Head-to-head · every figure from the vendor documents
HPE DL320 Gen11 vs Lenovo SR635 V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR635 V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 1 headline measure favours the DL320 Gen11, 5 favour the SR635 V3, and they share no processors.
Bottom line. SR635 V3 leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work, 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.
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.
1
Processor sockets
1
64
Cores, fully populated
Largest listed processor × its socket count
Higher160
2.04 TB
Memory ceiling
As each document states it
Higher3 TB
12
Drive bays
Higher16
Up to 4
Accelerators
HigherUp to 5
2,200 WHigher
Largest power supply
1,800 W
1U Rack
Rack height
1U 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 DL320 Gen11 if…
Largest power supply: 2,200 W against 1,800 W on the SR635 V3
Four chassis on one platform — 4 LFF, 8+2 SFF, 12 LFF and GPU Dense — so the same model covers a branch file server, a 1U disk shelf or an accelerator node.
Choose the SR635 V3 if…
Cores, fully populated: 160 against 64 on the DL320 Gen11
Memory ceiling: 3 TB against 2.04 TB on the DL320 Gen11
Drive bays: 16 against 12 on the DL320 Gen11
All twelve DDR5 channels belong to the one processor, so a single socket still reaches 3 TB with 256 GB 3DS RDIMMs, and 5th Gen EPYC can clock that memory at up to 6400 MHz.
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.
VirtualisationDL320 Gen11: 64 cores with 2.04 TB. SR635 V3: 160 cores with 3 TB.SR635 V3
Databases & in-memoryMemory ceiling 2.04 TB against 3 TB, across 16 and 12 DIMM slots.SR635 V3
Storage density12 bays in 1U against 16 in 1U.SR635 V3
AI & acceleration4 accelerators against 5 in the vendor documents.SR635 V3
Network throughputFastest card listed: 100 GbE class against 400 GbE class.SR635 V3
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.
Specification
DL320 Gen11
SR635 V3
Processors listed
46
45
Most cores per processor
64
160
Highest processor TDP
330 W
400 W
Processor families
5th Gen Xeon Scalable · 4th Gen Xeon Scalable · Xeon 6 P-core
AMD EPYC 9005 · AMD EPYC 9004
Memory
Specification
DL320 Gen11
SR635 V3
DIMM slots
16
12
Slots per processor
16
12
Largest module listed
96 GB
256 GB
Fastest rated speed
5,600 MT/s
6,400 MT/s
Memory types
RDIMM DDR5-5600 · RDIMM DDR5-4800
RDIMM DDR5-6400 (5th Gen EPYC) · RDIMM DDR5-4800 (4th Gen EPYC) · 9x4 RDIMM · 3DS RDIMM DDR5-6400
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
Specification
DL320 Gen11
SR635 V3
Maximum bays
12
16
Documented layouts
7
14
Bay sizes
3.5-inch · 2.5-inch · E3.S
2.5-inch · E3.S
Boot devices
HPE NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe Hot Plug Boot Optimized Storage Device · HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 NS204i-u NVMe OS Boot Device Cable Kit · HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 NS204i-u Security Lock Removal FIO Trigger System Setting + 1 more
Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet
8 SFF 60.51 cm (23.82 in)
—
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.
DL320 Gen11: processors by cores and TDP
5th Gen Xeon Scalable 194th Gen Xeon Scalable 21Xeon 6 P-core 6Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU
SR635 V3: processors by cores and TDP
AMD EPYC 9005 25AMD EPYC 9004 20Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU
DL320 Gen11: memory with every slot filled
SR635 V3: memory with every slot filled
DL320 Gen11: drive bays
Front panel
12 × 3.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 12 bays in total.
SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe
SR635 V3: drive bays
Front panel
16 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 16 bays in total.
SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe
DL320 Gen11: power supplies
AC−48 V DC
SR635 V3: power supplies
AC−48 V DC
07 — Questions
DL320 Gen11 vs SR635 V3, answered
Is the DL320 Gen11 or the SR635 V3 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The DL320 Gen11 lists 46 processors up to 64 cores at 330 W; the SR635 V3 lists 45 up to 160 cores at 400 W. Fully populated that is 64 cores against 160.
Which holds more memory?
The DL320 Gen11 has 16 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 2.04 TB. The SR635 V3 has 12 and 3 TB.
Which takes more drives?
DL320 Gen11: 12 bays across 7 documented layouts. SR635 V3: 16 across 14. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
DL320 Gen11: up to 4 accelerators, 3 double-wide cards listed. SR635 V3: up to 5, 0 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. DL320 Gen11: HPE ProLiant DL320 Gen11 QuickSpecs (Version 41 - 03-Aug-2026) (HPE document). SR635 V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR635 V3 Server Product Guide (publication date is not printed in the text export; guide contains ‘New as of July 2026’ notes) (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.