Are your enterprise servers new and genuine?

Yes. We supply new and factory-sealed new-old-stock (NOS) servers from Dell, Lenovo, xFusion and Inspur, sourced through authorized manufacturer channels. New servers are covered by a 3-year warranty.

Can you ship GPU and storage servers to my country?

We export to 60+ countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, with door-to-door freight, customs documentation and insurance handled by our team.

How fast will I receive a quotation?

Most configuration lists receive a detailed quotation within one business day. For complex deployments, our engineers confirm compatibility and provide options before pricing.

Do you support system integrators and resellers?

Yes — system integrators, IT resellers, project suppliers and tender bidders are our primary customers. We offer multi-brand consolidation, neutral configuration advice and repeat-order account support.

How do I pay, and what terms are available?

We accept international bank transfer (T/T) in USD. Standard orders are confirmed against a proforma invoice, while established repeat accounts and project bidders can discuss agreed payment terms in advance.

What is the lead time for delivery to the Middle East or Southeast Asia?

In-stock configurations are normally built and tested within a few business days, followed by door-to-door air or sea freight depending on the destination. We provide a clear timeline and tracking once the order is confirmed.

How is warranty and after-sales support handled overseas?

New servers carry a 3-year warranty. Our support team coordinates with the manufacturer and arranges replacement parts and remote troubleshooting, so you receive the same level of service in any region we ship to.

Can you build a fully custom configuration to my specification?

Yes. Send your required CPU, memory, drives, accelerators, power and networking preferences — or simply describe the workload and target budget. Our engineers specify, assemble and burn-in test the complete system before shipment.

ME5 SERIES (PRIOR GENERATION)

Dell PowerVault ME5012

2U dual-controller SAN/DAS array with 12 x 3.5″ drive bays

The PowerVault ME5012 is the twelve-bay, 2U entry point to the prior-generation ME5 family. Dual-active Intel Xeon controllers and large-form-factor drives deliver dependable shared block storage for small and mid-sized environments, with the same SAN and DAS flexibility as the current ME5200 line. Start with a few disks and grow online using ME412, ME424 or ME484 expansion enclosures – up to 264 drives behind one base array.

Who the ME5012 is built for

The ME5012 follows the same design principle as the current ME5212 but sits one generation earlier, which makes it attractive where budget or an existing ME5/ME4 investment matters more than the newest controller silicon. It runs the complete ME5 firmware feature set – virtual pools, snapshots, replication, ADAPT and the HTML5 PowerVault Manager – and expands online, so a small initial purchase is not a dead end.

Because its bays are large-form-factor, the ME5012 favors cost per terabyte and steady sequential throughput over the highest drive count. It is a sensible choice for general shared LUNs, virtualized hosts that need reliable rather than extreme latency, and disk-based backup or archive data. SSDs can still be mixed into the pool to add an auto-tiered flash tier when some workloads need it.

One practical advantage of choosing the ME5012 is lifecycle continuity in mixed estates. Many organizations already own ME4 or ME5 expansion shelves, and those investments keep working behind an ME5012: drives are added on the same 12Gb SAS back end, and firmware management stays in a single PowerVault Manager console. That lowers both the capital outlay and the operational learning curve compared with introducing a different storage platform. When the day comes to move to the current ME5200 generation, hosts and processes do not have to change – only the controller generation moves forward.

Platform architecture

Dual-active controllers

Two Intel Xeon controllers run active/active and present the same LUNs on both modules. If one module faults, its partner takes over paths without taking volumes offline.

12Gb SAS backend

Drives and ME4-series expansion enclosures connect on a 12Gb SAS back end via wide ports, one per controller, keeping the path to added shelves deterministic.

Pooled virtual storage

Capacity is organized into virtual storage pools with pages that can be auto-tiered across SSD, performance and capacity media as access patterns change.

Included data protection

Redirect-on-write snapshots, thin provisioning, volume copy and asynchronous FC/iSCSI replication are built into the firmware, not bolt-on licenses.

12 x 3.5″ bays

Large-form-factor drives; 2.5″ carriers supported

Dual active controllers

24GB memory (per current spec), automatic failover

Up to 264 drives

Scale with up to nine 2U or three 5U ME4 enclosures

5.80 PB maximum

Highest configuration with three ME484 dense shelves

Dual-active Intel Xeon controllers with automatic, transparent failover
Native block-level SAN or DAS in a single array
RAID 1, 5, 6, 10 and distributed ADAPT erasure coding
Thin provisioning, up to 3 auto-tiers, snapshots and async replication included
32Gb FC, 25Gb iSCSI, 10Gb Base-T and 12Gb SAS host options
AES-256 SED encryption, FIPS 140-2 Level 2 drives and KMIP external key management
PowerVault Manager HTML5 GUI, CLI and Redfish/Swordfish REST API

Where this model fits

Budget-conscious SAN

Put general-purpose block storage behind FC or iSCSI without paying for the newest ME5200 controllers, while keeping all the same data services.

Backup and archive target

Fill the 2U shelf with large NL-SAS disks to receive backup images or retain archives, then add shelves online as retention grows.

Growing mid-size shops

Begin with a handful of drives and expand to 264 drives behind the same base array, avoiding a forklift replacement as data grows.

Technical specifications

Specification	Detail
Product type	Dual-controller hybrid SAN/DAS storage array
Family / generation	PowerVault ME5 (prior generation)
Form factor	2U rack enclosure
Controller modules	2 hot-swappable, active/active; single or dual supported on 2U
Drive bays	12 x 3.5″ (2.5″ carriers supported)
System memory	8GB system + 16GB cache per controller (24GB total) per current spec
Storage format	Native block-level SAN or DAS
Host interfaces	FC, iSCSI (optical or BaseT), 12Gb SAS
Maximum FC ports	8 x 32Gb (auto-negotiate to 16Gb)
Maximum iSCSI ports	8 x 25Gb SFP28 or 8 x 10Gb BaseT
Maximum SAS host ports	8 x 12Gb SAS
RAID levels	1, 5, 6, 10 and ADAPT distributed erasure coding
Drive support	NL-SAS 7.2K, SAS 10K, SSD and FIPS SED media
Data services	Thin provisioning, up to 3 tiers, snapshots, volume copy, async replication
Security	AES-256 SED, FIPS 140-2 Level 2 drives, KMIP key management
Expansion	Up to 9 ME412/ME424 (2U) or 3 ME484 (5U) enclosures; 264 drives max
Max raw capacity	Up to 5.80PB (with three ME484 enclosures)
Power supplies	2 x 580W, 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Dimensions / weight	8.79 x 48.30 x 61.87 cm; up to 32.0 kg loaded
Operating temperature	5C to 35C (derate 1C per 300m above 900m)
Management	PowerVault Manager GUI, CLI, Redfish/Swordfish REST API
Min/Max drive count	2 to 264 drives
Heat dissipation	1980 BTU per hour
Amperage	7.6A to 3.0A (x2)
Management ports	2 x 1Gb BASE-T

Compare the ME5 models

Specification	ME5012	ME5024	ME5084
Form factor	2U	2U	5U
Drive bays	12 x 3.5″	24 x 2.5″	84 x 3.5″
Best at	Low-cost bulk SAN	Flash / performance	Maximum density
Max drives (stacked)	264	276	336
Max raw capacity	5.80PB	5.72PB	7.39PB

Typical configurations

Entry SAN

Dual controllers, 4 x 8TB NL-SAS, 25Gb iSCSI

~32TB raw, expandable online

General virtualization

Dual controllers, 8 x 12TB NL-SAS + 2 SSD tier, 32Gb FC

~96TB raw hybrid pool

Scaled bulk storage

ME5012 plus three ME484 shelves with 20TB drives

Up to 5.80PB raw

How this unit is supplied

Configured to your host

We match the shelf or array to your server model, host bus adapter and cabling so the unit arrives ready to rack and connect, not as a pile of separate parts.

Tested before shipment

Drives, controllers or EMMs, power supplies and firmware revisions are checked so the configuration powers up and presents storage on first install.

Service and warranty

New systems are supplied with the appropriate Dell ProSupport and ProDeploy coverage, with options for proactive and multi-year support.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ME5012 still a good purchase?

Yes for cost-sensitive and existing ME5/ME4 environments. It runs the current ME5 firmware and data services; the ME5212 is the choice when you want the newest controller generation.

What is the difference between ME5012 and ME5212?

They share the same 2U, 12-bay chassis and feature set; the ME5212 is the newer ME5200 controller generation. The ME5012 typically carries a lower acquisition cost.

How much memory does the ME5012 have?

The current ME5 specification lists 8GB system plus 16GB cache per controller (24GB total). Some earlier documentation quoted 16GB per controller.

Can I use it as a SAN and direct-attached storage?

Yes. The same array supports FC/iSCSI SAN and 12Gb SAS DAS, so hosts can be attached on whichever protocol fits.

Which RAID should I use?

Traditional RAID 5 or 6 for simple pools, or ADAPT for distributed erasure coding that rebuilds faster across many drives.

What is the maximum capacity?

Up to 5.80PB raw when configured with three ME484 dense expansion enclosures.

How many drives can one base array manage?

Up to 264 drives using up to nine 2U ME412/ME424 shelves or three 5U ME484 shelves.

Are snapshots and replication licensed separately?

No. Thin provisioning, snapshots, volume copy and asynchronous FC/iSCSI replication are included in the firmware.

Can I add SSDs to an HDD array?

Yes. SSDs can be added to form an auto-tiered pool, placing hot data on flash without a separate system.

What encryption is supported?

AES-256 self-encrypting drives including FIPS 140-2 Level 2 media, with external key management through KMIP.

What are the power and cooling requirements?

Dual 580W supplies on 100-240 VAC and 1980 BTU heat dissipation; the loaded chassis weighs up to 32 kg.

How do I order a configured ME5012?

Tell us your host setup and capacity target; we configure controllers, drives, host ports, cables and Dell service, then quote the complete array.

Can existing ME4 expansion shelves be reused?

Yes. ME412, ME424 and ME484 enclosures connect behind an ME5012 on the same 12Gb SAS back end, protecting prior shelf investments.

Does the array support NAS?

Block storage is native; NAS is provided by pairing the array with a Dell NX Series Windows Storage Server appliance rather than a built-in file layer.