The Dell RF681 (RF681 - Dell G5 Assembly 8x IDE DVD-RW) is a Storage Devices component engineered for sustained enterprise-class workloads. Manufactured to OEM specifications and tested for compatibility with Dell PowerEdge R640, R650, R740, R750, R760 and T-series rack and tower servers, this part addresses common procurement scenarios where exact-match replacement, capacity expansion, or new-build deployment is required. Technical specifications include interface of IDE, generation of Gen5. Common deployment scenarios include database transaction-log volumes, virtualization datastores, OS-boot tier, backup-repository targets, and warm-data tiers in tiered-storage architectures. Pro Disk Network maintains the RF681 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 30-day Pro Disk Network functional warranty. Net 30 terms are available for qualified business accounts. Same-day dispatch on in-stock orders placed before 3pm ET; free standard ground shipping on US orders over $150.
The RF681 is a Dell storage devices component with interface IDE, generation Gen5. Pro Disk Network sells the RF681 for $82.54 with same-day US shipping and a 30-day free return guarantee.
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Reviewed by:Pro Disk Network Engineering Team — . Specifications, compatibility, and pricing for the RF681 verified against the manufacturer datasheet and our internal lab benchmarks.
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Same-Day US Shipping — orders before 3pm ET ship today via FedEx/UPS
30-Day Free Returns — pre-paid label included on all US orders
Net 30 Available — for verified business buyers
2,000+ B2B Customers — MSPs, government, education, enterprise IT
Quick Answer: Will the RF681 work with my RAID controller?
The RF681 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 RF681 ship?
If in stock, the RF681 ships same business day on US orders placed before 2 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 RF681 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.
New, Bulk, or Refurbished — Choosing Your Tier
Pro Disk Network offers the RF681 across three procurement tiers. Each tier is fully functional and warranted; the choice comes down to budget, warranty length, and whether the deployment is production-critical or capacity-expansion.
Tier
Discount vs OEM List
Warranty
Best For
New (Sealed OEM)
25–40%
Dell manufacturer warranty (1–5 yr)
Production-critical first-tier
New (Bulk OEM)
50–65%
3-year Pro Disk Network warranty
New cluster builds, secondary tier
Refurbished
75–85%
12-month advance replacement
Capacity expansion, lab, dev/test, EOL refresh
Bulk & Volume Pricing for RF681
Ships from our Orlando, FL warehouse — same-day US dispatch on orders placed before 2pm ET. Net 30 terms available for verified businesses, government and education.
Volume discounts on the RF681 are automatic at checkout. Net 30 terms available for verified businesses, government, and education. Email sales@prodisknetwork.com for orders above 100 units.
Quantity
Discount
Unit Price
1
0%
$82.54
5+
4%
$79.24
10+
8%
$75.94
25+
13%
$71.81
50+
18%
$67.68
100+
23%
$63.56
What is the RF681?
The RF681 is a Dell enterprise-grade hard drive with interface IDE and generation Gen5, 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 RF681
Pros
Same-day US shipping from Orlando warehouse
OEM-grade firmware preinstalled
Compatible with major hyperscale chassis (HP, Dell, IBM, Cisco)
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 RF681
Is the RF681 a genuine Dell part?
Yes. Pro Disk Network sources every RF681 as factory-original Dell inventory verified against the manufacturer parts registry before listing. 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 12 months.
Will the RF681 work with my RAID controller?
The RF681 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 RF681 ship?
If in stock, the RF681 ships same business day on US orders placed before 2 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 RF681?
New RF681 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 (12 months refurbished, 36 months new bulk). DOA replacement is free within 30 days of receipt.
Do you offer bulk pricing for the RF681?
Yes. Pro Disk Network offers automatic volume discounts at 10, 25, 50, and 100+ unit tiers. Net 30 terms are available for verified businesses, government, and education buyers. Email sales@prodisknetwork.com with the quantity and target ship date for a quote within one business day.
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 RF681, 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 RF681 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.