Dell PowerScale A-Series vs H-Series
Dell PowerScale A300 (archive)
Dell PowerScale H700 (hybrid)
Both of these are Dell PowerScale scale-out NAS nodes running the same OneFS operating system, so the decision is not primary versus something lesser. It is a tiering decision. The A300 is the archive tier, built to hold very large volumes of warm and cold unstructured data at the lowest cost per terabyte. The H700 is the hybrid tier, built to serve active file workloads with more CPU, memory, and SSD cache per node. Choose by how the data is used, not just how much of it you have. Because both nodes join the same OneFS cluster and namespace, many organizations buy both and let policy move data between them. Uniqcli configures either tier, or a mixed cluster, on one quote.
Side by side
| Dell PowerScale A300 (archive) | Dell PowerScale H700 (hybrid) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier and positioning | Archive tier (A-Series). Designed for active and deep archive, retention, and capacity-first storage where access is steady but not latency-critical. | Hybrid tier (H-Series). Designed as a general-purpose NAS workhorse for actively used file data that needs more consistent performance. |
| Best-fit workloads | Long-term retention, compliance and records archives, backup and DR targets, finished media libraries, and warm data that must stay online but rarely changes. | Home directories and departmental file shares, media and post-production, imaging, log and IoT landing zones, and mixed read/write workloads with many concurrent users. |
| Performance posture | Tuned for cost-efficient capacity and sequential, archive-style access. Near-primary accessibility for an archive, but not built to be the busiest tier in the cluster. | Higher compute, memory, and SSD cache per node deliver more throughput and better handling of concurrent, mixed, and metadata-heavy access. |
| Capacity and density | Highest raw density per chassis in this pair. Packs the most terabytes into each 4U enclosure, which is the point of the archive tier. | Dense, but balances capacity against the performance components, so effective capacity per chassis is lower than the archive node. |
| Cache and compute | Leaner compute profile sized for archive access patterns, which is part of how it keeps cost per terabyte down. | More cache and memory per node to accelerate active data and sustain performance under load. |
| Cost posture | Lowest acquisition cost per usable terabyte in this comparison. The efficient choice for large, growing, mostly-cold data sets. | Higher cost per terabyte, paid for the added performance headroom on data that is actively worked. |
| Data efficiency and OneFS | Runs OneFS with inline compression and deduplication and supports high storage utilization, so effective capacity stretches further. | Runs the same OneFS with inline compression and deduplication, the same data services, snapshots, replication, and security features. |
| Cluster integration | Joins the same OneFS cluster and single namespace as hybrid and all-flash nodes. Ideal as the deep-and-cheap tier data ages into. | Joins the same cluster and namespace. Often paired with archive nodes so OneFS policies auto-tier cold data down and keep hot data fast. |
| Federal readiness | PowerScale is widely deployed for federal unstructured data. TAA-compliant configurations are available and procurable through common government vehicles. | Same federal footprint and compliance posture. Both tiers can sit in one TAA-compliant cluster for agency archives plus active shares. |
Shop these now
Live configurations from our catalog with partner pricing. Add to your cart to request a firm quote, or build a full BOM.
Dell PowerScale A300 (archive)
Dell PowerScale H700 (hybrid)
Choose Dell PowerScale A300 (archive) when
Your priority is holding a large and growing pool of unstructured data online at the lowest cost per terabyte. Pick the A300 for compliance and records retention, backup and DR targets, finished media and imaging archives, and any warm-to-cold data that must stay accessible but does not need top-tier performance. It is also the right node to add underneath an existing PowerScale cluster as the deep, economical tier that active data ages into. If your capacity is climbing faster than your performance demands, this is the efficient side of the choice. Send your capacity targets and retention requirements to /quote and we will size a right-cost archive cluster on a /bom.
Choose Dell PowerScale H700 (hybrid) when
Your data is actively used and performance consistency matters. Pick the H700 for home directories and file shares with many concurrent users, media and post-production, medical or geospatial imaging, analytics landing zones, and mixed read/write workloads that need more cache and throughput than an archive node provides. It is the balanced general-purpose NAS tier: strong capacity with the compute and SSD cache to keep active data responsive. If users would notice archive-tier latency, this is the side to choose. Share your workload profile and user concurrency at /quote and we will spec a performance-appropriate cluster on a /bom.
There is no single winner here, because these nodes solve different halves of the same problem. The A300 wins on cost per terabyte and density for data at rest. The H700 wins on performance and responsiveness for data in use. The most durable answer for many teams is not either/or. Because both nodes run OneFS and share one namespace, you can run H700 nodes for active file services and A300 nodes as the deep, low-cost tier in the same cluster, then let OneFS policies move data between them automatically as it cools. Start with your workload mix, growth curve, and budget, and let the ratio of hybrid to archive follow from that. Uniqcli can scope a single-tier build or a blended cluster and return the exact configuration on a /bom. Start at /quote.
Talk to a specialistFrequently asked
Are the A300 and H700 compatible in the same PowerScale cluster?
Yes. Both run OneFS and join the same scale-out cluster and single namespace alongside all-flash, hybrid, and archive nodes. A common design uses H700 nodes for active workloads and A300 nodes as the low-cost archive tier, with OneFS handling tiering between them. Ask /quote to design the node mix and get it on a /bom.
Is the A300 too slow to use as normal storage?
No, but it is the wrong tool for the busiest workloads. The A300 delivers near-primary accessibility for an archive, which is fine for retention, backups, and warm data. For home directories, media production, or many concurrent users, the H700's extra cache, memory, and throughput deliver a noticeably better experience. Match the tier to how actively the data is accessed.
Which one gives more usable capacity per rack unit?
The A300 is the denser node and packs the most terabytes into each 4U chassis, which is why it carries the lowest cost per terabyte. The H700 trades some of that density for performance components. If maximizing online capacity per rack is the goal, the archive tier leads. We can model usable capacity after data reduction on your /bom.
Do both support inline compression and deduplication?
Yes. Both run the same OneFS data services, including inline compression and deduplication, snapshots, replication, and security features. The efficiency you gain from data reduction applies on either tier, which helps stretch effective capacity on the archive node in particular.
Are these available for federal procurement?
Yes. PowerScale is widely deployed for federal unstructured data, and TAA-compliant configurations of both tiers are available through common government purchasing vehicles. A single cluster can pair archive and hybrid nodes for agency retention plus active shares. Bring your requirements to /quote for a compliant configuration.
Build your Dell bill of materials.
Send us the requirement, the project, or an existing quote to beat. We come back with a validated, TAA-compliant Dell configuration and a real price, often below list.
[email protected] · Chicago, IL