Dell PowerEdge R960

Name: Dell PowerEdge R960
Brand: Dell

CurrentServers4U rack

The Dell PowerEdge R960 is an enterprise 4U rack server powered by 4 Intel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 4 processors, 350W TDP) and 64 memory slots supporting up to 16384GB DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM. Configured with Up to 32x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/NVMe drives and Up to 12 PCIe Gen5 slots, the R960 delivers balanced compute and I/O density for enterprise database, hypervisor, and application workloads.

Also written as: PowerEdge R960, Dell R960, R960 4U Server

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Specifications

Brand	Dell
Family	PowerEdge R
Form factor	4U rack
Released	Apr 2023
Cpu sockets	4
Cpu platform	Intel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 4 processors, 350W TDP)
Memory slots	64
Memory type	DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM
Memory max (GB)	16,384
Drive bays	Up to 32x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/NVMe drives
Pcie slots	Up to 12 PCIe Gen5 slots
Gpu support	Up to 4x 350W double-wide GPUs or 8x 75W single-wide GPUs
Network onboard	OCP 3.0 slot; 1x 1GbE iDRAC dedicated port
Power supply	Quad redundant hot-plug 1100W, 1400W, 1800W, 2400W or 2800W Titanium

Generations

Previous generation: Dell PowerEdge R940

About the R960

The Dell PowerEdge R960 is an enterprise 4U rack server engineered for computing and virtualization workloads. Powered by 4 Intel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 4 processors, 350W TDP) across 64 memory slots supporting up to 16384GB DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM, the R960 balances throughput and memory capacity. In Dell's server catalog, the R960 succeeded the POWEREDGE-R940, positioned alongside rival systems including PROLIANT-DL580-GEN10, THINKSYSTEM-SR860-V3.

Options and compatibility

Processor support on the R960 utilizes 4 LGA4677 (Socket E) sockets with thermal heatsinks matching CPU power envelopes. System memory slots on the R960 require DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM modules, and mixing RDIMM with LRDIMM memory is not supported. The R960 chassis utilizes DXD9H (2.5-inch SFF) and E3.S carriers drive trays across its 2.5-inch drive backplane bays. Networking on the R960 uses OCP 3.0 mezzanine adapter, and expansion cards install into Up to 12 PCIe Gen5 slots risers.

How to identify it

Physical identification of the R960 is verified by the 16th-generation dark slate honeycomb front bezel with the R960 badge on the front chassis ear. The pull-out information tag on the R960 control panel displays the 7-character Dell Service Tag and default login credentials. In iDRAC9 Gen16, the server identifies as R960 with active firmware, slot mapping, and power telemetry.

Buying used

When evaluating a pre-owned R960, inspect the LGA4677 (Socket E) CPU socket pins for damage and ensure retention clips are intact. Run Dell ePSA diagnostics across all 64 memory slots of the R960 to verify zero uncorrectable ECC faults under load. Verify that redundant power supplies in the R960 match in wattage and that iDRAC9 Gen16 Enterprise remote console is enabled. Ensure required R960 drive caddies and bracket accessories are present.

Compatible parts

Memory

370-AHCX Dell 128GB DDR5-4800 Quad Rank RDIMM 288-pin Memory Module

Power supplies

450-AKLR Dell 2400W Platinum Hot-Plug Redundant Power Supply (Common Slot)

TPM modules

461-AAII Dell Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) Security Module for 16G

RAID controllers

PERC-H755 Dell PERC H755 Front SAS 12Gb/s 8GB NV Cache PCIe Gen4 RAID Controller
PERC-H965I Dell PERC H965i Front 24Gb/s SAS / PCIe Gen5 NVMe 8GB Cache RAID Controller

Boot devices

BOSS-S2 Dell Boot Optimized Storage Solution (BOSS-S2) Hot-Plug Rear Controller with Dual M.2 SSDs

Works together

How the Dell PowerEdge R960 connects to servers, storage and the network: 4 ways, with the parts and products on each path.

Fibre Channel SAN iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet Direct-attached SAS File storage (NFS and SMB)

Fibre Channel SAN

Serverwith an FC HBAFC switchtwo fabrics, A and BStorage arrayFC host ports

Match the speed: 16Gb and 32Gb FC HBAs, switches and array ports work together, and each generation also runs one or two speeds below its own (a 32Gb port runs at 16Gb and 8Gb).

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

540-BBUU Dell Emulex LPe31002 Dual Port 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter
540-BBUV Dell QLogic 2692 Dual Port 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter
540-BCMS Dell QLogic 2770 Single Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
540-BCMT Dell QLogic 2772 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter

Switches

Storage

Optics

407-BBOG Dell 16Gb Short Wave SFP+ Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BBOH Dell 8Gb Short Wave SFP+ Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver

Fibre Channel SAN: how it fits together

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet

Server10/25/100GbE NICEthernet switchstorage VLAN, two switchesStorage arrayiSCSI or NVMe/TCP ports

Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

540-BBHG Dell Intel X520/I350 2x10GbE SFP+ + 2x1GbE BASE-T Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBHH Dell Intel X540/I350 2x10GBASE-T + 2x1GbE BASE-T Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBIU Dell Broadcom 57416/5720 2x10GBASE-T + 2x1GbE Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBIV Dell Broadcom 57412/5720 2x10GbE SFP+ + 2x1GbE Network Daughter Card (rNDC)

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet: how it fits together

Direct-attached SAS

Serverexternal SAS HBASAS cableMini-SAS HD, no switchArray or JBODSAS host ports or EMM

12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

405-AANT Dell 12Gbps SAS HBA Dual Port External PCIe Controller
405-AASU Dell HBA355e External SAS 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter

Storage

Direct-attached SAS: how it fits together

File storage (NFS and SMB)

Server or clientEthernet NICEthernet switchdata or storage VLANNAS or scale-outNFS, SMB, S3 ports

Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

540-BBHG Dell Intel X520/I350 2x10GbE SFP+ + 2x1GbE BASE-T Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBHH Dell Intel X540/I350 2x10GBASE-T + 2x1GbE BASE-T Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBIU Dell Broadcom 57416/5720 2x10GBASE-T + 2x1GbE Network Daughter Card (rNDC)
540-BBIV Dell Broadcom 57412/5720 2x10GbE SFP+ + 2x1GbE Network Daughter Card (rNDC)

Storage

File storage (NFS and SMB): how it fits together

Plan and size it

Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
SAN transport and NVMe over FC for backup mrplanb.com
Dell E-Lab Navigator (Dell interoperability) dell.com

Equivalent models from other brands

HPE ProLiant DL580 Gen10 · compare
Lenovo Thinksystem SR860 V3

FAQ

What is the maximum I/O expansion on the R960?

The R960 provides up to 12 PCIe Gen5 expansion slots and supports up to 4 double-width full-length GPUs.

What storage configurations are supported on the R960?

Up to 32x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/NVMe SSDs with hardware RAID support through Dell PERC 12 controllers.

Buying or selling R960?

New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.

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Sources

Dell PowerEdge R960 Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27