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

Dell XE9680 vs Dell XE9680L

A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge XE9680 and the Dell PowerEdge XE9680L, built from Dell’s own documents. 3 headline measures favour the XE9680, 1 favours the XE9680L, and 4 processors appear in both lists.

Bottom line. XE9680 leads on storage density, network throughput. Neither vendor publishes benchmarks for these machines, so every call here is made on what their documents state.

Dell PowerEdge XE9680 front with 16 E3.S drive bays above ten numbered PCIe Gen5 slots (31–40), control panels at each side
Dell PowerEdge
XE9680
6U Rack2 sockets32 DIMMiDRAC9
Configure the XE9680 →Full data sheet
VS
Dell PowerEdge XE9680L front: bezel with LCD panel across the drive bays, control panels either side, twelve PCIe slot brackets below
Dell PowerEdge
XE9680L
4U Rack, Direct Liquid Cooled2 sockets32 DIMMiDRAC9
Configure the XE9680L →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.

2
Processor sockets
2
128
Cores, fully populated
Largest listed processor × its socket count
128
4 TB
Memory ceiling
As each document states it
4 TB
16Higher
Drive bays
8
Up to 8
Accelerators
Up to 8
3,200 WHigher
Largest power supply
3,000 W
6U Rack
Rack height
Higher4U Rack, Direct Liquid Cooled
800 GbE classHigher
Fastest network option
400 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 XE9680 if…

  • Drive bays: 16 against 8 on the XE9680L
  • Largest power supply: 3,200 W against 3,000 W on the XE9680L
  • Fastest network option: 800 GbE class against 400 GbE class on the XE9680L
  • One chassis, six eight-GPU boards: HGX A100 (SXM4), HGX H100, H200 and H20 (SXM5), Instinct MI300X and Gaudi 3 (both OAM 2.0).

Choose the XE9680L if…

  • Rack height: 4U Rack, Direct Liquid Cooled against 6U Rack on the XE9680
  • Cold plates sit on the eight GPUs, the NVLink switches and both processors, and the chassis carries the 1000 W-per-GPU B200 board in 4U.
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.

VirtualisationXE9680: 128 cores with 4 TB. XE9680L: 128 cores with 4 TB.Line ball
Databases & in-memoryMemory ceiling 4 TB against 4 TB, across 32 and 32 DIMM slots.Line ball
Storage density16 bays in 6U against 8 in 4U.XE9680
AI & acceleration8 accelerators against 8 in the vendor documents.Line ball
Network throughputFastest card listed: 800 GbE class against 400 GbE class.XE9680
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.

SpecificationXE9680XE9680L
Processors listed145
Processor families4th Gen Xeon Scalable · 5th Gen Xeon Scalable5th Gen Xeon Scalable

Memory

SpecificationXE9680XE9680L
Memory typesRDIMM DDR5-5600 (5th Gen Xeon, 1DPC) / DDR5-4800 (4th Gen Xeon, 1DPC) / 4400 MT/s 2DPCRDIMM DDR5-5600 (1DPC) / 4400 MT/s (2DPC)

Storage

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

SpecificationXE9680XE9680L
Maximum bays168
Documented layouts31
Bay sizesE3.S · 2.5-inch2.5-inch
Storage controllers31

Accelerators & I/O

SpecificationXE9680XE9680L
PCIe network slots1012
Network cards listed278

Power & platform

SpecificationXE9680XE9680L
Power-supply options32
Output range2,800–3,200 W2,800–3,000 W
Input typesAC · 277 VAC / HVDCAC
Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet263.2 mm H x 482.0 mm W x 1008.77 mm D with bezel (995 mm without bezel174.3 mm H x 482 mm W (upper 2U 447 mm / lower 2U 434 mm) x 1037.57 mm D with bezel (1025.62 mm without
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.

XE9680: processors by cores and TDP

Dell PowerEdge XE9680 processors0816243240485664200 W250 W300 W350 WCores per processorIntel Xeon Platinum 8480+ — 56 cores / 112 threads · 350 W · 2 GHz base · 105 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8470 — 52 cores / 104 threads · 350 W · 2 GHz base · 98 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8468 — 48 cores / 96 threads · 350 W · 2.1 GHz base · 90 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8460Y+ — 40 cores / 80 threads · 300 W · 2 GHz base · 75 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8452Y — 36 cores / 72 threads · 300 W · 2 GHz base · 67.5 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8462Y+ — 32 cores / 64 threads · 300 W · 2.8 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6448Y — 32 cores / 64 threads · 225 W · 2.2 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Gold 6442Y — 24 cores / 48 threads · 225 W · 2.6 GHz base · 45 MB cache · DDR5-4800Intel Xeon Platinum 8592+ — 64 cores / 128 threads · 350 W · 1.9 GHz base · 320 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8580 — 60 cores / 120 threads · 350 W · 2 GHz base · 300 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8568Y+ — 48 cores / 96 threads · 350 W · 2.3 GHz base · 300 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8562Y+ — 32 cores / 64 threads · 300 W · 2.8 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Gold 6548Y+ — 32 cores / 64 threads · 250 W · 2.5 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-5200Intel Xeon Gold 6542Y — 24 cores / 48 threads · 250 W · 2.9 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-52008592+64 cores · 5.5 W/core — top SKU and most efficient
4th Gen Xeon Scalable 85th Gen Xeon Scalable 6Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

XE9680L: processors by cores and TDP

Dell PowerEdge XE9680L processors0816243240485664300 W350 WCores per processorIntel Xeon Platinum 8592+ — 64 cores / 128 threads · 350 W · 1.9 GHz base · 320 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8580 — 60 cores / 120 threads · 350 W · 2 GHz base · 300 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8570 — 56 cores / 112 threads · 350 W · 2.1 GHz base · 300 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8568Y+ — 48 cores / 96 threads · 350 W · 2.3 GHz base · 300 MB cache · DDR5-5600Intel Xeon Platinum 8562Y+ — 32 cores / 64 threads · 300 W · 2.8 GHz base · 60 MB cache · DDR5-56008592+64 cores · 5.5 W/core — top SKU and most efficient
5th Gen Xeon Scalable 5Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

XE9680: memory with every slot filled

32 GB1 TB64 GB2 TB96 GB3 TB128 GB4 TB32 slots · 16 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

XE9680L: memory with every slot filled

64 GB2 TB96 GB3 TB128 GB4 TB32 slots · 16 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

XE9680: drive bays

Front panel

16 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 16 bays in total.

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

XE9680L: drive bays

Front panel

8 × 2.5" NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

XE9680: power supplies

05001000150020002500300035002800 W Titanium — Mixed mode: 200-240 V AC 15.6 A / 240 V DC 13.6 A; 86 mm 54 VDC form factor; C22 inlet (C21 jumper cord); 6 PSUs, 5+1 or 3+3 FTR redundancy2800Titanium3000 W Titanium — Multi-rated: 3000 W at 209.1-240 V AC 16 A / 240 V DC 14.6 A, derates to 2800 W at 200-209 V AC; supported ONLY with the XE9680-Gaudi3 configuration; 6 PSUs, 5+1 or 3+3 FTR3000Titanium3200 W Titanium — 277 V AC 13 A / 336 V DC 11.5 A (spec sheet: 260-400 VDC); APP 2006G1 power cords; available only in US & Canada; 6 PSUs, 5+1 or 3+3 FTR3200TitaniumWatts · dashed line = output at 100–120 V low line
AC277 VAC / HVDC

XE9680L: power supplies

0500100015002000250030002800 W Titanium — For NVIDIA H200 GPU configuration. Mixed mode: 200-240 V AC 15.6 A / 240 V DC 13.6 A; 86 mm 54 VDC form factor, C21 cord; 6 PSUs with 3+3 FTR or 5+1 redundancy; peak 4760 W2800Titanium3000 W Titanium — For NVIDIA B200 GPU configuration. Multi-rated mixed mode: 3000 W at 209.1-240 V AC 16 A / 240 V DC 14.6 A, derates to 2800 W at 200-209 V AC; 86 mm, C21 cord; 6 PSUs with 3+3 FTR or 5+1 redundancy; peak 5100 W3000TitaniumWatts · dashed line = output at 100–120 V low line
AC
06 — Like for like

4 processors you can order in either

Both vendor documents list these parts, so a build can be matched across the two and the comparison comes down to the chassis: 10 more are exclusive to the XE9680 and 1 to the XE9680L.

ProcessorCoresTDP
Intel Xeon Platinum 8592+64350 W
Intel Xeon Platinum 858060350 W
Intel Xeon Platinum 8568Y+48350 W
Intel Xeon Platinum 8562Y+32300 W
07 — Questions

XE9680 vs XE9680L, answered

Is the XE9680 or the XE9680L the faster server?

Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The XE9680 lists 14 processors up to 64 cores at 350 W; the XE9680L lists 5 up to 64 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 128 cores against 128.

Which holds more memory?

The XE9680 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 4 TB. The XE9680L has 32 and 4 TB.

Which takes more drives?

XE9680: 16 bays across 3 documented layouts. XE9680L: 8 across 1. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.

Can either take GPUs?

XE9680: up to 8 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. XE9680L: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.

Do they share any processors?

Yes — 4 processors appear in both documents, including the Intel Xeon Platinum 8592+. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.

Where these figures come from. XE9680: Dell PowerEdge XE9680 Technical Guide (Rev. A09, July 2025) (Dell document). XE9680L: Dell PowerEdge XE9680L Technical Guide (Rev. A04, June 2026) (Dell document). Each claim on this page is derived from those documents, checked page by page on the two data sheets, and carries no pricing.

Other comparisons in this class

XE9680 vs Compute XD690Dell vs HPEXE9680 vs XD685Dell vs HPEXE9680 vs SR680a V3Dell vs LenovoXE9680 vs SR780a V3Dell vs LenovoXE9680L vs Compute XD690Dell vs HPEXE9680L vs XD685Dell vs HPEXE9680L vs SR680a V3Dell vs LenovoXE9680L vs SR780a V3Dell vs Lenovo

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