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Head-to-head · every figure from the vendor documents

Dell R960 vs Lenovo SR860 V4

A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge R960 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 V4, built from Dell’s and Lenovo’s own documents. None of the headline measures favour the R960; 5 favour the SR860 V4, and they share no processors.

Bottom line. SR860 V4 leads on virtualisation, storage density, AI and acceleration, network throughput. Neither vendor publishes benchmarks for these machines, so every call here is made on what their documents state.

Dell PowerEdge R960 4U front with 32 × 2.5-inch drive bays in four groups of eight, two central grilles, USB and VGA at right
Dell PowerEdge
R960
4U Rack4 sockets64 DIMMiDRAC9
Configure the R960 →Full data sheet
VS
Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 V4 4U four-socket rack server, front three-quarter view with the optional lockable bezel fitted
Lenovo ThinkSystem
SR860 V4
4U Rack4 sockets64 DIMMXClarity Controller 3
Configure the SR860 V4 →Full data sheet
01 — Scoreboard

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.

4
Processor sockets
4
240
Cores, fully populated
Largest listed processor × its socket count
Higher344
16 TB
Memory ceiling
As each document states it
16 TB
32
Drive bays
Higher56
Up to 4
Accelerators
HigherUp to 8
2,800 W
Largest power supply
Higher3,200 W
4U Rack
Rack height
4U Rack
100 GbE class
Fastest network option
Higher400 GbE class
02 — Verdict

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 R960 if…

  • Four sockets with room for accelerators: the GPU riser layout takes four full-length double-wide cards, which the 2U R860 cannot.

Choose the SR860 V4 if…

  • Cores, fully populated: 344 against 240 on the R960
  • Drive bays: 56 against 32 on the R960
  • Accelerators: Up to 8 against Up to 4 on the R960
  • Fifty-six front drives in one chassis: 32 E3.S 1T NVMe bays over 24 × 2.5-inch SAS/SATA bays, or 48 × 2.5-inch with up to 24 of them NVMe.
03 — By workload

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.

VirtualisationR960: 240 cores with 16 TB. SR860 V4: 344 cores with 16 TB.SR860 V4
Databases & in-memoryMemory ceiling 16 TB against 16 TB, across 64 and 64 DIMM slots.Line ball
Storage density32 bays in 4U against 56 in 4U.SR860 V4
AI & acceleration4 accelerators against 8 in the vendor documents.SR860 V4
Network throughputFastest card listed: 100 GbE class against 400 GbE class.SR860 V4
04 — Specifications

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.

SpecificationR960SR860 V4
Processors listed107
Most cores per processor6086
Processor families4th Gen Xeon ScalableXeon 6 P-core

Memory

SpecificationR960SR860 V4
Fastest rated speed5,600 MT/s6,400 MT/s
Memory typesRDIMM DDR5-4800 · RDIMM DDR5-5600RDIMM DDR5-6400 · 3DS RDIMM DDR5-6400 · CXL 2.0 memory module (E3.S 2T)

Storage

Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.

SpecificationR960SR860 V4
Maximum bays3256
Documented layouts74
Boot devicesBOSS-N1M.2 RAID B550i-2i SATA/NVMe Enablement Kit (internal, 2 x NVMe M.2, Broadcom SAS3808N RAID) · M.2 RAID B545i-2i SATA/NVMe Adapter (internal, 2 x SATA or NVMe M.2, Broadcom SAS3808N RAID) · M.2 B350i-2i NVMe Enablement Kit (internal, 2 x NVMe M.2, optional VROC RAID) + 2 more
Storage controllers915

Accelerators & I/O

SpecificationR960SR860 V4
Accelerators supportedUp to 4Up to 8
OCP slots12
PCIe network slots1218
Network cards listed1514

Power & platform

SpecificationR960SR860 V4
Power-supply options610
Output range1,100–2,800 W1,300–3,200 W
Input typesAC · −48 V DCAC · 277 VAC / HVDC · −48 V DC
ManagementiDRAC9XClarity Controller 3
Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet883.195 mm with bezel / 869.195 mm without bezel906 mm (2.5-inch chassis) / 946 mm (E3.S chassis)
05 — The data

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.

R960: processors by cores and TDP

Dell PowerEdge R960 processors0816243240485664150 W200 W250 W300 W350 WCores per processorIntel Xeon Platinum 8490H — 60 cores / 120 threads · 350 W · 1.9 GHz base · 113 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8468H — 48 cores / 96 threads · 330 W · 2.1 GHz base · 105 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8460H — 40 cores / 80 threads · 330 W · 2.2 GHz base · 105 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8454H — 32 cores / 64 threads · 270 W · 2.1 GHz base · 83 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6448H — 32 cores / 64 threads · 250 W · 2.4 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8450H — 28 cores / 56 threads · 250 W · 2 GHz base · 75 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6418H — 24 cores / 48 threads · 185 W · 2.1 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6416H — 18 cores / 36 threads · 165 W · 2.2 GHz base · 45 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8444H — 16 cores / 32 threads · 270 W · 2.9 GHz base · 45 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6434H — 8 cores / 16 threads · 195 W · 3.7 GHz base · 23 MB cache · DDR5-48008490H60 cores · 5.8 W/core — top SKU and most efficient
4th Gen Xeon Scalable 10Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

SR860 V4: processors by cores and TDP

Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 V4 processors0816243240485664728088150 W200 W250 W300 W350 WCores per processorIntel Xeon 6 6788P — 86 cores / 172 threads · 350 W · 2 GHz base · 336 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6768P — 64 cores / 128 threads · 330 W · 2.4 GHz base · 336 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6748P — 48 cores / 96 threads · 300 W · 2.5 GHz base · 192 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6738P — 32 cores / 64 threads · 270 W · 2.9 GHz base · 144 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6728P — 24 cores / 48 threads · 210 W · 2.7 GHz base · 144 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6724P — 16 cores / 32 threads · 210 W · 3.6 GHz base · 72 MB cache · DDR5-6400Intel Xeon 6 6714P — 8 cores / 16 threads · 165 W · 4 GHz base · 48 MB cache · DDR5-64006 6788P86 cores · 4.1 W/core — top SKU and most efficient
Xeon 6 P-core 7Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

R960: memory with every slot filled

16 GB1 TB32 GB2 TB64 GB4 TB96 GB6 TB128 GB8 TB256 GB16 TB64 slots · 16 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

SR860 V4: memory with every slot filled

32 GB2 TB64 GB4 TB96 GB6 TB128 GB8 TB256 GB16 TB64 slots · 16 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

R960: drive bays

Front panel

32 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 32 bays in total, with a dual-controller variant.

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

SR860 V4: drive bays

Front panel

8 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 8 bays in total.

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

R960: power supplies

0500100015002000250030001100 W N/A (-48 V DC) — -(48-60) V DC input (LVDC), 27 A; 60 mm; LOTES APOW0097 cord1100DC1100 W Titanium — Mixed mode (100-240 V AC / 240 V DC); 1050 W at low line 100-120 V AC; 60 mm; C13 cord10501100Titanium1400 W Platinum — Mixed mode (100-240 V AC / 240 V DC); 1050 W at low line 100-120 V AC; 60 mm; C13 cord10501400Platinum1800 W Titanium — Mixed mode HLAC (200-240 V AC / 240 V DC); no low-line operation; 60 mm; C15 cord1800Titanium2400 W Platinum — Mixed mode (100-240 V AC / 240 V DC); 1400 W at low line 100-120 V AC; 86 mm14002400Platinum2800 W Titanium — Mixed mode HLAC (200-240 V AC / 240 V DC); no low-line operation; 86 mm2800TitaniumWatts · dashed line = output at 100–120 V low line
AC−48 V DC

SR860 V4: power supplies

05001000150020002500300035001300 W not stated — -48V DC CRPS Premium (-44V to -54V DC), BizLink connector; efficiency rating not stated in doc; max 41300DC1300 W Platinum — 230V/115V CRPS v1.5, C14; 1000W at 115V; max 41300Platinum1300 W Platinum — 230V/115V CRPS v2.4, C14; 1000W at 115V; max 41300Platinum1300 W Platinum — HVAC/HVDC CRPS Premium, 200-277V AC / 240-380V DC, Amphenol connector; max 41300Platinum1300 W Titanium — 230V/115V CRPS Premium, C14; 1000W at 115V; max 41300Titanium2000 W Titanium — 230V CRPS Premium, C14; max 42000Titanium2700 W Platinum — 230V CRPS v2.3, C20; max 42700Platinum2700 W Platinum — 230V CRPS v2.4, C20; max 42700Platinum2700 W Titanium — 230V CRPS Premium, C20; max 42700Titanium3200 W Titanium — 230V CRPS Premium, C20; max 43200TitaniumWatts · dashed line = output at 100–120 V low line
AC277 VAC / HVDC−48 V DC
07 — Questions

R960 vs SR860 V4, answered

Is the R960 or the SR860 V4 the faster server?

Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The R960 lists 10 processors up to 60 cores at 350 W; the SR860 V4 lists 7 up to 86 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 240 cores against 344.

Which holds more memory?

The R960 has 64 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 16 TB. The SR860 V4 has 64 and 16 TB.

Which takes more drives?

R960: 32 bays across 7 documented layouts. SR860 V4: 56 across 4. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.

Can either take GPUs?

R960: up to 4 accelerators, 1 double-wide cards listed. SR860 V4: up to 8, 1 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. R960: Dell PowerEdge R960 Technical Guide (December 2024, Rev. A05) (Dell document). SR860 V4: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR860 V4 Server (September 7, 2026) (Lenovo 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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