The Dell 7GR2K is a 960GB solid state drive with a SATA 6Gb/s link. It comes in the 2.5-inch size and is a mixed use drive, which means it is made for both reads and writes. Dell uses this number for a server drive.

Dell label, maker label

Seller listings link 7GR2K to the SK hynix model HFS960G32FEH-BA10A. The Dell number is the one to quote when you match a spare. The maker number helps when you read a data sheet or a system log.

What mixed use means

Drive makers sort server SSDs by how much data they write. Read intensive drives suit data that is written once and read often. Mixed use drives take more writes, so they suit databases, virtual machines and busy file stores. A 960GB drive gives a mid size pool of fast storage for those jobs.

Match the drive to the job

Use mixed use drives for data that changes often, such as database files and virtual machine disks. Keep read intensive drives for archives and media. When the two stay apart, it is easier to track wear and plan spares.

How much room you get

Makers count a gigabyte as one billion bytes. Your operating system often counts in binary units instead. So a 960GB drive shows up as about 894GiB once it is formatted. Plan your volumes with the smaller figure.

What SATA can do

A SATA 6Gb/s link moves about 600 MB/s at most. That is plenty for boot volumes, caches, logs and small databases. If you need more speed from each bay, an NVMe or SAS drive suits you better.

Spare drive tips

• Keep spares with the same Dell number as the drives in the set.
• Mixing drive classes in one RAID set can hold the faster drives back.
• Check that your backplane takes SATA drives before you plan a swap.
• Use the drive tray made for your server, since trays differ by model.

Dell 7GR2K specifications