Security includes:
TPM 2.0
Secure Boot
Supports hot-swap drives and dual power supplies
Proven in the field:
Community clusters running Nutanix on R750/R650
Configs with 4th Gen Xeons and 25/100Gb NICs run without issue
Solid upgrade path from Dell PowerEdge R740/R640
💼 HPE ProLiant Gen11 (Sapphire Rapids Xeon) - Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility
HPE’s latest Gen11 servers (ProLiant DL360 Gen11, DL380 Gen11, etc.) now use the same 4th Gen Intel CPUs:
🧠 CPU & Memory
Dual-socket support for 4th Gen Intel Xeon (“Sapphire Rapids”), up to 64 cores each
These CPUs unlock DDR5 memory support
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 (2U):
Up to 8 TB DDR5 total
16 DIMM slots per CPU
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 (1U):
Slightly fewer DIMMs (~8 per CPU)
Expect ~4–6 TB DDR5
DDR5 speeds reach ~4800 MHz at 2DPC
Uses DDR5 Registered DIMMs, including 3DS RDIMMs for higher capacity
💾 Storage Bays
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 (2U):
Supports up to 20 NVMe drives via HPE’s EDSFF (ruler) form factor
Also supports mix of 24× SFF (2.5″) and mid-plane/back-plane slots
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 (1U):
Supports up to 16 SFF drives or multiple NVMe
NVMe bays ideal for Nutanix’s distributed storage tier
SATA/SAS SSDs can be used for capacity-tier if needed
🌐 Networking
Uses HPE’s FlexibleLOM interface
Common built-in NICs:
10/25Gb (X722)
100Gb (Intel or Broadcom)
Spare PCIe slots available for NIC cards (e.g., dual-port 100Gb Intel E810)
Typical configuration:
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 with 2× 100Gb RoCE NICs for AHV
Older switches supported via 25Gb NICs (X710/E810), fully AHV compatible
🔐 Key Features
On-board PCIe Gen5 (from CPU/chipset)
Hardware security:
Root of Trust
Silicon-level encryption
SmartNIC offload available if needed
Verified performance in testing:
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 with dual 4th Gen Xeon, NVMe, and FlexLOM 100GbE performs reliably in Nutanix clusters
🔧 Key Specs (HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11)
2× Xeon 4th Gen (64 cores)
Up to 8 TB DDR5 (4800–5600 MT/s)
Up to 20× NVMe (EDSFF)
1G/10/25/100Gb FlexLOM
PCIe Gen5
💻 Lenovo ThinkSystem & ThinkAgile HX (V3) - Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility
Lenovo’s lineup also jumped to the latest CPUs:
🖥 ThinkSystem SR630 V3 / SR650 V3
1U and 2U rack servers (successors to SR630/SR650 Gen2)
CPU support:
Intel 5th Gen Xeon (Emerald Rapids, up to 64 cores per CPU)
Intel 4th Gen Xeon (up to 60 cores)
AMD EPYC 4th Gen “Genoa” also supported
Memory:
DDR5
8 channels per CPU
2 DIMMs per channel (16 DIMMs per CPU)
Up to ~8 TB total using 256GB 3DS RDIMMs
Storage:
SR650 V3 (2U): Up to 36 NVMe drives including midplanes and rear bays
Maintains 1:1 PCIe lane mapping for maximum I/O bandwidth (ideal for AHV)
SR630 V3 (1U): Typically supports ~16–20 SFF drives or NVMe
PCIe:
Up to 80 PCIe Gen5 lanes from CPUs
Excellent for adding extra NICs, HBAs, or accelerators
Proven compatibility:
Nutanix CVMs successfully deployed on SR650 V3
Example: 4th Gen Xeons + 4 TB RAM — runs stable and high-performing
📦 ThinkAgile HX Series (HX630 V3, HX650 V3, HX645 V3, HX665 V3)
Lenovo’s certified hyperconverged appliances for Nutanix
Same hardware platform as ThinkSystem V3, delivered as pre-integrated bundles
Intel-based models:
HX630 V3 (1U, 1- or 2-node)
HX650 V3 (2U)
Based on “Eagle Stream” platform (same as SR630/SR650 V3)
AMD-based models:
HX645 V3 and HX665 V3
Support 2× EPYC 9004 (Genoa) CPUs
All models include:
Validated firmware
Nutanix software licensing options
Support for DDR5 memory, NVMe storage, and 25/100GbE networking
Ideal for users seeking turnkey Nutanix nodes – just plug and deploy
🔧 Key Specs (Lenovo)
SR630 V3 (1U) & SR650 V3 (2U):
2× Xeon 4th/5th Gen (60–64 cores) or
2× EPYC 4th Gen (Genoa, 64–96 cores)
32 DDR5 slots (up to ~8 TB total)
Dozens of NVMe bays
PCIe Gen5 for expansion
ThinkAgile HX630/650 V3 mirror the same specs in 1U/2U turnkey appliances
🛠 CPU/Memory & PCIe5 Upgrades - Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility
Across all these platforms, the hardware advancements are consistent:
🧠 CPUs
Gen Intel Xeon (“Sapphire Rapids”) or 5th Gen (“Emerald Rapids”)
On-die PCIe Gen5 and CXL support
AMD EPYC 4th Gen (Genoa) with PCIe5 is also common on Lenovo and Dell platforms
Core counts are skyrocketing:
64–96 cores per CPU
This provides massive headroom for Nutanix clusters
🧠 Memory
Uses all-new DDR5 RDIMMs (including 3DS RDIMMs)
Clock speeds:
≥4800 MT/s across most configurations
5600 MT/s on Intel 5th Gen (1 DPC)
4800 MT/s on Intel 4th Gen (1 DPC)
Typical architecture:
8 channels per CPU
2 DIMMs per channel (1 or 2 DPC)
16 DIMMs per CPU
At 256 GB per DIMM (3DS):
4 TB per CPU
8 TB per dual-socket node
Multi-terabyte RAM per node is now expected
Note: Intel Optane PMem is supported on some servers
Not typically used in Nutanix environments
⚡ PCIe 4.0 / 5.0
Latest CPUs provide PCIe 5.0 lanes
Doubles bandwidth compared to PCIe 4.0
Ideal for NVMe SSDs and high-speed NICs
Even if motherboards don’t fully support PCIe 5.0 in all slots:
They still offer ample PCIe 4.0 lanes
Example: 80 lanes on Lenovo SR650 V3
Nutanix users can saturate both storage and networking without bottlenecks
💾 NVMe Everywhere
NVMe is now treated as a primary storage class
Drive types supported:
U.2 / U.3
EDSFF (ruler) form factor
Example: Lenovo SR650 V3 supports 36 NVMe drives with no PCIe oversubscription
Most vendors also support mixed configurations:
2.5″ SSD/HDD + NVMe
Recommendation:
Use as many NVMe SSDs as possible for Nutanix storage tier to achieve peak IOPS
🌐 Networking
25GbE is now standard on many boards via onboard LOM ports
100GbE is widely available via PCIe add-in cards
Common NICs:
Intel E810 (100Gb/25Gb Ethernet) – AHV has native drivers
Mellanox ConnectX-5/6 (100GbE RoCE) – proven, works well
10GbE (e.g., Intel X710 or X520) still usable:
Suitable for Nutanix CE or smaller environments
Trend:
New data centers are moving toward 25/100GbE
Important to ensure your switch fabric can support this shift
In short, modern Nutanix nodes are armed with top-tier hardware: dozens of CPU cores, TBs of DDR5 memory, tens of NVMe SSDs (PCIe4/5), and multi-100Gb Ethernet. These specs maximize Nutanix’s performance and density.
💾 Recommended SSDs & NICs - Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility
To take full advantage of new servers, pick enterprise-grade SSDs and NICs:
💾 NVMe SSDs
For the Nutanix storage pool, recent data center-grade NVMe models are recommended
Examples:
Intel SSD DC P5510
U.2
15.36 TB
PCIe Gen3
Widely used and rock-solid on AHV
Micron 7450
U.2 2.5″
PCIe Gen4
Up to 15.36 TB
Very fast and high endurance (Gen4 NAND)
Samsung PM9A3
U.2
1.92 TB or 3.84 TB
PCIe Gen4
Popular mixed-use NVMe SSD
Samsung PM9A1/PM9A3
For PCIe Gen3/Gen4 workloads
Samsung PM9D3/PM9D5
PCIe Gen5 versions (listed in Lenovo spec sheets)
These PCIe SSDs fit directly into modern NVMe bays
Offer very high IOPS and throughput
Ideal for the Nutanix distributed storage tier
Alternative option:
Large SATA/SAS SSDs (e.g., 7.68 TB SATA SSD)
Useful for capacity tier
AHV supports SATA HBA pass-through
By choosing up-to-date SSDs and NICs, your new Nutanix nodes will saturate their PCIe lanes and deliver maximum cluster throughput.
💻 Boot/OS Drives
Use small SSDs (SATA or NVMe) for boot or OS data (CVM, AHV)
Even basic drives work:
240 GB or 1 TB SATA SSDs are sufficient for CVM
Some servers offer special boot options:
Example: HPE’s 5×128 GB NVMe boot card
Avoid:
USB drives
SD cards
These are no longer recommended for CVM in modern clusters
🌐 Network Cards
Minimum recommended: 25Gb NICs
Intel E810 series:
Examples:
XXV710 (25Gb)
FM100/FM150 (100Gb)
AHV-certified and very common
E810-DA2 Dual-Port 100Gb provides 200Gb total from one card
Mellanox ConnectX-6:
Example: MCX646A
100Gb with RoCE support
Popular for low-latency Nutanix clusters
Budget/switch-constrained setups:
Intel X710 dual-25Gb
Intel X520 dual-10Gb
Both fully supported in AHV (drivers included)
🔧 TIP
Always update the firmware and BIOS of NICs to the latest versions
Intel and Mellanox regularly release critical updates
AHV and Nutanix CE frequently update Linux drivers
Newer NICs may require manual firmware tweaks for full compatibility
Staying current avoids unexpected driver issues in AHV/Prism
🔑 Summary - Nutanix Hardware Requirements and Compatibility
Upgrading your Nutanix nodes for 2025 means moving to 15th-gen rack servers and the very latest components:
🖥 Dell
PowerEdge R750 (2U) or R650 (1U)
Supports:
4th Gen Intel Xeon or AMD EPYC CPUs
DDR5 memory
All-flash NVMe storage
25/100Gb NICs
R750xs is the variant optimized for higher memory capacity
🖥 HPE
ProLiant DL360 / DL380 Gen11
Supports:
4th Gen Intel Xeon CPUs
DDR5 memory (up to 8 TB)
EDSFF NVMe drives
25/100Gb FlexLOMs
🖥 Lenovo
ThinkSystem SR630 / SR650 V3 (1U/2U form factors)
ThinkAgile HX630 / HX650 V3 (Nutanix-certified appliance versions)
Supports:
5th Gen Intel Xeon or AMD EPYC
Massive DDR5 memory capacity
Dozens of NVMe drives
25/100Gb networking
⚙️ Components
Recommended PCIe Gen4/Gen5 NVMe SSDs:
Intel P5510
Micron 7450
Samsung PM9A3 / PM9A4
Network Interface Cards:
Intel E810 (100Gb/25Gb)
Mellanox 100GbE cards
These deliver top-tier performance for Nutanix clusters
🧪 Lab (CE) Servers
Choose late-model used servers
Recommended NICs:
Intel X710
Intel 82599
Intel E810
Ensure:
Sufficient RAM
BIOS and drivers are up to date for AHV compatibility
All these combinations have been field-tested by Nutanix admins and community labs – not marketing promises. They deliver on Nutanix’s compatibility needs (AHV support for NVMe, NICs, etc.) while avoiding obsolete hardware. By following these updated guidelines, your next Nutanix cluster (production or lab) will be ready for peak performance and longevity.
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