UK’s trusted IT infrastructure partner since 2003
sales@servnetuk.com
0800 987 4111
Servnet
FinanceToolsConfiguratorGet in Touch
Head-to-head · every figure from the vendor documents

Dell XE9785 vs Lenovo SR685a V3

A specification-by-specification comparison of the Dell PowerEdge XE9785 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR685a V3, built from Dell’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 3 headline measures favour the XE9785, 1 favours the SR685a V3, and 4 processors appear in both lists.

Bottom line. XE9785 leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work. SR685a V3 leads on storage density. Neither vendor publishes benchmarks for these machines, so every call here is made on what their documents state.

Dell PowerEdge XE9785 front, MI355X build: GPU sled on top, OCP slot and iDRAC ports, 16 E3.S drives behind the bezel, PCIe slots 2–13 below
Dell PowerEdge
XE9785
10U Rack2 sockets24 DIMMiDRAC10
Configure the XE9785 →Full data sheet
VS
Lenovo ThinkSystem SR685a V3 front, angled: five fans on top, sixteen NVMe drive bays in two groups and eight PCIe slots below
Lenovo ThinkSystem
SR685a V3
8U Rack2 sockets24 DIMMXClarity Controller 2
Configure the SR685a V3 →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
384Higher
Cores, fully populated
Largest listed processor × its socket count
256
6 TBHigher
Memory ceiling
As each document states it
3 TB
16
Drive bays
16
Up to 8
Accelerators
Up to 8
3,200 WHigher
Largest power supply
2,600 W
10U Rack
Rack height
Higher8U Rack
400 GbE class
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 XE9785 if…

  • Cores, fully populated: 384 against 256 on the SR685a V3
  • Memory ceiling: 6 TB against 3 TB on the SR685a V3
  • Largest power supply: 3,200 W against 2,600 W on the SR685a V3
  • One chassis, either GPU vendor: eight 288 GB MI355X OAM modules on a Universal Base Board, or an eight-GPU HGX B300 NVL8 board fully linked by NVLink, its NVSwitch under a separate heat sink.

Choose the SR685a V3 if…

  • Rack height: 8U Rack against 10U Rack on the XE9785
  • One chassis, two GPU ecosystems: eight AMD MI300X OAM GPUs (192 GB HBM3, 5.3 TB/s, 750 W each) or eight NVIDIA H200 SXM5 GPUs (141 GB, listed as HBM3e in the GPU table, 4.8 TB/s, 700 W each).
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.

VirtualisationXE9785: 384 cores with 6 TB. SR685a V3: 256 cores with 3 TB.XE9785
Databases & in-memoryMemory ceiling 6 TB against 3 TB, across 24 and 24 DIMM slots.XE9785
Storage density16 bays in 10U against 16 in 8U.SR685a V3
AI & acceleration8 accelerators against 8 in the vendor documents.Line ball
Network throughputFastest card listed: 400 GbE class against 400 GbE class.Line ball
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.

SpecificationXE9785SR685a V3
Processors listed812
Most cores per processor192128
Highest processor TDP500 W400 W
Processor familiesAMD EPYC 9005AMD EPYC 9005 · AMD EPYC 9004

Memory

SpecificationXE9785SR685a V3
Largest module listed256 GB128 GB
Memory typesRDIMM DDR5-6400 (ECC)RDIMM DDR5-6400 (5th Gen, operates 6000) · 10x4 RDIMM / RDIMM DDR5-4800 (4th Gen) · 3DS RDIMM

Storage

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

SpecificationXE9785SR685a V3
Documented layouts21
Bay sizesE3.S · 2.5-inch2.5-inch
Boot devicesEmbedded BOSS (2 x M.2 NVMe SSD, HWRAID 1, dedicated heat sinks and thermal pads)ThinkSystem M.2 NVMe 2-Bay RAID Adapter (B8P9) - Marvell 88NR2241 RAID-0/1, PCIe 3.0 x2, no SED; no field upgrade

Accelerators & I/O

SpecificationXE9785SR685a V3
PCIe network slots1210
Network cards listed1512

Power & platform

SpecificationXE9785SR685a V3
Output range3,200–3,200 W2,600–2,600 W
ManagementiDRAC10XClarity Controller 2
Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet439.5 mm (17.30 in) H x 448 mm (17.63 in) W (482.3 mm with ears) x 1044.7 mm (41.12 in) D with bezel / 1023 mm (40.27 in) without bezel924 mm
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.

XE9785: processors by cores and TDP

Dell PowerEdge XE9785 processors081624324048566472808896104112120128136144152160168176184192300 W350 W400 W450 W500 WCores per processorAMD EPYC 9965 — 192 cores / 384 threads · 500 W · 2.25 GHz base · 384 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9845 — 160 cores / 320 threads · 390 W · 2.1 GHz base · 320 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9825 — 144 cores / 288 threads · 390 W · 2.2 GHz base · 384 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9755 — 128 cores / 256 threads · 500 W · 2.7 GHz base · 512 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9655 — 96 cores / 192 threads · 400 W · 2.6 GHz base · 384 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9575F — 64 cores / 128 threads · 400 W · 3.3 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9475F — 48 cores / 96 threads · 360 W · 3.65 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9455 — 48 cores / 96 threads · 300 W · 3.15 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400EPYC 9965192 cores — the top SKUEPYC 98452.4 W/core — most efficient
AMD EPYC 9005 8Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

SR685a V3: processors by cores and TDP

Lenovo ThinkSystem SR685a V3 processors081624324048566472808896104112120128250 W300 W350 W400 WCores per processorAMD EPYC 9745 — 128 cores / 256 threads · 400 W · 2.4 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9655 — 96 cores / 192 threads · 400 W · 2.6 GHz base · 384 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9575F — 64 cores / 128 threads · 400 W · 3.3 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9555 — 64 cores / 128 threads · 360 W · 3.2 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9535 — 64 cores / 128 threads · 300 W · 2.4 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9475F — 48 cores / 96 threads · 400 W · 3.65 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9455 — 48 cores / 96 threads · 300 W · 3.15 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-6400AMD EPYC 9654 — 96 cores / 192 threads · 360 W · 2.4 GHz base · 384 MB cache · DDR5-4800AMD EPYC 9554 — 64 cores / 128 threads · 360 W · 3.1 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-4800AMD EPYC 9534 — 64 cores / 128 threads · 280 W · 2.45 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-4800AMD EPYC 9474F — 48 cores / 96 threads · 360 W · 3.6 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-4800AMD EPYC 9454 — 48 cores / 96 threads · 290 W · 2.75 GHz base · 256 MB cache · DDR5-4800EPYC 9745128 cores · 3.1 W/core — top SKU and most efficient
AMD EPYC 9005 7AMD EPYC 9004 5Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

XE9785: memory with every slot filled

96 GB2.3 TB128 GB3 TB256 GB6 TB24 slots · 12 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

SR685a V3: memory with every slot filled

64 GB1.5 TB96 GB2.3 TB128 GB3 TB24 slots · 12 per processor · each tick = one DIMM

XE9785: drive bays

Front panel

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

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

SR685a V3: drive bays

Front panel

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

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

XE9785: power supplies

05001000150020002500300035003200 W Titanium — 3200 W AC Titanium, 73.5 mm form factor on a 17G 54 V design, C19 power cable; 216.1-240 VAC 50/60 Hz 16 A = 3200 W; 240 VDC 14.5 A = 3200 W (mixed mode); 200-216 VAC = 2900 W (multi-rated); peak power 5280 W highline; heat dissipation 11,850 BTU/hr; efficiency 90/94/96/91 % at 10/20/50/100 % load; low-line (100-120 V) not supported; do not mix PSU vendors; system does not support user power cap3200TitaniumWatts · dashed line = output at 100–120 V low line
AC

SR685a V3: power supplies

0500100015002000250030002600 W Titanium — ThinkSystem 2600W 230V Titanium Gen2 v4 (C4HK); 8 standard, N+N; C19; 220V only2600TitaniumWatts · 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: 4 more are exclusive to the XE9785 and 8 to the SR685a V3.

ProcessorCoresTDP
AMD EPYC 965596400 W
AMD EPYC 9575F64400 W
AMD EPYC 9475F48360 W
AMD EPYC 945548300 W
07 — Questions

XE9785 vs SR685a V3, answered

Is the XE9785 or the SR685a V3 the faster server?

Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The XE9785 lists 8 processors up to 192 cores at 500 W; the SR685a V3 lists 12 up to 128 cores at 400 W. Fully populated that is 384 cores against 256.

Which holds more memory?

The XE9785 has 24 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 6 TB. The SR685a V3 has 24 and 3 TB.

Which takes more drives?

XE9785: 16 bays across 2 documented layouts. SR685a V3: 16 across 1. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.

Can either take GPUs?

XE9785: up to 8 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. SR685a V3: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.

Do they share any processors?

Yes — 4 processors appear in both documents, including the AMD EPYC 9655. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.

Where these figures come from. XE9785: Dell PowerEdge XE9785 Technical Guide (Rev. A03, May 2026) (Dell document). SR685a V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR685a V3 Server Product Guide (July 15, 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.

Other comparisons in this class

XE7745 vs SR685a V3Dell vs LenovoXE9685L vs SR685a V3Dell vs LenovoXE9785 vs XD685Dell vs HPEXE9785 vs DL380a Gen12Dell vs HPEXE9785 vs SR675 V3Dell vs LenovoDL380a Gen12 vs SR685a V3HPE vs LenovoXD685 vs SR685a V3HPE vs LenovoCompute XD690 vs SR685a V3HPE vs Lenovo

Talk to a UK specialist

Get expert advice or a no-obligation quote — servers, storage, networking, maintenance, finance and cloud. We reply the same working day.

or call 0800 987 4111