HPE Compute XD690 vs Lenovo SR780a V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE Compute XD690 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR780a V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. None of the headline measures favour the Compute XD690; 3 favour the SR780a V3, and they share no processors.
Bottom line. SR780a V3 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 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 SR780a V3 if…
- Memory ceiling: 4 TB against 3 TB on the Compute XD690
- Drive bays: 12 against 8 on the Compute XD690
- Rack height: 5U Rack against 10U Rack on the Compute XD690
- 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 | Compute XD690 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 2 | 5 |
| Processor families | Xeon 6 P-core | 5th Gen Xeon Scalable |
Memory
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 96 GB | 128 GB |
| 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 | Compute XD690 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bays | 8 | 12 |
| Documented layouts | 1 | 2 |
| 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) | 2 x M.2 22110 NVMe in onboard connector (stacked); optional Intel VROC (VMD NVMe RAID) Standard for M.2 (BS7M) |
| Storage controllers | 0 | 2 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe network slots | 2 | 11 |
| Network cards listed | 5 | 7 |
Power & platform
| Specification | Compute XD690 | SR780a V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 1 | 3 |
| Output range | 3,200–3,200 W | 2,600–3,200 W |
| Management | HPE Compute XD690 Baseboard Management Controller | XClarity Controller 2 |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 800 mm (31.5 in) 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.
Compute XD690: processors by cores and TDP
SR780a V3: processors by cores and TDP
Compute XD690: memory with every slot filled
SR780a V3: memory with every slot filled
Compute XD690: 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.
Compute XD690: power supplies
SR780a V3: power supplies
Compute XD690 vs SR780a V3, answered
Is the Compute XD690 or the SR780a V3 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 SR780a V3 lists 5 up to 64 cores at 350 W. Fully populated that is 128 cores against 128.
Which holds more memory?
The Compute XD690 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 3 TB practical ceiling. The SR780a V3 has 32 and 4 TB.
Which takes more drives?
Compute XD690: 8 bays across 1 documented layouts. SR780a V3: 12 across 2. 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. 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. Compute XD690: HPE Compute XD690 QuickSpecs (Version 6 - 06-July-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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