Home › Servers › Dell

Dell PowerEdge XE9680

CurrentServers6U rack
Dell PowerEdge XE96806U rack16 × SFF 2.5" bays2 sockets

The Dell PowerEdge XE9680 is an enterprise 6U rack server powered by 2 Intel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 2x 64 cores, 350W TDP) and 32 memory slots supporting up to 4096GB DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM. Configured with Up to 16x 2.5-inch NVMe U.2 / U.3 or E3.S SSDs and Up to 10 PCIe Gen5 slots (dedicated for InfiniBand / RoCE networking), the XE9680 delivers balanced compute and I/O density for enterprise database, hypervisor, and application workloads.

Also written as: PowerEdge XE9680, Dell XE9680, XE9680 8-Way GPU Server

Buy Dell PowerEdge XE9680Sell yours

Specifications

BrandDell
FamilyPowerEdge XE
Form factor6U rack
ReleasedMar 2023
Cpu sockets2
Cpu platformIntel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 2x 64 cores, 350W TDP)
Memory slots32
Memory typeDDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM
Memory max (GB)4,096
Drive baysUp to 16x 2.5-inch NVMe U.2 / U.3 or E3.S SSDs
Pcie slotsUp to 10 PCIe Gen5 slots (dedicated for InfiniBand / RoCE networking)
Gpu support8x NVIDIA H100 / H200 / B200 SXM5 GPUs with NVLink (700W each) or 8x AMD Instinct MI300X OAM
Network onboardUp to 8x 400Gb/s QSFP-DD PCIe NICs plus dedicated 1GbE iDRAC9 port
Power supplySix hot-plug 2800W or 3000W Titanium redundant power supplies (3+3)
Power drawidle 1650 W, typical 7200 W, max 10500 W (rack-density.com)

Generations

About the XE9680

The Dell PowerEdge XE9680 is an enterprise 6U rack server engineered for computing and virtualization workloads. Powered by 2 Intel Xeon Scalable 4th Gen and 5th Gen (up to 2x 64 cores, 350W TDP) across 32 memory slots supporting up to 4096GB DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM, the XE9680 balances throughput and memory capacity. In Dell's server catalog, the XE9680 succeeded the POWEREDGE-XE8545, positioned alongside rival systems including NVIDIA-DGX-H100, SUPERMICRO-GPU-8U.

Options and compatibility

Processor support on the XE9680 utilizes 2 LGA4677 (Socket E) sockets with thermal heatsinks matching CPU power envelopes. System memory slots on the XE9680 require DDR5-4800 / DDR5-5600 RDIMM modules, and mixing RDIMM with LRDIMM memory is not supported. The XE9680 chassis utilizes DXD9H (2.5-inch SFF) and E3.S carriers drive trays across its 2.5-inch drive backplane bays. Networking on the XE9680 uses OCP 3.0 mezzanine adapter, and expansion cards install into Up to 10 PCIe Gen5 slots (dedicated for InfiniBand / RoCE networking) risers.

How to identify it

Physical identification of the XE9680 is verified by the 16th-generation dark slate honeycomb front bezel with the XE9680 badge on the front chassis ear. The pull-out information tag on the XE9680 control panel displays the 7-character Dell Service Tag and default login credentials. In iDRAC9 Gen16, the server identifies as XE9680 with active firmware, slot mapping, and power telemetry.

Buying used

When evaluating a pre-owned XE9680, inspect the LGA4677 (Socket E) CPU socket pins for damage and ensure retention clips are intact. Run Dell ePSA diagnostics across all 32 memory slots of the XE9680 to verify zero uncorrectable ECC faults under load. Verify that redundant power supplies in the XE9680 match in wattage and that iDRAC9 Gen16 Enterprise remote console is enabled. Ensure required XE9680 drive caddies and bracket accessories are present.

Compatible parts

Memory

Power supplies

Network adapters

Boot devices

Works together

How the Dell PowerEdge XE9680 connects to servers, storage and the network: 5 ways, with the parts and products on each path.

Fibre Channel SANiSCSI and NVMe/TCP over EthernetDirect-attached SASFile storage (NFS and SMB)GPU cluster fabric

Fibre Channel SAN

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)

Switches

Storage

Optics

Fibre Channel SAN: how it fits together

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet

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)

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

Direct-attached SAS

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)

Storage

Direct-attached SAS: how it fits together

File storage (NFS and SMB)

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)

Storage

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

GPU cluster fabric

InfiniBand adapters and switches must match the generation: HDR is 200Gb, NDR is 400Gb. VPI adapters such as ConnectX-6 and ConnectX-7 can run either InfiniBand or Ethernet.

GPUs

Adapters for the server

GPU cluster fabric: how it fits together

Plan and size it

Power draw of the Dell PowerEdge XE9680: about 7200 W typical and 10500 W at full load, 6U. Measured figures on rack-density.com.

Equivalent models from other brands

FAQ

What GPUs are supported in the PowerEdge XE9680?

It supports an 8-way SXM5 baseboard with NVIDIA H100 (80GB), H200 (141GB), or B200, or an 8-way OAM baseboard with AMD Instinct MI300X (192GB).

What power infrastructure is required for the XE9680?

It requires six 2800W or 3000W Titanium power supplies running on 200-240V AC or 277V AC circuits in a 3+3 redundant power configuration.

How does networking scale on the XE9680 for AI clusters?

It provides 8 dedicated PCIe Gen5 x16 slots directly attached to GPUs for 400Gb/s NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand or 400GbE RoCE fabrics.

Buying or selling XE9680?

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.

Buy XE9680Sell yours

Sources