Technical data sheet · ThinkSystem V3 multi-node · half-wide 1U sled, single-socket

Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3Specifications, configurations & comparisons

The ThinkSystem SD535 V3 is a half-wide, single-socket AMD EPYC node that only runs inside Lenovo’s 2U ThinkSystem D3 Chassis, up to four per enclosure, drawing power from the chassis’s shared supplies. It suits scale-out virtualisation, technical computing and dense cloud estates; this page gives every figure per node, marks the chassis-level ones, and maps the limits on 500 W processors.

Multi-Node (1U sled)1 socketAMD EPYC 9005AMD EPYC 9004XClarity Controller 2

4nodes per 2U D3 Chassismixable with SD530 V3 and SD550 V3

192cores per nodeEPYC 9965 · on air needs base C63Y

1.5TBDDR5 per node12 × 128 GB, one DIMM per channel

62.5" AnyBay bays per nodeSAS, SATA or PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs

84nodes per 42U rack21 D3 Chassis · 96 nodes in 48U

1PCIe 5.0 x16 slot per nodelow profile, plus one OCP 3.0 slot

Configure an SD535 V3 →Get a UK quote

Every figure checked against the Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 Server Product Guide (August 4, 2026)

Image: Lenovo

Form factor: Multi-Node (1U sled) · 1 socket
Processors: AMD EPYC 9005 · AMD EPYC 9004
Memory: 12 × DDR5 RDIMM · up to 1.5 TB
Drive bays: Up to 6 · 1 backplane option
Expansion: 1 × PCIe · 1 × OCP 3.0
GPUs: Up to 1 · 1 listed
Boot: M.2 · 2 boot options
Management: XClarity Controller 2

01 — Overview

The SD535 V3 at a glance

Our read of Lenovo’s documentation: where the SD535 V3 is strong, and the limits worth knowing before you spec one.

Strengths

Four single-socket nodes share one 2U chassis and its hot-swap power supplies, which Lenovo turns into 84 nodes per 42U rack or 96 per 48U rack.
Each node is a complete server of its own — all twelve DDR5 channels of its EPYC, six hot-swap bays, its own fans and networking, and room for a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and an OCP 3.0 slot — and every node is reached from the front of the chassis.
Fifty processors are listed across 5th and 4th Gen EPYC, from the 8-core 9015 to the 192-core 9965, including three Genoa-X parts with up to 1150 MB of L3 cache.
Every bay accepts NVMe on a PCIe 5.0 x4 link, and all six drives can hang off the processor’s onboard NVMe ports without spending the only slot on an adapter.
Neptune Core open-loop cooling moves all processor heat into water, supports every processor and front drive option, and cuts the node to three fans.

Watch-outs

The node cannot run on its own: it needs a D3 Chassis, whose supplies accept only 200–240 V AC (plus 240 V DC in China), and the chassis provides no networking or switching.
On air, the two 500 W processors, 9755 and 9965, need the High Performance Air Cooled Node base and cap the node at two NVMe drives, twelve 128 GB DIMMs, one two-port PCIe adapter and 25 °C ambient.
With a single PCIe slot, a RAID 540-8i, a GPU and a PCIe network card compete for the same space; the only GPU listed is one NVIDIA L4, a Controlled part sold only on “for AI” base models.
Memory peaks at 1.5 TB per node, and although the guide’s feature summary mentions memory mirroring, its memory rules say mirroring and rank sparing are not supported.
Power capping is unavailable through both XCC2 Platinum and XClarity Energy Manager, and chassis power is controlled by the XCC2 of whichever node holds the master role.

Processors50 SKUs

Cores / CPU8–192

DIMM slots12

Backplanes1

Max bays6

GPUsup to 1

Chassis power parts6 · to 2,700 W

02 — Processors

50 supported processors, mapped

Lenovo lists 50 processors for the node: 27 5th Gen EPYC 9005 parts, five of them Zen 5c, and 23 4th Gen EPYC 9004 parts, including three Genoa-X models with 3D V-Cache and two Zen 4c Bergamo models. Each node takes exactly one, from 8 to 192 cores and 125 W to 500 W; the chart plots cores against TDP and the explorer below lists every SKU.

Processor landscape — cores × TDP

50 SKUs · 2 families

AMD EPYC 9005 27AMD EPYC 9004 23Bubble size = L3 cache · hover a bubble for the full SKU

Processor explorer

filter · sort · compare

Sort

Processor	Cores / threads	Base	L3 cache	TDP	W / core	Memory
AMD EPYC 9965	192 / 384	2.25 GHz	384 MB	500 W	2.6	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9845	160 / 320	2.1 GHz	320 MB	390 W	2.4	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9825	144 / 288	2.2 GHz	384 MB	390 W	2.7	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9755	128 / 256	2.7 GHz	512 MB	500 W	3.9	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9745	128 / 256	2.4 GHz	256 MB	400 W	3.1	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9754	128 / 256	2.25 GHz	256 MB	360 W	2.8	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9734	112 / 224	2.2 GHz	256 MB	340 W	3.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9655	96 / 192	2.6 GHz	384 MB	400 W	4.2	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9655P	96 / 192	2.6 GHz	384 MB	400 W	4.2	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9645	96 / 192	2.3 GHz	256 MB	320 W	3.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9684X	96 / 192	2.55 GHz	1150 MB	400 W	4.2	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9654	96 / 192	2.4 GHz	384 MB	360 W	3.8	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9654P	96 / 192	2.4 GHz	384 MB	360 W	3.8	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9634	84 / 168	2.25 GHz	384 MB	290 W	3.5	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9565	72 / 144	3.15 GHz	384 MB	400 W	5.6	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9575F	64 / 128	3.3 GHz	256 MB	400 W	6.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9555	64 / 128	3.2 GHz	256 MB	360 W	5.6	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9555P	64 / 128	3.2 GHz	256 MB	360 W	5.6	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9535	64 / 128	2.4 GHz	256 MB	300 W	4.7	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9554	64 / 128	3.1 GHz	256 MB	360 W	5.6	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9554P	64 / 128	3.1 GHz	256 MB	360 W	5.6	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9534	64 / 128	2.45 GHz	256 MB	280 W	4.4	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9475F	48 / 96	3.65 GHz	256 MB	400 W	8.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9455	48 / 96	3.15 GHz	256 MB	300 W	6.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9455P	48 / 96	3.15 GHz	256 MB	300 W	6.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9474F	48 / 96	3.6 GHz	256 MB	360 W	7.5	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9454	48 / 96	2.75 GHz	256 MB	290 W	6.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9454P	48 / 96	2.75 GHz	256 MB	290 W	6.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9365	36 / 72	3.4 GHz	192 MB	300 W	8.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9375F	32 / 64	3.8 GHz	256 MB	320 W	10.0	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9355	32 / 64	3.55 GHz	256 MB	280 W	8.8	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9355P	32 / 64	3.55 GHz	256 MB	280 W	8.8	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9335	32 / 64	3 GHz	128 MB	210 W	6.6	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9374F	32 / 64	3.85 GHz	256 MB	320 W	10.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9384X	32 / 64	3.1 GHz	768 MB	320 W	10.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9354	32 / 64	3.25 GHz	256 MB	280 W	8.8	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9354P	32 / 64	3.25 GHz	256 MB	280 W	8.8	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9334	32 / 64	2.7 GHz	128 MB	210 W	6.6	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9275F	24 / 48	4.1 GHz	256 MB	320 W	13.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9255	24 / 48	3.25 GHz	128 MB	200 W	8.3	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9274F	24 / 48	4.05 GHz	256 MB	320 W	13.3	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9224	24 / 48	2.5 GHz	64 MB	200 W	8.3	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9254	24 / 48	2.9 GHz	128 MB	200 W	8.3	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9175F	16 / 32	4.2 GHz	512 MB	320 W	20.0	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9135	16 / 32	3.65 GHz	64 MB	200 W	12.5	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9115	16 / 32	2.6 GHz	64 MB	125 W	7.8	DDR5-6400
AMD EPYC 9174F	16 / 32	4.1 GHz	256 MB	320 W	20.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9184X	16 / 32	3.55 GHz	768 MB	320 W	20.0	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9124	16 / 32	3 GHz	64 MB	200 W	12.5	DDR5-4800
AMD EPYC 9015	8 / 16	3.6 GHz	64 MB	125 W	15.6	DDR5-6400

On air, the 320 W 9274F and 9374F and the 360 W 9474F need 25 °C ambient and come with reduced drive and adapter support; the 320 W Genoa-X 9184X and 9384X work under the same 25 °C limit, where Lenovo warns that performance may be affected.
The 500 W 9755 and 9965 run air-cooled only on base C63Y, the High Performance Air Cooled Node, and only within its limits of two NVMe drives, twelve 128 GB DIMMs, one two-port PCIe adapter and 25 °C ambient. The standard air-cooled base, BWSY, covers processors up to 400 W.
A 5th Gen processor reaches a 6400 MHz memory bus only with DIMMs from Lenovo’s 6400 MHz list and up-to-date firmware; with any other module it drops to 6000 MHz. On 4th Gen parts the bus runs at 4800 MHz.
Lenovo positions the Genoa-X parts for engineering work such as EDA and CFD, and the Bergamo parts for cloud-native applications. Every supported EPYC has 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, of which 64 are available for PCIe and NVMe devices.
Lenovo’s tables give each of the eight P-suffix parts exactly the specification of its non-P twin.

03 — Memory

12 DDR5 DIMM slots

Each node is a single-socket system with 12 DDR5 channels and one DIMM slot per channel, so twelve slots is the whole memory system. Populations of 1, 2 and 4 DIMMs are supported, as is every even count up to twelve, and Lenovo recommends filling all twelve channels with one part number for best performance.

Capacity with every slot filled

by DIMM size

Rated memory speed

from the processor table

Processor family	Up to
AMD EPYC 9005	6400 MT/s
AMD EPYC 9004	4800 MT/s

Lenovo’s ceiling is 1.5 TB, twelve 128 GB DIMMs. Its specification table describes those modules as 3DS RDIMMs, but no 3DS part appears in the memory option tables, where the 128 GB parts are standard RDIMMs: a 6400 MHz module for 5th Gen and a 5600 MHz module that runs at 4800 MHz for 4th Gen.
DIMMs rated 6400 MHz work only with 5th Gen processors, and the modules in the 4th Gen table only with 4th Gen, so changing processor generation means changing memory.
Lenovo accepts three module types — 10x4, x8 and 3DS registered DIMMs — and rules out 9x4 RDIMMs, UDIMMs and LRDIMMs. Types, x4 and x8 organisations and DRAM densities cannot be combined; capacities and rank counts can be, provided the bigger or higher-rank modules are installed first.
SDDC (Chipkill) needs x4 DIMMs. The feature summary at the front of Lenovo’s guide also lists ADDDC and memory mirroring, but the memory section states that mirroring and rank sparing are not supported; this page follows the memory section.

04 — Storage

1 backplane option, up to 6 bays

Each node has a single drive zone: six 2.5-inch hot-swap AnyBay bays on one backplane kit, taking SAS, SATA or PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs but no hard disks. The backplane is optional in factory orders and can be added later as a kit. Boot drives sit inside the node on M.2, and the layouts below show the three ways the six bays can be driven.

Headline layouts

front panel view

Front panel

All six bays on the processor’s onboard NVMe ports, each drive on its own PCIe x4 link at up to Gen5 depending on the drive. The ports provide no RAID, and the node’s one PCIe slot stays free.

SAS/SATANVMeSAS/SATA + NVMe

Controllers & boot

Onboard SATA ports (AVUX) - JBOD only, up to 6 SATA drives — HBA. onboard, no RAID
Onboard NVMe ports (BC4V) - JBOD only, up to 6 NVMe (PCIe x4, up to Gen5) — HBA. onboard, no RAID
ThinkSystem RAID 540-8i PCIe Gen4 12Gb Adapter — RAID. PCIe riser slot, max 1
ThinkSystem 440-16e SAS/SATA PCIe Gen4 12Gb HBA — HBA. External SAS HBA (JBOD to external enclosures/tape), part 4Y37A09724 feature B8P7 - lp1892 L1519
2 x onboard M.2 slots (NVMe PCIe 5.0 x4 or SATA; no RAID) — boot
ThinkSystem M.2 RAID B540i-2i SATA/NVMe Adapter (BYFF) - 2 x M.2 with Broadcom RAID (mutually exclusive with CFF adapter; not with water cooling) — boot

Lenovo’s capacity ceiling is 184.32 TB per node, six 30.72 TB SSDs, and it quotes the same figure for SAS/SATA and for NVMe.
Up to four M.2 drives: two on onboard connectors (SATA, or NVMe on a PCIe 5.0 x4 link, without RAID) and two on the optional M.2 RAID B540i-2i adapter (PCIe 4.0 x1 per drive, hardware RAID). Each pair must be all-SATA or all-NVMe.
With Neptune Core water cooling the M.2 adapter and the CFF adapter are both unavailable, because the hoses and drip sensor take their space; the two onboard M.2 connectors remain usable.
Self-encrypting drives are supported, with IBM Security Key Lifecycle Manager for central key management. The Drive Encryption Enablement feature (CES1) makes the factory configurator require SEDs and XCC2 Platinum but does not switch encryption on.
Lenovo’s configuration notes mention a supercap holder for a 9350-8i CFF adapter, but its controller table lists only the RAID 540-8i, so no CFF adapter part number is documented.

05 — Accelerators & I/O

GPUs, PCIe and networking

The GPU table has one entry, NVIDIA’s L4 24 GB passive card, with a maximum of one per node. It is a Controlled GPU, available only on the “for AI” base models, which Lenovo says have limited market and customer availability. Because the node has one PCIe slot, the L4 has to use it, and networking then goes on the OCP card. 1 × NVIDIA L4 24 GB per node (Controlled; “for AI” base models only). The guide does not state the card’s power rating.

NVIDIA L4 24GB PCIe Gen4 Passive GPU

single-wide

24GB · up to 1

I/O topology

128 lanes per CPU

Each node’s processor supplies 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes, 64 of them usable for slots and NVMe drives, and all 12 memory channels. External I/O is deliberately small: one low-profile PCIe slot and one OCP 3.0 slot, both optional and both at the node’s rear.

Network adapters Lenovo lists

24 options

Adapter	Ports	Form
ThinkSystem Intel I350 1GbE RJ45 4-port OCP Ethernet Adapter	4 × 1GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Intel I350 1GbE RJ45 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter V2	4 × 1GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57416 10GBASE-T 2-port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 10GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Intel X710-T2L 10GBASE-T 2-port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 10GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Intel X710-T4L 10GBase-T 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	4 × 10GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57414 10/25GbE SFP28 2-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57504 10/25GbE SFP28 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	4 × 25GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Intel E810-DA2 10/25GbE SFP28 2-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Intel E810-DA4 10/25GbE SFP28 4-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	4 × 25GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx 10/25GbE SFP28 2-port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57508 100GbE QSFP56 2-Port OCP Ethernet Adapter	2 × 100GbE	OCP 3.0
ThinkSystem I350-T4 PCIe 1Gb 4-Port RJ45 Ethernet Adapter	4 × 1GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57416 10GBASE-T 2-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 10GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Intel X710-T2L 10GBase-T 2-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 10GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Intel X710-T4L 10GBase-T 4-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	4 × 10GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57414 10/25GbE SFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57504 10/25GbE SFP28 4-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	4 × 25GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Intel E810-DA2 10/25GbE SFP28 2-Port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 Lx 10/25GbE SFP28 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 25GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Broadcom 57508 100GbE QSFP56 2-Port PCIe 4 Ethernet Adapter	2 × 100GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx 100GbE QSFP56 2-port PCIe Ethernet Adapter	2 × 100GbE	PCIe
ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR100/100GbE QSFP56 1-port PCIe VPI Adapter	1 × 100GbE/HDR100	PCIe
ThinkSystem Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR/200GbE QSFP56 1-port PCIe 4 VPI Adapter	1 × 200GbE/HDR	PCIe
ThinkSystem NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR200/200GbE QSFP112 2-port PCIe Gen5 x16 InfiniBand Adapter	2 × 200GbE/NDR200	PCIe

OCP adapters run at 1, 10, 25 or 100 GbE in two- and four-port versions; PCIe cards reach 200 Gb with the ConnectX-6 HDR/200GbE and ConnectX-7 NDR200 adapters. A four-port OCP card and a four-port PCIe card cannot be fitted together.
Fibre Channel comes from one 16 Gb Emulex HBA and two 32 Gb HBAs (Emulex LPe35002, QLogic QLE2772), and the 440-16e HBA connects external SAS storage.
The introduction to Lenovo’s guide mentions 400 Gb Ethernet, but no 400 Gb adapter appears in its network adapter tables, so none is listed here.
Rear ports per node: an RJ45 1GbE management port, one USB 3 (5 Gb/s), one USB 2.0 that doubles as the XCC local-management port, and a Mini DisplayPort. Water-cooled nodes keep a single USB 3 port, and there are no front ports.
The ThinkSystem OCP 4 to 1 Management Port Consolidation Adapter, fitted in one node’s OCP slot, is a five-port Gigabit switch that lets four servers share one management uplink, including nodes in another D3 Chassis.

06 — Power & cooling

No supplies of its own — powered by the chassis

Nodes have no supplies of their own. The D3 Chassis holds up to three hot-swap CRPS units that feed all four nodes: three as 2+1, two as 1+1, or a single unit if it is rated 2700 W. All must be the same part number, and chassis power management runs on the XCC2 of one node, with another node taking over if it goes offline.

Titanium options are 1300 W, 1600 W, 2000 W and 2700 W; the Platinum options, 1300 W and 2700 W, are not sold in the UK or EU. The 2700 W units use a C20 inlet and the others C14.
The chassis accepts only 200–240 V AC at 50 or 60 Hz, even though the supply names include 115 V; low-range 100–127 V input is not supported. In China, 240 V DC is also accepted.
Inlet current per supply is 7.3 A for the 1300 W unit, 9.0 A for the 1600 W unit and 15.4 A for the 2700 W unit.
Lenovo’s chassis table names 1300 W, 1600 W (some markets) and 2700 W supplies, while its power supply table adds a 2000 W Titanium unit; this page follows the power supply table.
Each node has four 40 mm dual-rotor simple-swap fans with N+1 rotor redundancy (three with Neptune Core), and every supply has its own fan; the chassis itself has none.
Lenovo’s water-infrastructure rules for Neptune Core tie inlet flow to water temperature — 0.5 L/min for up to 40 °C, 1.0 L/min for up to 45 °C, 1.5 L/min for up to 50 °C — without saying whether the rate is per node or per chassis; the maximum node inlet pressure is 3 bar.

07 — Management, security & OS

Run it, secure it, choose the OS

Management

XClarity Controller 2 (XCC2) on an ASPEED AST2600 BMC in every node
XCC2 Platinum upgrade: remote console, virtual media, System Guard, CNSA and FIPS 140-3 modes, Neighbor Group
Dedicated rear RJ45 management port (10/100/1000 Mbps) · NC-SI through the OCP slot
D3 Chassis has no management module; one incoming management connection can be daisy-chained
Optional OCP 4 to 1 Management Port Consolidation Adapter (four servers on one uplink)
MicroSD slot for XCC local storage (Remote Disc on Card up to 4 GB)
XClarity Provisioning Manager (F1), XClarity One, XClarity Essentials, XClarity Energy Manager
IPMI 2.0 (IPMI over LAN off by default), SNMPv3, Redfish, CIM-XML
XClarity One Mobile over the USB management port
No power capping through XCC2 Platinum or Energy Manager

Security

Platform Firmware Resiliency hardware Root of Trust (NIST SP 800-193)
Integrated TPM 2.0 · Nationz TPM 2.0 in China (CTO only)
AMD Platform Secure Boot, SEV, SEV-ES, SEV-SNP and TSME
UEFI Secure Boot, set at the factory or later; cannot be turned off once enabled
System Guard hardware-change monitoring (XCC2 Platinum)
Self-encrypting drives with KMIP key managers (IBM SKLM, Thales KeySecure)
NIST SP 800-147B compliant · FIPS 140-3 (in progress) and CNSA Suite 1.0 cryptography for XCC

Operating systems

Microsoft Windows Server 2022 and 2025
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 and 16
Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 LTS (20.04 with 4th Gen EPYC)
VMware ESXi 8.0 U3, 9.0 and 9.1 (also 7.0 U3 and 8.0 U2 with 4th Gen) · factory preload, not with an NVIDIA GPU

08 — Compare

How the SD535 V3 compares with its family

The D3 Chassis also accepts the SD530 V3 and SD550 V3, which can share an enclosure with the SD535 V3. The family matrix compares it with the water-cooled two-socket SD665 V3 tray and with the SR635 V3, SR645 V3 and SR655 V3 rack servers built on the EPYC 9004 and 9005 families, each drawn from its verified spec file.

This modelSiblings and successorEach value from that model’s own verified spec file · bars scale per column

SD665 V3 data sheet SR635 V3 data sheet SR645 V3 data sheet SR655 V3 data sheet Dell PowerEdge C6615 data sheet HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen12 data sheet Dell PowerEdge R6715 data sheet HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen11 data sheet

09 — Use cases

Four builds that suit the SD535 V3

Four example nodes built only from options our configurator offers for the SD535 V3. Each describes one node: the D3 Chassis and its shared power supplies are quoted with the enclosure, and we check every combination against Lenovo’s thermal and slot rules before quoting.

Virtualisation

Four-per-2U hypervisor node

A 64-core, 300 W EPYC 9535 stays outside the 25 °C restrictions that Lenovo attaches to several higher-TDP parts, and twelve 64 GB DIMMs give 768 GB per host. Six NVMe drives on the onboard ports hold the local datastore, two M.2 drives on the RAID adapter boot the hypervisor, and four such hosts fit in 2U.

1 × AMD EPYC 9535 — 64 cores @ 2.4 GHz, 300 W
12 × 64 GB TruDDR5 6400 MHz — 768 GB, one DIMM per channel
6 × 3.84 TB NVMe in the AnyBay bays, onboard NVMe ports
2 × 480 GB M.2 on the M.2 RAID B540i-2i adapter
Intel E810-DA2 2 × 25GbE OCP 3.0
VMware ESXi 9.0

Onboard NVMe has no RAID, so datastore redundancy has to come from the hypervisor or a storage layer such as vSAN. The M.2 RAID adapter cannot be combined with Neptune Core water cooling or with an internal CFF RAID adapter.

Open this build in the configurator →

Engineering simulation

Genoa-X CFD and EDA node

The 96-core EPYC 9684X carries 1150 MB of L3 cache, and Lenovo positions its Genoa-X parts for engineering workloads such as EDA and CFD. Being a 4th Gen part, it caps memory at 4800 MHz, which is why the build pairs it with 4800 MHz DIMMs, and a 200 Gb HDR adapter in the PCIe slot carries the cluster fabric.

1 × AMD EPYC 9684X — 96 cores @ 2.55 GHz, 400 W
12 × 64 GB TruDDR5 4800 MHz — 768 GB
2 × 3.84 TB NVMe for local scratch, onboard NVMe ports
Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR/200GbE 1-port PCIe adapter
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Lenovo’s air-cooling restrictions name the 320 W Genoa-X 9184X and 9384X (25 °C ambient, possible performance impact) but not the 400 W 9684X, so we confirm ambient limits for this processor with Lenovo before quoting. With the single PCIe slot taken by the HDR card, there is no room for a RAID adapter or GPU.

Open this build in the configurator →

Cloud-native density

192-core node on the high-performance base

The Zen 5c EPYC 9965 puts 192 cores and 384 threads in one node, and four such nodes give 768 cores in 2U. Lenovo pitches its Zen 5c parts for core density and power efficiency; at 500 W this one needs the High Performance Air Cooled Node base, and the build stays inside that base’s limits.

1 × AMD EPYC 9965 — 192 cores @ 2.25 GHz, 500 W
12 × 128 GB TruDDR5 6400 MHz — 1.5 TB, the most a 500 W build allows
2 × 7.68 TB NVMe, the 500 W drive limit
Broadcom 57508 2 × 100GbE PCIe adapter
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

On air, 500 W processors are limited to base C63Y, two NVMe drives, twelve 128 GB DIMMs and one two-port PCIe adapter, with ambient held to 25 °C. The open-loop Neptune Core base supports every processor, but it is a factory-only option that needs water infrastructure in the rack.

Open this build in the configurator →

AI inference

Single-L4 inference node

One NVIDIA L4 24 GB per node, the maximum Lenovo lists, spreads inference across many small hosts rather than concentrating it in one large server. A 32-core, 210 W EPYC 9335 feeds it, and because the card occupies the only PCIe slot, networking goes on the OCP card.

1 × AMD EPYC 9335 — 32 cores @ 3 GHz, 210 W
1 × NVIDIA L4 24 GB (Controlled GPU)
12 × 64 GB TruDDR5 6400 MHz — 768 GB
4 × 7.68 TB NVMe on the onboard ports
2 × 480 GB M.2 on the M.2 RAID B540i-2i adapter
Broadcom 57414 2 × 25GbE OCP 3.0
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

The L4 is a Controlled GPU, so the node has to be ordered as a “for AI” base model, which Lenovo says has limited market and customer availability. Lenovo’s factory ESXi preload cannot be combined with an NVIDIA GPU.

Open this build in the configurator →

10 — Full specifications

Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 specifications

Node, chassis & rack

Form factor	Half-wide 1U compute node (sled) for the ThinkSystem D3 Chassis
Machine types	Node 7DD1 (3-year) · 7DD8 (1-year) · D3 Chassis 7DD0 (3-year) · 7DD7 (1-year)
Node dimensions (W × H × D)	222 × 41 × 898 mm
Node weight	8.32 kg maximum
D3 Chassis	2U · 448 mm wide · 87 mm high · 898 mm deep in its specification table, 900 mm in the physical specifications
D3 Chassis weight	11.8 kg empty · 42.4 kg or 47.8 kg with four nodes and three supplies (both figures appear in the guide)
Density	4 nodes per chassis · 84 per 42U rack · 96 per 48U rack
Mixing	SD535 V3, SD530 V3 and SD550 V3 can share a chassis
Rails	ThinkSystem DA240 static rail kit · no cable management arm, no in-rack maintenance

Processor

Sockets	One per node
Families	5th Gen EPYC 9005 (Zen 5, Zen 5c) · 4th Gen EPYC 9004 (Genoa, Genoa-X, Bergamo)
Cores	8–192 (5th Gen) · 16–128 (4th Gen)
TDP	125–500 W (5th Gen) · 200–400 W (4th Gen)
PCIe lanes	128 × PCIe 5.0, 64 available for PCIe and NVMe devices
Cooling bases	BWSY standard air (≤ 400 W) · C63Y high-performance air (500 W) · C63Z Neptune Core open-loop water

Memory

Slots	12 DDR5 · 12 channels × 1 DIMM
Types	x4/10x4 and x8 RDIMMs listed · 3DS named in the rules but no 3DS part in the option tables · no 9x4, UDIMM or LRDIMM
DIMM sizes listed	16, 32, 64, 96 and 128 GB
Speed	Up to 6400 MHz (5th Gen) · 4800 MHz (4th Gen)
Maximum	1.5 TB (12 × 128 GB)
Protection	ECC, SDDC (x4), Bounded Fault, patrol/demand scrubbing, Post Package Repair · no mirroring or rank sparing

Storage

Bays	6 × 2.5" hot-swap AnyBay · SAS, SATA or PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSDs · no HDDs
Maximum capacity	184.32 TB (6 × 30.72 TB)
Controllers	Onboard SATA (6 drives) and NVMe (6 drives), JBOD · RAID 540-8i in the PCIe slot · internal CFF RAID option
M.2	2 onboard (SATA or PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe, no RAID) + 2 on the M.2 RAID B540i-2i
Optical and tape	No internal bays; external USB

Expansion & networking

PCIe	1 × PCIe 5.0 x16 low-profile, half-length (optional riser kit)
OCP	1 × OCP 3.0 SFF, PCIe 5.0 x16 (optional) · 1, 10, 25 or 100 GbE adapters
200 Gb adapters	Mellanox ConnectX-6 HDR/200GbE 1-port · NVIDIA ConnectX-7 NDR200/200GbE 2-port
GPU	1 × NVIDIA L4 24 GB (Controlled)

Power & cooling

Supplies	In the D3 Chassis: up to 3 hot-swap CRPS, 2+1 or 1+1 · a single supply only at 2700 W
Ratings	Titanium 1300, 1600, 2000 and 2700 W · Platinum 1300 and 2700 W (not UK/EU)
Input	200–240 V AC only (240 V DC in China)
Node fans	4 × 40 mm dual-rotor simple-swap, N+1 rotor · 3 with Neptune Core

Ports & management

Front	Operator panel and pull-out network information tab; no ports
Rear	RJ45 1GbE management · USB 3 (5 Gb/s) · USB 2.0 (XCC) · Mini DisplayPort
Video	16 MB, integrated in XCC2 · up to 1920 × 1200 at 60 Hz
Management	XClarity Controller 2 (AST2600) · optional XCC2 Platinum

Environment & warranty

ASHRAE	Class A2 in most configurations; H1 depending on configuration
Operating temperature	10–35 °C (A2) · 5–25 °C (H1)
Maximum altitude	3,050 m
Acoustics (four nodes, typical)	7.3 Bel idle · 8.3 Bel at 100% CPU TDP (sound power)
Warranty	1 or 3 years by machine type · CRU and onsite, 9 × 5 next business day

11 — FAQ

SD535 V3 questions, answered from the documentation

Does the Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 need a chassis?

Yes. It is a half-wide, 1U single-socket AMD EPYC node that installs only in the 2U ThinkSystem D3 Chassis, up to four per chassis. The chassis provides shared hot-swap power supplies but no networking or management module, so each node brings its own fans, network adapters and XClarity Controller 2.

What is the maximum memory of the SD535 V3?

1.5 TB per node, using twelve 128 GB DIMMs, one in each of the processor’s twelve DDR5 channels. With a 5th Gen EPYC the memory runs at up to 6400 MHz; a 4th Gen EPYC runs it at 4800 MHz.

Which processors does the SD535 V3 support?

One AMD EPYC per node from 50 listed models: 27 from the 5th Gen 9005 family, topping out at the 192-core 9965, and 23 from the 4th Gen 9004 family, including Genoa-X and Bergamo parts. The 500 W 9755 and 9965 need either the High Performance Air Cooled Node base or Neptune Core water cooling, and several 320–360 W parts require 25 °C ambient on air.

How many drives does each SD535 V3 node hold?

Six 2.5-inch hot-swap AnyBay bays for SAS, SATA or PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs; hard disks are not supported. Up to four M.2 drives add boot capacity, two on the system board and two on an optional RAID adapter. Lenovo’s maximum is 184.32 TB per node with 30.72 TB SSDs.

Can the SD535 V3 take a GPU?

One NVIDIA L4 24 GB per node, the only GPU in Lenovo’s table. It is a Controlled GPU ordered only on the “for AI” base models, and since the node has a single PCIe slot the card takes that slot.

What power supplies does the SD535 V3 use?

None of its own: the D3 Chassis holds up to three identical hot-swap CRPS supplies shared by all four nodes, in 2+1 or 1+1 arrangements. Titanium units come in 1300, 1600, 2000 and 2700 W, Platinum in 1300 and 2700 W outside the UK and EU, and the chassis needs 200–240 V AC.

How many SD535 V3 nodes fit in a rack?

Lenovo quotes 84 nodes in 21 D3 Chassis per 42U rack and 96 nodes in 24 chassis per 48U rack. With Neptune Core water cooling Lenovo allows 19 chassis in a 48U rack, 19 in a 42U rack without an in-rack coolant distribution unit and 18 in a 42U rack with one.

What does Neptune Core water cooling change on the SD535 V3?

It removes all processor heat through an open water loop, supports every processor and front drive option, and needs only three fans per node. In exchange the node gives up the M.2 RAID adapter, the internal CFF RAID adapter, one rear USB port and cable-management-arm support, and the option is available only in factory orders.

How big and heavy is the SD535 V3?

Each node measures 222 × 41 × 898 mm and weighs up to 8.32 kg. The D3 Chassis is 2U high, 448 mm wide and 11.8 kg empty; Lenovo gives its fully loaded weight as 42.4 kg in one table and 47.8 kg in another.

Is the Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 end of life?

Lenovo has not published an end-of-service date for the SD535 V3 in its product guide, which covers 5th Gen EPYC parts and names Ubuntu 26.04 and ESXi 9.1 among its supported systems. Cover for a given node follows its warranty or Lenovo service agreement, and our end-of-life checker records any date Lenovo announces.

Sources & verification

Where these figures come from

Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 Server Product Guide (August 4, 2026) — Standard specifications for the node and D3 Chassis (Tables 2–3), base CTO models (Tables 4–5), processor Tables 7–10 and air-cooling rules, Neptune Core (Table 12), memory Tables 14–15 and rules, backplane, M.2 and SED (Tables 16–23), controllers (Table 24), drive Tables 25–30, I/O and network (Tables 32–38), power supplies (Table 39), systems management, security, rack installation, OS support, physical and electrical specifications, operating environment, water infrastructure and warranty.

Specifications are extracted from Lenovo’s published documents and independently re-checked line by line. Configurations are quote-based; availability and exact options are confirmed at quotation. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.

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The SD535 V3 at a glance

Strengths

Watch-outs

50 supported processors, mapped

Processor landscape — cores × TDP

Processor explorer

12 DDR5 DIMM slots

Capacity with every slot filled

Rated memory speed

1 backplane option, up to 6 bays

Headline layouts

Controllers & boot

GPUs, PCIe and networking

NVIDIA L4 24GB PCIe Gen4 Passive GPU

I/O topology

Network adapters Lenovo lists

No supplies of its own — powered by the chassis

Run it, secure it, choose the OS

Management

Security

Operating systems

How the SD535 V3 compares with its family

Four builds that suit the SD535 V3

Four-per-2U hypervisor node

Genoa-X CFD and EDA node

192-core node on the high-performance base

Single-L4 inference node

Lenovo ThinkSystem SD535 V3 specifications

Node, chassis & rack

Processor

Memory

Storage

Expansion & networking

Power & cooling

Ports & management

Environment & warranty

SD535 V3 questions, answered from the documentation

Where these figures come from

Buy & configure

Dense compute & family

Plan the deployment

Support & lifecycle

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