Proxmox VE & PBS Hardware Requirements: Dell and HPE Server Recommendations
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Proxmox VE and Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) are widely used for virtualization, ZFS storage, and fast deduplicated backups.
Dell & HPE Servers for Proxmox
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They do not require vendor licenses, and they run extremely well on Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant servers. The key to stable performance is choosing the right CPU generation, storage layout, HBA, and network hardware.
This article explains the core hardware requirements of Proxmox VE and Proxmox Backup Server (PBS), including the best server recommendations such as Dell PowerEdge 650/750 and HPE ProLiant Gen10+ and Gen11 servers.
Proxmox VE & PBS Hardware Requirements - Dell PowerEdge and HPE ProLiant Servers
CPU - Proxmox Hardware Requirements
Proxmox supports Intel Xeon Scalable and AMD EPYC without special requirements.
Recommended CPU generations:
– Intel Xeon Scalable Gen 2 (R740XD era)
– Intel Xeon Scalable Gen 3 (Dell 650/750, HPE Gen10+)
– Intel Xeon Scalable Gen 4 (HPE Gen11)
– AMD EPYC 7002 / 7003 (DL385 Gen10/Gen10+)
Guidelines:
– PBS: moderate CPU (Xeon Silver / Gold).
– PVE: more cores help with VM density; higher clock improves single-VM performance.
RAM - Proxmox Hardware Requirements
ZFS performs better with more memory:
– PBS: 64–128 GB
– PVE: 128–512 GB or more depending on VMs
Storage - Proxmox Hardware Requirements
For Proxmox PBS:
– Enterprise SAS SSDs or NVMe
– No RAID controller; use an HBA
– High IOPS improves Garbage Collection, Verification, and Restore speed
For Proxmox PVE:
– NVMe or SAS SSDs for VM workloads
– Mirror or RAID-Z depending on workload
– NVMe recommended for low latency VM storage
Network - Proxmox Hardware Requirements
– Minimum: 10GbE
– Recommended: 25GbE
– High-performance clusters: 100GbE
Mellanox ConnectX-4/5 adapters work reliably.
HBA / Controller - Proxmox Hardware Requirements
ZFS requires direct disk access.
– Dell: HBA330
– HPE: H240/H241, P408i in HBA mode
Recommended Dell PowerEdge Servers for Proxmox VE & PBS
Dell PowerEdge R740XD for Proxmox
– 24 × 2.5" or 12 × 3.5"
– Great for hybrid SSD/NVMe storage
– Dual CPU support
– Reliable for both PBS and PVE
Dell PowerEdge R740XD2 for Proxmox
– 24 × 3.5"
– Excellent airflow for dense HDD/SSD use
– Ideal for large PBS clusters
– Supports 10/25GbE NICs easily
Dell PowerEdge R650 (Newer Series, Gen 3 CPUs) for Proxmox
– 1U design
– PCIe Gen4 support
– Supports NVMe-heavy configurations
– Best for compact and fast PVE nodes
– Works well with 25GbE or 100GbE NICs
Dell PowerEdge R750 (Newer Series, Gen 3 CPUs) for Proxmox
– 2U high-performance virtualization server
– Excellent NVMe support
– Very strong CPU performance with 3rd Gen Intel Xeon
– Suitable for high-density VM clusters
– More PCIe lanes and faster memory than R740 series
Recommended HPE ProLiant Servers for Proxmox VE & PBS
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 for Proxmox
– Stable and widely deployed
– Supports SAS/SATA/NVMe
– Works well with H240/H241 HBAs
– Good for PBS and VE
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10+ (Enhanced Version) for Proxmox
– Supports 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable
– More NVMe support compared to standard Gen10
– Better PCIe bandwidth
– Strong for mixed VM and storage workloads
HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 (Latest Generation) for Proxmox
– Supports Intel Xeon Scalable Gen 4
– PCIe Gen5 support
– Highest VM density and throughput
– Ideal for high-performance PVE clusters
– Better efficiency and stronger per-core performance
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 / Gen10+ / Gen11 for Proxmox
– Compact 1U version
– Excellent for cluster nodes
– Strong NVMe support in newer generations
– Good fit for small or medium VE setups
HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 / Gen10+ (AMD EPYC) for Proxmox
– Outstanding price/performance
– High core counts
– Works extremely well with ZFS due to high memory bandwidth
Dell & HPE Servers for Proxmox
✔️ No Risk: Pay Only After Testing