Lenovo SR650 V4 vs Lenovo SR650i V4
A specification-by-specification comparison of the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V4 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650i V4, built from Lenovo’s own documents. 5 headline measures favour the SR650 V4 and none favour the SR650i V4, and 1 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. SR650 V4 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.
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 SR650 V4 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 172 against 64 on the SR650i V4
- Memory ceiling: 8 TB against 0.5 TB on the SR650i V4
- Drive bays: 40 against 8 on the SR650i V4
- Up to 36 NVMe drives — 24 front, 8 mid and 4 rear — connect straight to the processors on a full x4 link each, so an all-flash build needs no retimer adapters.
Choose the SR650i V4 if…
- 192 GB of GPU memory from a pair of RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition cards from NVIDIA, each running in Lenovo’s full 600 W configuration.
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 | SR650 V4 | SR650i V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 27 | 1 |
| Most cores per processor | 86 | 32 |
| Highest processor TDP | 350 W | 225 W |
| Single-processor option | Yes | No |
Memory
| Specification | SR650 V4 | SR650i V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Largest module listed | 256 GB | 64 GB |
| Fastest rated speed | 8,000 MT/s | 6,400 MT/s |
| Memory types | RDIMM DDR5-6400 · 3DS RDIMM DDR5-6400 · MRDIMM DDR5-8000 (8800 rated) · CXL 2.0 E3.S 2T memory modules | RDIMM DDR5-6400 |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | SR650 V4 | SR650i V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bays | 40 | 8 |
| Documented layouts | 16 | 1 |
| Bay sizes | 3.5-inch · 2.5-inch · E3.S | 2.5-inch |
| Boot devices | Internal M.2 RAID B550i-2i SATA/NVMe Enablement Kit (2 x M.2 NVMe, integrated Broadcom RAID) · Internal M.2 RAID B545i-2i SATA/NVMe Adapter (2 x M.2 SATA/NVMe, integrated Broadcom RAID) · Internal M.2 B350i-2i NVMe Enablement Kit (2 x M.2 NVMe x2, VROC RAID) + 4 more | ThinkSystem M.2 RAID B550i-2i SATA/NVMe Enablement Kit (internal, 2x M.2 NVMe, integrated Broadcom RAID) |
| Storage controllers | 24 | 2 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | SR650 V4 | SR650i V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerators supported | Up to 10 | Up to 2 |
| Double-wide cards listed | 2 | 1 |
| PCIe network slots | 10 | 14 |
| Network cards listed | 31 | 1 |
Power & platform
| Specification | SR650 V4 | SR650i V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 14 | 1 |
| Output range | 800–3,200 W | 3,200–3,200 W |
| Input types | AC · 277 VAC / HVDC · −48 V DC | AC |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 796 mm | 924 mm (36.4 in.) |
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.
SR650 V4: processors by cores and TDP
SR650i V4: processors by cores and TDP
SR650 V4: memory with every slot filled
SR650i V4: memory with every slot filled
SR650 V4: drive bays
Front panel
12 × 3.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 12 bays in total.
SR650i V4: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" NVMe at the front — 8 bays in total.
SR650 V4: power supplies
SR650i V4: power supplies
1 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: 26 more are exclusive to the SR650 V4 and 0 to the SR650i V4.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6 6530P | 32 | 225 W |
SR650 V4 vs SR650i V4, answered
Is the SR650 V4 or the SR650i V4 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The SR650 V4 lists 27 processors up to 86 cores at 350 W; the SR650i V4 lists 1 up to 32 cores at 225 W. Fully populated that is 172 cores against 64.
Which holds more memory?
The SR650 V4 has 32 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 8 TB. The SR650i V4 has 32 and 512 GB as configured.
Which takes more drives?
SR650 V4: 40 bays across 16 documented layouts. SR650i V4: 8 across 1. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
SR650 V4: up to 10 accelerators, 2 double-wide cards listed. SR650i V4: up to 2, 1 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 1 processor appears in both documents, including the Intel Xeon 6 6530P. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.
Where these figures come from. SR650 V4: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V4 Server (September 8, 2026) (Lenovo document). SR650i V4: Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650a V4 and SR650i V4 Servers (August 27, 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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