Cisco UCS C220 M5

The Cisco UCS C220 M5 is a dual-socket 1U rack server designed for environments where rack space is at a premium but compute density is not negotiable. It accepts one or two Intel Xeon Scalable or second-generation Xeon Scalable processors, giving buyers a wide window of core counts and clock speeds to choose from depending on whether the workload favours fewer fast cores or many slower ones. Memory is provided across 24 DDR4 DIMM slots, with module sizes from 8GB up to 128GB running at up to 2666MHz — a theoretical ceiling of 3TB per server before Optane is even considered. Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory support in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB modules gives the C220 M5 a genuine edge for in-memory databases and large-cache applications that need persistence without falling back to disk. Storage flexibility is one of the M5's stronger points. The backplane can be configured for up to ten 2.5-inch SAS/SATA drives with two NVMe PCIe drives alongside them, a full ten-bay all-NVMe layout for latency-sensitive workloads, or four 3.5-inch bays where bulk capacity is the priority. RAID is handled by Cisco's 12-Gbps Modular RAID Controller with flash-backed write cache, or a HBA where software RAID or ZFS is preferred. Dual M.2 slots and dual internal FlexFlash SD cards add further options for boot volumes, keeping the main drive bays free for data. On the networking side, dual embedded 10GBASE-T ports cover baseline connectivity, while the dedicated mLOM slot takes Cisco VIC adapters running anywhere from 1Gbps to 100Gbps — the same chassis can be provisioned as a lightly-loaded departmental server or dropped into a high-bandwidth compute cluster without a hardware redesign. Power comes from hot-swappable redundant supplies in 770W, 1050W or 1600W ratings, AC or DC depending on the deployment. Managed through Cisco Intersight, UCS Manager or IMC, the C220 M5 slots into existing Cisco UCS estates without introducing a new management tool, which matters as much for a refurbished unit as it does for new stock. Buying refurbished here isn't a compromise on capability — the M5 platform itself hasn't changed, and a professionally tested unit gives you the same dual-socket density and storage flexibility at a materially lower entry cost, with the difference typically going into more memory, faster drives or an extra CPU than the budget would otherwise stretch to. Typical deployments include virtualisation hosts, database servers that benefit from the Optane persistent memory tier, and as a compact building block in UCS-managed clusters where rack space and power budget are both constrained.