Dell VP 4600 (VMware Edge 3400) Review: A Sub-$500 Xeon D 16-Core Networking Platform

STH's Patrick provides a detailed hardware review of the Dell VP 4600, also known as the Dell EMC or VMware Edge 3400, purchased on eBay for just under $500. This 1U platform features a 16-core Intel Xeon D-2187NT processor, 64GB of DDR4 memory, up to ten 10GbE ports, a 1TB M.2 SSD, redundant hot-swap power supplies, and hot-swap fan modules — all in a compact chassis designed originally for networking virtualization.

■ Hardware & Design
- Chassis overview: front/rear ports, BMC management port, serial console, and USB-to-serial adapter usage
- Networking: 4x Intel i350 1GbE ports, 2x onboard SFP+ 10GbE ports, and 2x Dell RNDC cards adding 8 more 10GbE ports
- Rear components: dual 80 Plus Platinum 495W hot-swap power supplies and five hot-swap fan modules

■ Processor, Memory & Storage
- Intel Xeon D-2187NT details: 16 cores, hyperthreading, quad-channel DDR4 2666, and built-in Intel QAT
- Spectre/Meltdown security concerns on SkyLake-generation Xeon D chips
- Dual M.2 slots with a 1TB Innodisk SSD; cost-saving tips on memory configurations

■ Use Cases, Power & Noise
- Virtualization platforms such as Proxmox and ESXi, plus firewall/SD-WAN scenarios
- Typical power draw around 200–210W and noise levels measured in the studio
- Value proposition versus newer platforms like AMD EPYC Siena

■ Accessories & Sponsor
- USB-to-serial console cables and SFP+ capable switches from sponsor MicroEnter
- Part value breakdown showing the full system cost less than its individual components

This review is useful for homelab enthusiasts, network engineers, and anyone evaluating affordable used 1U servers for virtualization or networking workloads. Viewers will gain a clear understanding of the platform's specifications, limitations, and ideal deployment scenarios before making a purchase decision.