Dell XE9780 vs Dell XE9780L
A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge XE9780 and the Dell PowerEdge XE9780L, built from Dell’s own documents. 1 headline measure favours the XE9780, 2 favour the XE9780L, and 4 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. XE9780 leads on network throughput. XE9780L leads on virtualisation, storage density. 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 XE9780 if…
- Fastest network option: 400 GbE class against 100 GbE class on the XE9780L
- A choice of two eight-GPU HGX boards: B300 NVL8 with 270 GB per GPU at 1100 W, or B200 with 180 GB at 1000 W, all eight GPUs joined by NVLink.
Choose the XE9780L if…
- Cores, fully populated: 256 against 172 on the XE9780
- Largest power supply: 33,000 W against 3,200 W on the XE9780
- Packs the same eight-GPU HGX B300 or B200 board as the 10U air-cooled XE9780 into a sled 140.5 mm tall.
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 | XE9780 | XE9780L |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 4 | 10 |
| Most cores per processor | 86 | 128 |
| Highest processor TDP | 350 W | 500 W |
| Processor families | Xeon 6 P-core | Xeon 6 P-core · Xeon 6 6900P |
Memory
| Specification | XE9780 | XE9780L |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 128 GB | 256 GB |
| Fastest rated speed | 6,400 MT/s | 8,800 MT/s |
| Memory types | RDIMM DDR5-6400 (1DPC) / 5200 (2DPC) | RDIMM DDR5-6400 (ECC) · MRDIMM DDR5-8800 (XE9780LAP only, future*) |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | XE9780 | XE9780L |
|---|---|---|
| Documented layouts | 2 | 3 |
| Boot devices | BOSS-N1 DC-MHS (2 x M.2 SSDs) | BOSS-N1 (2 x M.2 NVMe SSD, HWRAID 0/1, internal, dedicated heat sinks and thermal pads; acoustic config lists 1 x 17G BOSS 960 GB) |
| Storage controllers | 2 | 1 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | XE9780 | XE9780L |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe network slots | 12 | 4 |
| Network cards listed | 27 | 10 |
Power & platform
| Specification | XE9780 | XE9780L |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 1 | 2 |
| Output range | 3,200–3,200 W | 5,500–33,000 W |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 1023 mm (40.27 in) without bezel / 1044.7 mm (41.12 in) with bezel | Sled 537 mm (21.14 in) W x 140.5 mm (5.53 in) H x 1047.95 mm (41.25 in) D with fan |
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.
XE9780: processors by cores and TDP
XE9780L: processors by cores and TDP
XE9780: memory with every slot filled
XE9780L: memory with every slot filled
XE9780: drive bays
Front panel
16 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 16 bays in total.
XE9780L: drive bays
Front panel
16 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 16 bays in total.
XE9780: power supplies
XE9780L: power supplies
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: 0 more are exclusive to the XE9780 and 6 to the XE9780L.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6 6787P | 86 | 350 W |
| Intel Xeon 6 6767P | 64 | 350 W |
| Intel Xeon 6 6776P | 64 | 350 W |
| Intel Xeon 6 6747P | 48 | 330 W |
XE9780 vs XE9780L, answered
Is the XE9780 or the XE9780L the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The XE9780 lists 4 processors up to 86 cores at 350 W; the XE9780L lists 10 up to 128 cores at 500 W. Fully populated that is 172 cores against 256.
Which holds more memory?
The XE9780 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 4 TB. The XE9780L has 32 and Not stated as a system total; CPU table lists per-processor Memory Capacity 4 TB.
Which takes more drives?
XE9780: 16 bays across 2 documented layouts. XE9780L: 16 across 3. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
XE9780: up to 8 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. XE9780L: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 4 processors appear in both documents, including the Intel Xeon 6 6787P. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.
Where these figures come from. XE9780: Dell PowerEdge XE9780 Technical Guide (Rev. A03, August 2026) (Dell document). XE9780L: Dell PowerEdge XE9780L/XE9780LAP Technical Guide (Rev. A01, January 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.
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