Dell R760xa vs HPE Compute XD690
A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge R760xa and the HPE Compute XD690, built from Dell’s and HPE’s own documents. 3 headline measures favour the R760xa, 1 favours the Compute XD690, and they share no processors.
Bottom line. R760xa leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work, storage density, AI and acceleration. Compute XD690 leads on network throughput. Neither vendor publishes benchmarks for these machines, so every call here is made on what their documents state.

The measures that decide it
Each row is a figure both vendors publish. Bars show the split between the two; a badge marks the larger figure, which is not always the better buy — a shallower chassis or a lower power ceiling can matter more.
Which one, and why
Drawn from the measures above and each model’s own data sheet. Neither vendor publishes benchmark results for these servers, so nothing here claims one is “faster”.
Choose the R760xa if…
- Memory ceiling: 8 TB against 3 TB on the Compute XD690
- Accelerators: Up to 12 against Up to 8 on the Compute XD690
- Rack height: 2U Rack against 10U Rack on the Compute XD690
- Twelve PCIe Gen5 slot positions in 2U: eight single-wide or four double-wide at the front, plus four full-height x16 slots at the rear for fabric or storage adapters.
Choose the Compute XD690 if…
- Fastest network option: 400 GbE class against 100 GbE class on the R760xa
- Eight NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs on an HGX B300 board in a chassis designed for air-cooled infrastructure, with ARCS or a rear door heat exchanger as options.
Where each one pulls ahead
Calls made on documented capacity only — cores, memory, bays, accelerators and network options — with the figures behind each one shown.
Side by side, differences first
Everything both documents state, grouped. The default view hides rows where the two machines are identical.
Processors
Every processor each vendor lists for the model, from its own document.
| Specification | R760xa | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 30 | 2 |
| Processor families | 4th Gen Xeon Scalable · 5th Gen Xeon Scalable | Xeon 6 P-core |
Memory
| Specification | R760xa | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 256 GB | 96 GB |
| Memory types | RDIMM DDR5-4800 · RDIMM DDR5-5600 · RDIMM DDR5-6400 | RDIMM DDR5-6400 |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | R760xa | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Documented layouts | 5 | 1 |
| Bay sizes | 2.5-inch · E3.S | E3.S |
| Boot devices | BOSS-N1 | HPE Compute XD 1.92 TB NVMe Read Intensive M.2 2280 SSD (S6V50A), up to 2 on a single carrier card (the document does not explicitly label it a boot device) |
| Storage controllers | 10 | 0 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | R760xa | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerators supported | Up to 12 | Up to 8 |
| Double-wide cards listed | 2 | 0 |
| OCP slots | 1 | 0 |
| PCIe network slots | 12 | 2 |
| Network cards listed | 13 | 5 |
Power & platform
| Specification | R760xa | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 3 | 1 |
| Output range | 2,400–3,200 W | 3,200–3,200 W |
| Input types | AC · 277 VAC / HVDC | AC |
| Management | iDRAC9 | HPE Compute XD690 Baseboard Management Controller |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 946.73 mm with bezel / 932.89 mm without bezel (Table 23: Zb 875.3 mm, Zc 910.89 mm) | 800 mm (31.5 in) deep |
Processors, memory, bays and power
The same charts each data sheet carries, drawn to the same scale so the two ranges can be read against each other.
R760xa: processors by cores and TDP
Compute XD690: processors by cores and TDP
R760xa: memory with every slot filled
Compute XD690: memory with every slot filled
R760xa: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 8 bays in total.
Compute XD690: drive bays
Front panel
8 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
R760xa: power supplies
Compute XD690: power supplies
R760xa vs Compute XD690, answered
Is the R760xa or the Compute XD690 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The R760xa lists 30 processors up to 64 cores at 350 W; the Compute XD690 lists 2 up to 64 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 128 cores against 128.
Which holds more memory?
The R760xa has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 8 TB. The Compute XD690 has 32 and 3 TB practical ceiling.
Which takes more drives?
R760xa: 8 bays across 5 documented layouts. Compute XD690: 8 across 1. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
R760xa: up to 12 accelerators, 2 double-wide cards listed. Compute XD690: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
No. The two documents list different processors, so a like-for-like processor build is not possible across these two.
Where these figures come from. R760xa: Dell PowerEdge R760xa Technical Guide (June 2026, Rev. A06) (Dell document). Compute XD690: HPE Compute XD690 QuickSpecs (Version 6 - 06-July-2026) (HPE document). Each claim on this page is derived from those documents, checked page by page on the two data sheets, and carries no pricing.
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