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Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays
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Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays Overview
Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays is a high-performance SAN storage system engineered for enterprise data centers. Built around a dedicated storage controller with 8 GB of pre-installed memory (expandable up to 16 GB), this rackmount solution features 24 drive bays that support SATA HDDs, SAS HDDs, and SATA SSDs. It offers a suite of RAID options – including RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10 – ensuring flexible data protection and performance. The system is optimized with Fibre Channel interfaces delivering 16GB/s throughput and is designed to integrate seamlessly into virtualization environments and high-demand storage applications.
Engineered with active cooling and redundant power supplies, Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays guarantees high availability and reliability for mission-critical workloads. Additional features include hot-swap drive bays and expansion support, enabling scalable storage solutions for enterprise data centers and advanced SMB backup scenarios. This storage system is purpose-built to excel in environments ranging from media servers to virtualization platforms, providing robust connectivity, efficient performance, and a reliable foundation for growing data storage needs.
Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays price is is available on request. Get immediate quote.
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Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays Specifications
- Product Type
- Storage System
- Storage Type
- SAN
- Form Factor
- Rackmount
- Bay Count
- 24-bay
- Supported Drive Types
- SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD
- Hot-Swap Support
- Yes
- Max Supported Capacity
- N/A
- RAID Support
- RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10
- CPU Type
- N/A
- CPU Cores
- N/A
- Installed RAM
- 8 GB
- Max RAM Capacity
- 16 GB
- RAM Type
- DDR3
- Network Ports
- Fibre Channel
- LAN Ports
- N/A
- USB Ports
- N/A
- Expansion Support
- Yes
- Cooling
- Active
- Power Supply
- Redundant
- Power Supply Wattage
- N/A
- Operating System
- N/A
- Snapshot Support
- No
- Cloud Sync Support
- No
- Virtualization Ready
- Yes
- iSCSI Support
- Yes
- Surveillance Support
- No
- Use Case
- Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization
- Product Name
- Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays
- Height
- 7 inches
- Width
- 19 inches
- Depth
- 27 inches
- Weight
- 85 lbs
Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays Use Case
High-Performance Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Consolidation
In a global enterprise rolling out a VMware Horizon VDI platform for 500+ remote users, the Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays delivers sub-millisecond latency and sustained high IOPS. This results in 40% faster desktop boot times, consistent SLA compliance for end users, and simplified storage management under a single pane of glass.
Scalable OLTP Database Acceleration for Retail Transactions
A large-scale retail chain running Microsoft SQL Server for point-of-sale and inventory management leverages the Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays to achieve up to 16 GB/s throughput with automated caching. The outcome is a 30% increase in transaction processing rates, sub-2 ms read/write latency, and improved customer checkout experiences during peak shopping hours.
Enterprise Backup and Disaster Recovery Storage Consolidation
In a multi-site financial services environment, IT architects integrate Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays with existing data protection software to centralize nightly backups and remote replication. This configuration reduces backup windows by 50%, enables sub-hour Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), and ensures regulatory compliance through automated snapshot orchestration.
Quality Certifications
To get the detailed certification, please go to the Compliance Center.
Product Comparison Table 
| Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays |  Dell MD3820I Dual 8G Cache Controller, No hdd, 24 SFF, 10G iSCSI, 600W RPS |  Dell MD3820F Controller*2 4G 16GB/s SFP*4 Cable*4 24*Drive Bays |  Dell MD3800F Dual 8G Cache Controller, No hdd, 12 LFF, FC Connection, 600W RPS |  Dell MD3800F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 12*Drive Bays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Type | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System | Storage System |
| Storage Type | SAN | SAN | SAN | SAN | SAN |
| Form Factor | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount |
| Bay Count | 24-bay | 24-bay | 24-bay | 12-bay | 12-bay |
| Supported Drive Types | SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD | SAS HDD / SATA SSD | Mixed | Mixed | SATA HDD / SAS HDD / SATA SSD |
| Hot-Swap Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max Supported Capacity | N/A | N/A | 512 TB | N/A | 512 TB |
| RAID Support | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 / RAID 50 / RAID 60 / JBOD | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 | RAID 0 / RAID 1 / RAID 5 / RAID 6 / RAID 10 |
| CPU Type | N/A | N/A | Intel Xeon | N/A | Intel Xeon |
| CPU Cores | N/A | N/A | 4 | N/A | 4 |
| Installed RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | 4 GB | N/A | 8 GB |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | N/A | 16 GB |
| RAM Type | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 | N/A | DDR3 |
| Network Ports | Fibre Channel | 10GbE | Fibre Channel | Fibre Channel | Fibre Channel |
| LAN Ports | N/A | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| USB Ports | N/A | USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 | N/A | USB 2.0 |
| Expansion Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooling | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active |
| Power Supply | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant | Redundant |
| Power Supply Wattage | N/A | N/A | 350W | N/A | 350W |
| Operating System | N/A | N/A | Custom OS | N/A | Custom OS |
| Snapshot Support | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cloud Sync Support | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Virtualization Ready | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iSCSI Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Surveillance Support | No | No | No | No | No |
| Use Case | Enterprise Data Center / Virtualization | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center | Enterprise Data Center |
| Product Name | Dell MD3820F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 24*Drive Bays | Dell MD3820I Dual 8G Cache Controller, No hdd, 24 SFF, 10G iSCSI, 600W RPS | Dell MD3820F Controller*2 4G 16GB/s SFP*4 Cable*4 24*Drive Bays | Dell MD3800F Dual 8G Cache Controller, No hdd, 12 LFF, FC Connection, 600W RPS | Dell MD3800F Controller*1 8G 16GB/s SFP*2 Cable*2 12*Drive Bays |
| Height | 7 inches | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3.5 inches |
| Width | 19 inches | N/A | N/A | N/A | 19 inches |
| Depth | 27 inches | N/A | N/A | N/A | 28 inches |
| Weight | 85 lbs | N/A | N/A | N/A | 60 lbs |
Questions & Answers
What is the Dell MD3820F storage array?
The Dell MD3820F is a dual-controller Fibre Channel SAN array with 24 drive bays, dual 8Gb/s FC ports per controller, and up to 16 GB mirrored cache for enterprise-class performance.
Which drive types are supported in the MD3820F?
It supports 24 hot-swappable 2.5″ or 3.5″ SAS HDDs and SSDs (6 Gb/s) for flexible tiering and capacity options.
What is the maximum raw capacity of the MD3820F?
When populated with 8 TB NL-SAS drives, the MD3820F delivers up to 192 TB of raw storage capacity.
What Fibre Channel connectivity does the array include?
Each controller features two 16 Gb/s SFP+ Fibre Channel ports (total four ports) with optional upgrades for additional 8/16 Gb/s FC ports.
How much cache memory does the MD3820F provide?
Each controller houses 16 GB of mirrored write-back cache, delivering 32 GB total for high transactional performance.
Which RAID levels are available on the MD3820F?
It supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, allowing you to balance performance, capacity and data protection.
Can I scale the MD3820F beyond 24 drives?
Yes. You can expand to up to 180 drives by connecting up to seven Dell MD1200/MD1220 expansion enclosures.
How does the MD3820F ensure high availability?
High availability is achieved through dual active-active controllers, redundant hot-swap power supplies, and automatic failover.
What are the physical dimensions and power specs?
The array occupies 3U (5.23″ H x 17″ W x 25.55″ D) and accepts 100–240 VAC with dual hot-swap power supplies.
How do I install and configure the MD3820F?
Install into a 19″ rack, connect FC cables to host HBAs, power on, and use Dell Storage Manager to configure RAID groups and LUNs.
Which operating systems are supported?
Supported platforms include Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux, Ubuntu, VMware ESXi, and major UNIX variants.
Can I manage the MD3820F remotely?
Yes. Use Dell Storage Manager or the RESTful API for web-based monitoring, alerts, firmware updates, and reporting.
What workloads is the MD3820F best suited for?
Ideal for virtualization, databases, email systems, backup/restore and mixed-application environments requiring low latency.
What performance can I expect from the MD3820F?
Configured with SSDs and full cache, it can deliver over 100,000 IOPS and sustained throughput exceeding 2 GB/s under mixed workloads.
What warranty and support options are available?
The MD3820F includes a 3-year limited hardware warranty with next-business-day onsite service and optional ProSupport for 24/7 assistance.
How do I perform firmware updates on the MD3820F?
Download the latest package from Dell Support and use Dell Storage Manager to schedule non-disruptive online updates.
How does the MD3820F integrate with backup software?
It supports VSS, NDMP and third-party plugins for seamless integration with Backup Exec, NetBackup, Veeam and other backup solutions.