HPE Compute XD690 vs Lenovo SR680a V4
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE Compute XD690 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR680a V4, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. None of the headline measures favour the Compute XD690; 5 favour the SR680a V4, and 2 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. SR680a V4 leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work, storage density, network throughput. 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 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.
Choose the SR680a V4 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 172 against 128 on the Compute XD690
- Memory ceiling: 4 TB against 3 TB on the Compute XD690
- Largest power supply: 3,800 W against 3,200 W on the Compute XD690
- The HGX B300 NVL8 board carries eight SXM6 B300 GPUs, each with 288 GB of HBM3e at 7.7 TB/s and 1100 W, linked to one another over a 1.8 TB/s NVLink full mesh.
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 | Compute XD690 | SR680a V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 2 | 6 |
| Most cores per processor | 64 | 86 |
Memory
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR680a V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 96 GB | 128 GB |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR680a V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Bay sizes | E3.S | 2.5-inch |
| Boot devices | 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) | ThinkSystem M.2 RAID B550p-2HS SATA/NVMe Enablement Kit (2 x M.2 NVMe, front hot-swap, integrated Broadcom RAID) · ThinkSystem M.2 RAID B540p-2HS SATA/NVMe Adapter (2 x M.2 SATA/NVMe, front hot-swap, integrated Broadcom RAID) |
| Storage controllers | 0 | 3 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR680a V4 |
|---|---|---|
| OCP slots | 0 | 1 |
| PCIe network slots | 2 | 4 |
| Network cards listed | 5 | 11 |
Power & platform
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR680a V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 1 | 2 |
| Output range | 3,200–3,200 W | 3,200–3,800 W |
| Input types | AC | AC · 277 VAC / HVDC |
| Management | HPE Compute XD690 Baseboard Management Controller | XClarity Controller 3 |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 800 mm (31.5 in) deep | 924 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.
Compute XD690: processors by cores and TDP
SR680a V4: processors by cores and TDP
Compute XD690: memory with every slot filled
SR680a V4: memory with every slot filled
Compute XD690: drive bays
Front panel
8 × EDSFF NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
SR680a V4: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
Compute XD690: power supplies
SR680a V4: 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: 0 more are exclusive to the Compute XD690 and 4 to the SR680a V4.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6776P | 64 | 350 W |
| Intel Xeon 6767P | 64 | 350 W |
Compute XD690 vs SR680a V4, answered
Is the Compute XD690 or the SR680a V4 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The Compute XD690 lists 2 processors up to 64 cores at 350 W; the SR680a V4 lists 6 up to 86 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 128 cores against 172.
Which holds more memory?
The Compute XD690 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 3 TB practical ceiling. The SR680a V4 has 32 and 4 TB.
Which takes more drives?
Compute XD690: 8 bays across 1 documented layouts. SR680a V4: 8 across 1. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
Compute XD690: up to 8 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. SR680a V4: up to 8, 0 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 2 processors appear in both documents, including the Intel Xeon 6776P. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.
Where these figures come from. Compute XD690: HPE Compute XD690 QuickSpecs (Version 6 - 06-July-2026) (HPE document). SR680a V4: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR680a V4 Server (August 28, 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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