PowerEdge R550
Budget 2U with 3.5-inch bays for backup, file and modest VM hosts.
The PowerEdge R550 is a previous-generation model, still supported and widely deployed. Budget 2U with 3.5-inch bays for backup, file and modest VM hosts.
Platform facts
| Vendor | Dell |
|---|---|
| Generation | 15G |
| Form factor | 2U rack |
| Sockets | 2 |
| CPU | 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable, Silver 4300 series (Ice Lake-SP) |
| DIMM slots | 16 |
| Memory | DDR4 RDIMM, up to 1 TB |
| Storage | 16x 2.5-inch or 12x 3.5-inch hot-plug SAS/SATA; BOSS-S2 boot |
| RAID | PERC H345, H355, H745, H755; HBA355i; BOSS-S2 |
| Management | iDRAC9 |
| Released | 2021 |
| Status | previous |
Field notes
Silver CPUs and 16 DIMMs, few PCIe slots; a Veeam repo or NAS head, not a GPU box. HBA355i for ZFS and Storage Spaces. Windows Server 2022 / 2025 and ESXi 8.0 supported. Replace with an R760xs.
Successor: PowerEdge R760xs.
What we do with the PowerEdge R550
- Specification and procurement of new PowerEdge servers, configured to order
- Rack, rail and cable installation, iDRAC setup and firmware baseline
- Memory, NVMe, PERC and NIC upgrades with qualified parts
- Out-of-warranty repair: PSU, fan, backplane, PERC battery and motherboard replacement
- OS and hypervisor installs: Windows Server, VMware, Proxmox, RHEL, Ubuntu
- ProSupport case handling and lifecycle refresh planning
Related models
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Do you work on PowerEdge servers you did not sell?
Yes. Most of our Dell work is on servers a business already owns, in or out of warranty.
Can you update firmware without downtime?
iDRAC and some component firmware update live. BIOS, PERC and NIC firmware need a reboot, which we schedule in a maintenance window.
Can the PowerEdge R550 run a current operating system?
Check the field notes above. As a rule, current models are certified for Windows Server 2022/2025, ESXi 8 and RHEL 9; legacy models usually stop at Windows Server 2019 or ESXi 7 and may need Proxmox or an older Linux to stay useful.
Need a hand with this?
Tell us what you are running and what is slowing you down. You get a straight assessment and a plan, with no obligation. Support desk is staffed 24/7.