Dell XE9780 vs HPE Compute XD690
A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge XE9780 and the HPE Compute XD690, built from Dell’s and HPE’s own documents. 3 headline measures favour the XE9780 and none favour the Compute XD690, and 2 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. XE9780 leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work, 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…
- Cores, fully populated: 172 against 128 on the Compute XD690
- Memory ceiling: 4 TB against 3 TB on the Compute XD690
- Drive bays: 16 against 8 on the Compute XD690
- 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 Compute XD690 if…
- 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 | XE9780 | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 4 | 2 |
| Most cores per processor | 86 | 64 |
Memory
| Specification | XE9780 | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 128 GB | 96 GB |
| Memory types | RDIMM DDR5-6400 (1DPC) / 5200 (2DPC) | RDIMM DDR5-6400 |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | XE9780 | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bays | 16 | 8 |
| Documented layouts | 2 | 1 |
| Bay sizes | E3.S · 2.5-inch | E3.S |
| Boot devices | BOSS-N1 DC-MHS (2 x M.2 SSDs) | 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 | 2 | 0 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | XE9780 | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| OCP slots | 1 | 0 |
| PCIe network slots | 12 | 2 |
| Network cards listed | 27 | 5 |
Power & platform
| Specification | XE9780 | Compute XD690 |
|---|---|---|
| Management | iDRAC10 | HPE Compute XD690 Baseboard Management Controller |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 1023 mm (40.27 in) without bezel / 1044.7 mm (41.12 in) with bezel | 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.
XE9780: processors by cores and TDP
Compute XD690: processors by cores and TDP
XE9780: memory with every slot filled
Compute XD690: memory with every slot filled
XE9780: drive bays
Front panel
16 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 16 bays in total.
Compute XD690: drive bays
Front panel
8 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
XE9780: power supplies
Compute XD690: power supplies
2 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: 2 more are exclusive to the XE9780 and 0 to the Compute XD690.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6 6767P | 64 | 350 W |
| Intel Xeon 6 6776P | 64 | 350 W |
XE9780 vs Compute XD690, answered
Is the XE9780 or the Compute XD690 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 Compute XD690 lists 2 up to 64 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 172 cores against 128.
Which holds more memory?
The XE9780 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 4 TB. The Compute XD690 has 32 and 3 TB practical ceiling.
Which takes more drives?
XE9780: 16 bays across 2 documented layouts. Compute XD690: 8 across 1. 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. Compute XD690: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 2 processors appear in both documents, including the Intel Xeon 6 6767P. 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). 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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