HPE XD685 vs Lenovo SR780a V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE ProLiant Compute XD685 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR780a V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 1 headline measure favours the XD685, 2 favour the SR780a V3, and they share no processors.
Bottom line. XD685 leads on virtualisation. SR780a V3 leads on databases and in-memory work. 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 XD685 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 192 against 128 on the SR780a V3
- Four eight-GPU boards on one platform — NVIDIA HGX H200, B200 and HGX B300, or AMD Instinct MI355X — with B200, B300 and MI355X each tied to its own DLC or power kit.
Choose the SR780a V3 if…
- Memory ceiling: 4 TB against 3 TB on the XD685
- Largest power supply: 3,200 W against 3,000 W on the XD685
- Direct water cooling on four independent loops — the CPUs, the four front GPUs, the four rear GPUs and the NVLink switches — removes up to 75% of the server’s heat, letting an eight-GPU HGX system fit in 5U rather than 8U.
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 | XD685 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 9 | 5 |
| Most cores per processor | 96 | 64 |
| Highest processor TDP | 400 W | 350 W |
| Processor families | AMD EPYC 9005 | 5th Gen Xeon Scalable |
Memory
| Specification | XD685 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| DIMM slots | 24 | 32 |
| Slots per processor | 12 | 16 |
| Fastest rated speed | 6,400 MT/s | 5,600 MT/s |
| Memory types | RDIMM DDR5-6400 | RDIMM DDR5-5600 (10x4 RDIMM); 5600 at 1DPC (16 DIMMs), 4400 at 2DPC (32 DIMMs) |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | XD685 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Bay sizes | E3.S | 2.5-inch |
| Boot devices | HPE ProLiant Compute XD NS204i-u 960GB Boot Device (S4R99A) - 2x 480 GB M.2 NVMe RAID 1 · HPE ProLiant Compute XD NS204i-u 2x 960GB Boot Device (S6A36A) - 2x 960 GB M.2 NVMe RAID 1 | 2 x M.2 22110 NVMe in onboard connector (stacked); optional Intel VROC (VMD NVMe RAID) Standard for M.2 (BS7M) |
| Storage controllers | 3 | 2 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | XD685 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe network slots | 12 | 11 |
| Network cards listed | 20 | 7 |
Power & platform
| Specification | XD685 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 1 | 3 |
| Output range | 3,000–3,000 W | 2,600–3,200 W |
| Input types | −48 V DC | AC |
| Management | HPE iLO 6 | XClarity Controller 2 |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 1049 mm (L) deep | 942 mm |
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.
XD685: processors by cores and TDP
SR780a V3: processors by cores and TDP
XD685: memory with every slot filled
SR780a V3: memory with every slot filled
XD685: drive bays
Front panel
8 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
SR780a V3: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
XD685: power supplies
SR780a V3: power supplies
XD685 vs SR780a V3, answered
Is the XD685 or the SR780a V3 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The XD685 lists 9 processors up to 96 cores at 400 W; the SR780a V3 lists 5 up to 64 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 192 cores against 128.
Which holds more memory?
The XD685 has 24 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 3.0 TB. The SR780a V3 has 32 and 4 TB.
Which takes more drives?
XD685: 12 bays across 2 documented layouts. SR780a V3: 12 across 2. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
XD685: up to 8 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. SR780a V3: up to 8, 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. XD685: HPE ProLiant Compute XD685 QuickSpecs (V15 - 03-August-2026) (HPE document). SR780a V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR780a 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.
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