T42X8 Dell 2TB NVMe PCIE Gen3.1 X4 (HHHL) TLC Read-intensive Enterprise SSD

Product Overview of the Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD

The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3.1 x4 enterprise solid-state drive is designed for high-performance data centers and business-critical workloads. Built with advanced NVMe technology and reliable TLC flash memory, this read-intensive SSD delivers fast data access, low latency, and long-term durability for enterprise environments.

General Information

Manufacturer Details

• Brand: Dell
• Manufacturer: Dell Technologies
• Dell Part Number: T42X8
• Product Category: Enterprise Solid State Drive

Technical Specifications

Storage & Interface

• Storage Capacity: 2TB
• Interface Type: PCI Express 3.1 x4 (NVMe)
• Form Factor: PCIe Card (HHHL)

Memory & Reliability

• Flash Memory Type: 3D NAND TLC
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): 2,000,000 hours

Compatibility

Servers & Platforms

• Dell PowerEdge servers with available PCIe Gen3 x4 slots
• Enterprise servers supporting NVMe PCIe HHHL cards
• Workstations with PCI Express 3.1 x4 NVMe support

Performance

Data Transfer Speed

• Sequential Read Speed: Up to 3290 MB/s
• Sequential Write Speed: Up to 1650 MB/s

Random IOPS Performance

• Random Read: Up to 650,000 IOPS
• Random Write: Up to 205,000 IOPS

The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3.1 x4 HHHL Enterprise SSD

The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3.1 x4 HHHL Read-Intensive Enterprise Solid State Drive category is designed for modern data centers, enterprise servers, and high-performance computing environments that demand consistent speed, reliability, and efficiency. This category focuses on enterprise-grade NVMe storage solutions optimized for read-heavy workloads, offering a balance of performance, endurance, and compatibility with Dell PowerEdge servers and other enterprise platforms.

Drives in this category use Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) technology over PCI Express Gen3.1 x4 lanes, enabling significantly lower latency and higher throughput compared to traditional SATA and SAS SSDs. The Half-Height Half-Length (HHHL) form factor makes these SSDs suitable for PCIe expansion slots, allowing flexible deployment in rack and tower servers without occupying front drive bays.

Enterprise NVMe Storage

NVMe Advantages in Enterprise Environments

The NVMe protocol is specifically designed for flash-based storage, eliminating bottlenecks associated with legacy storage interfaces. In the Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category, NVMe enables thousands of parallel command queues, each supporting deep queue depths. This architecture ensures efficient utilization of multi-core CPUs and accelerates data access for demanding enterprise applications.

Enterprise workloads such as virtualization, cloud computing, big data analytics, and content delivery networks benefit greatly from NVMe’s reduced command overhead and faster response times. This category addresses performance consistency, ensuring predictable behavior even under sustained heavy loads.

PCIe Gen3.1 x4 Interface Performance

PCIe Gen3.1 x4 connectivity provides high bandwidth for enterprise NVMe SSDs, supporting multi-gigabyte per second data transfer rates. The Dell T42X8 2TB SSD category leverages this interface to deliver fast sequential read performance and strong random read IOPS, making it ideal for read-intensive applications.

This interface also ensures backward compatibility with PCIe Gen3 slots while maintaining enterprise-level stability. The x4 lane configuration balances performance and power efficiency, which is critical in dense server environments.

Read-Intensive SSD

Optimized for Read-Heavy Workloads

Read-intensive enterprise SSDs are engineered for scenarios where data is accessed frequently but written less often. The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category focuses on maximizing read throughput and minimizing latency, making it suitable for workloads such as web hosting, media streaming, data warehousing, and database querying.

These drives typically offer optimized endurance levels aligned with read-dominant usage patterns, ensuring long operational life while maintaining cost efficiency. Advanced wear-leveling algorithms and intelligent firmware management contribute to reliable performance throughout the drive’s lifecycle.

TLC NAND Flash Technology

This category uses Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND flash memory, which stores three bits per cell. TLC NAND provides a strong balance between capacity, performance, and cost, making it a preferred choice for enterprise read-intensive storage solutions.

Enterprise-grade TLC NAND in the Dell T42X8 category is enhanced with over-provisioning, error correction, and firmware optimizations to ensure data integrity and consistent performance. These enhancements differentiate enterprise TLC SSDs from consumer-grade alternatives.

Form Factor

HHHL PCIe

The Half-Height Half-Length (HHHL) form factor allows the Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category to be installed directly into PCIe expansion slots. This design is ideal for servers that require high-performance storage without sacrificing front-accessible drive bays.

HHHL NVMe add-in cards are particularly useful in legacy systems or specialized server configurations where U.2 or M.2 slots are limited or unavailable. The robust physical design ensures reliable operation in enterprise environments with continuous uptime requirements.

Capacity and Scalability Benefits

2TB Enterprise Storage Capacity

A 2TB capacity provides ample space for large datasets, virtual machine images, and frequently accessed content. The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category supports scalable storage architectures by enabling administrators to deploy multiple drives across servers for increased aggregate capacity and performance.

This capacity point is well-suited for balancing cost, performance, and storage density, particularly in read-intensive environments where fast access to large volumes of data is essential.

Scalable Deployment in Enterprise

The category supports scalable deployment strategies, including clustering, virtualization platforms, and software-defined storage solutions. NVMe performance characteristics allow enterprises to scale workloads without introducing storage-related bottlenecks.

By integrating these SSDs into server infrastructures, organizations can enhance overall system responsiveness and improve application performance at scale.

Reliability and Data Integrity Features

Enterprise-Class Firmware and Validation

The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category benefits from enterprise-class firmware developed and validated for Dell server ecosystems. This ensures compatibility, stability, and predictable performance across supported platforms.

Firmware features include power-loss protection mechanisms, advanced error correction, and end-to-end data path protection to safeguard critical business data.

Use Cases

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

The Dell T42X8 NVMe SSD category is ideal for virtualization platforms where fast read access to virtual machine images is critical. Reduced latency and high IOPS improve VM boot times, application responsiveness, and overall host efficiency.

In cloud environments, these drives support multi-tenant workloads with consistent performance, enabling service providers to deliver reliable user experiences.

Dell Enterprise Ecosystem

Dell PowerEdge Server Integration

The Dell T42X8 2TB NVMe SSD category is designed for seamless integration with Dell PowerEdge servers. Compatibility testing ensures optimal performance, firmware alignment, and simplified management within Dell server environments.

This integration reduces deployment complexity and helps IT teams maintain consistent configurations across their infrastructure.

Multi-Workload Environments

In environments running multiple applications simultaneously, storage quality of service is essential. NVMe architecture and enterprise firmware help maintain balanced performance across workloads.

This category supports efficient resource utilization, preventing individual workloads from negatively impacting overall system performance.