Sourced for enterprise IT teams, the Dell 400-AEKI (400-AEKI - Dell 500GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive) is a Laptop Hard Drive component appropriate for new-build, expansion, or warranty-replacement procurement. Technical specifications include capacity of 500 GB, spindle speed of 7,200 RPM, form factor of 2.5-inch, interface of SATA, data rate of 6 Gb/s. Appropriate for OS boot tier (Windows Server, RHEL, Ubuntu Server, ESXi), application data tier, database log volumes, and tier-2 capacity in mixed-storage clusters. Pro Disk Network maintains the 400-AEKI in our enterprise inventory and verifies each unit against manufacturer datasheet specifications prior to listing. New stock ships factory-sealed where available; refurbished units are tested under load before dispatch and ship with a 90-day Pro Disk Network functional warranty. Same-day dispatch on in-stock orders placed before 3pm ET; free standard ground shipping on US orders over $150.
The 400-AEKI is a Dell laptop hard drive component with capacity 500 GB, spindle speed 7,200 RPM, form factor 2.5-inch. Pro Disk Network sells the 400-AEKI for $304.24 with same-day US shipping and a 30-day return guarantee.
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Reviewed by:Pro Disk Network Engineering Team — . Specifications, compatibility, and pricing for the 400-AEKI are shown on this page.
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Quick Answer: Will the 400-AEKI work with my RAID controller?
The 400-AEKI operates with any standard SAS/SATA/NVMe-compatible RAID controller (Dell PERC, HPE Smart Array, LSI/Broadcom MegaRAID, Adaptec, IBM ServeRAID, Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID). Mixing this drive in the same RAID volume with drives of different speed/capacity is supported but never recommended.
How fast does the 400-AEKI ship?
If in stock, the 400-AEKI ships same business day on US orders placed before 3 pm ET. Most US ZIP codes receive next-business-day or 2-day delivery via FedEx/UPS Ground or Express. Bulk and project orders shipping in pallets are typically dispatched within 24-48 hours.
The 400-AEKI is deployed by US enterprises, MSPs, government, and education customers across multiple infrastructure scenarios. Below are the most common deployment patterns Pro Disk Network sees in real-world orders.
VMware vSAN Capacity Tier — Used as bulk storage in all-flash and hybrid vSAN clusters. Pair with NVMe cache-tier drives for SLA-grade write throughput at half the cost of all-NVMe.
Veeam Backup Repository — Cost-optimised backup target for Veeam B&R, Rubrik, or Cohesity primary backup tier. RAID 6 over 8–24 drives delivers 100+ TB usable per server.
Splunk Warm/Cold Tier — Appropriate for Splunk warm/cold/frozen indexes where ingest write rates are below 200 MB/s per node. Avoid for hot-tier indexes — use NVMe instead.
File Server / SMB Shares — General-purpose Windows Server / Samba shares for departmental file storage. RAID 5 for capacity, RAID 10 for IOPS-sensitive workloads.
What is the 400-AEKI?
The 400-AEKI is a Dell enterprise-grade hard drive with capacity 500 GB and spindle speed 7,200 RPM, manufactured by Dell. Pro Disk Network ships this part new and certified-refurbished from our US warehouse with same-day dispatch on orders placed before 3 PM ET, backed by a 30-day return guarantee.
Pros & Cons of 400-AEKI
Pros
Free 30-day return window covers DOA + fit issues
Cons
Not recommended for OLTP databases above 50 TPS
Mechanical drive — expect 5–10W idle power per unit
3.5" form factor only — confirm caddy fit before ordering
Frequently Asked Questions about 400-AEKI
Is the 400-AEKI a genuine Dell part?
Yes. Pro Disk Network sources every 400-AEKI as factory-original Dell inventory. New units arrive sealed in OEM packaging; refurbished units are pulled from decommissioned Dell servers, surface-tested, and re-warranted by Pro Disk Network for 90 days.
Will the 400-AEKI work with my RAID controller?
The 400-AEKI operates with any standard SAS/SATA/NVMe-compatible RAID controller (Dell PERC, HPE Smart Array, LSI/Broadcom MegaRAID, Adaptec, IBM ServeRAID, Lenovo ThinkSystem RAID). Mixing this drive in the same RAID volume with drives of different speed/capacity is supported but never recommended.
How fast does the 400-AEKI ship?
If in stock, the 400-AEKI ships same business day on US orders placed before 3 pm ET. Most US ZIP codes receive next-business-day or 2-day delivery via FedEx/UPS Ground or Express. Bulk and project orders shipping in pallets are typically dispatched within 24-48 hours.
What is the warranty on the 400-AEKI?
New 400-AEKI units carry the full Dell manufacturer warranty (typically 1 to 5 years depending on product line). Refurbished and bulk-OEM units include a Pro Disk Network advance-replacement warranty (90 days refurbished). DOA replacement is free within 30 days of receipt.
Do you offer bulk pricing for the 400-AEKI?
Email sales@prodisknetwork.com with the quantity and target ship date for a quote within one business day.
Other parts that share the 400 series prefix — useful when sourcing matched lots, hot-spare pools, or capacity-tier expansions.
400-AEBR — 400-AEBR - Dell 1TB 7200RPM SATA 3GB/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive with Tray for PowerEdge M620 Server — $304.34
400-AECO — 400-AECO - Dell 2TB 5400RPM SATA 6Gb/s 3.5-inch Hard Drive — $292.87
400-AECP — 400-AECP - Dell 256GB Multi-Level Cell (MLC) SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-inch Solid State Drive — $1,030.38
400-AEDC — 400-AEDC - Dell 300GB 15000RPM SAS 6Gb/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive — $273.91
400-AEDE — 400-AEDE - Dell 1.2TB 10000RPM SAS 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 2.5-inch Hard Drive with Tray — $380.04
400-AEDZ — 400-AEDZ - Dell 250GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive — $385.47
400-AEEC — 400-AEEC - Dell 300GB 10000RPM SAS 6Gb/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive — $68.42
400-AEED — 400-AEED - Dell 250GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hot-Pluggable 2.5-inch Hard Drive — $369.84
400-AEEE — 400-AEEE - Dell 300GB 2.5-inch 6GB/s 10000RPM HS SAS Hard Drive — $155.79
400-AEEF — 400-AEEF - Dell 300GB 10000RPM SAS 6Gb/s Hot Pluggable 2.5-inch (In 3.5-inch Hybrid Carrier) Hard Drive with Tray for PowerEdge and Powervault Server — $210.53
400-AEEG — 400-AEEG - Dell 300GB 3.5-inch 6GB/s 10000RPM HS SAS Hybrid Hard Drive — $382.59
400-AEEH — 400-AEEH - Dell 300GB 15000RPM SAS 12Gb/s 2.5-inch Hard Drive with Tray Gen13 — $84.21
Pro Disk Network Buyer’s Guide: Laptop Hard Drive
How to Pick the Right Drive Capacity for Your Use Case
Sizing a storage drive correctly is the difference between a system that runs predictably for five years and one that you replace under emergency conditions at 18 months. For the 400-AEKI, plan capacity around three numbers: working-set size, retention window, and overhead headroom. Working set is the actively-read data — databases, indexes, hot files. Retention window is how long you keep cold data online before tiering off. Overhead headroom should be 25-30%: drives run noticeably slower above 80% utilisation and metadata operations stall above 90%.
Drive Health Monitoring: SMART, Workload Rating, and Predictive Failure
Workload rating — expressed as TB written per year — matters more than raw capacity in choosing the 400-AEKI for sustained-write workloads. Consumer SATA drives are rated for 55 TB/year; enterprise SATA for 180-550 TB/year; enterprise SAS for 550 TB+/year; mixed-use NVMe for 1-3 PB/year over five years. Match the rating to your sustained write profile, then add 30% headroom.