Dell PowerEdge R640 vs HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10

The Dell PowerEdge R640 and HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 are both 1U, 2-socket servers from the same launch era, built around the same two CPU generations. Neither platform is categorically faster or better; they differ in chassis/bay configuration, storage controller ecosystem, and platform-specific features, not in CPU generation or PCIe generation. Both support 1st or 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, both top out at 28 cores per socket, and both use PCIe Gen3. The real differences are in how each manufacturer built around that shared foundation.

Quick comparison

Dell and HPE do not use identical terminology for comparable features. iDRAC and iLO are each manufacturer's own management controller, not interchangeable. PERC/HBA and Smart Array are separate, non-cross-compatible controller families. Where a feature doesn't map cleanly between the two platforms, this guide says so rather than forcing an equivalence that doesn't exist.

CPU & compute

Both platforms support the same two processor generations: 1st and 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable, both topping out at 28 cores per socket on their respective flagship SKUs. HPE's documentation additionally defines processor suffix tiers (L for large-memory, M for medium-memory, U for single-socket, among others) that change per-socket memory ceiling or socket-count support independent of core count. Dell's R640 does not use an equivalent suffix system; confirm the exact CPU SKU and its tier against the applicable manufacturer document before assuming a core count implies identical memory or socket support.

Memory

Both platforms use 24 DDR4 DIMM slots across 2 sockets (12 per CPU), both rated up to 2933 MT/s. The R640 tops out at 3 TB of DRAM using LRDIMM (1.53 TB with RDIMM), reaching a stated 7.68 TB ceiling when Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory is combined with LRDIMM. The DL360 Gen10 also reaches 3.0 TB with LRDIMM, and tops out at 6.0 TB with HPE Persistent Memory; HPE's documentation separately notes that specific high-memory ("L"-suffix) CPU SKUs are rated for up to 4.5 TB of addressable memory per socket — a configuration-dependent ceiling tied to the processor choice, not the chassis.

Storage & NVMe

Both platforms offer multiple bay configurations rather than a single fixed option. The R640 supports 10x2.5" SATA/SAS/NVMe (up to 8 NVMe drives), a 10x2.5" all-NVMe backplane, 8x2.5" SAS/SATA/NVMe, or 4x3.5" SAS/SATA. The DL360 Gen10 offers 8 SFF (with a +2 SFF/NVMe option), a 10 SFF NVMe Premium chassis supporting up to 10 PCIe direct-attached NVMe drives, or 4 LFF, plus a rear-bay option on every chassis type. Neither platform's named configurations are a direct substitute for the other's; confirm the exact configuration against the applicable manufacturer document before assuming bay counts or NVMe limits translate between brands.

PCIe / expansion

Both platforms use PCIe Gen3 and support up to 3 total expansion slots in their standard configuration. The R640 reaches that total through up to 3 PCIe slots plus a dedicated PERC slot and a dedicated rNDC slot, separate from the general-purpose PCIe count. The DL360 Gen10 reaches it through a primary riser (x16 full-height plus x8 low-profile, tied to CPU1) and an optional secondary riser (x16, tied to CPU2, requiring a second processor). The slot layouts are not a one-to-one match between brands; plan an expansion-card configuration against the specific riser kit documented for the platform, not an assumed equivalent slot number.

Management: iDRAC vs iLO

The R640 uses Dell's iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller. The DL360 Gen10 uses HPE's iLO 5, built on a dedicated ASIC. Both are out-of-band server management controllers with remote console, monitoring, and firmware-update capability, but they are separate products from separate vendors with no cross-compatibility — a system built for one platform cannot be managed through the other's interface, and licensing, feature tiers, and update cadences differ between them.

Virtualization

Both platforms are proven 1U virtualization hosts from the same CPU generation, well suited to density-focused deployments where per-U performance matters more than maximum drive count. HPE specifically markets "V"-suffix (VM-optimized) processor SKUs for the DL360 Gen10 line, intended to support higher virtual-machine density per host. Dell does not publish an equivalent suffix-based VM-optimized tier for the R640; both platforms are otherwise well documented as general-purpose virtualization hosts for their generation.

Database / enterprise workloads

Both platforms support persistent memory for in-memory database acceleration: Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory on the R640 (branded DCPMM in Dell's documentation), HPE Persistent Memory (also Optane-based) on the DL360 Gen10. The DL360 Gen10's documented 4.5 TB per-socket ceiling on specific high-memory CPU SKUs is the more aggressive stated figure of the two, though it depends on selecting that specific processor tier rather than being available on every DL360 Gen10 configuration.

When the R640 Makes More Sense

• You're already standardized on Dell's iDRAC and PERC/HBA ecosystem and want to avoid managing two different platforms.
• You need the widest single bay configuration for mixed SATA/SAS/NVMe in one 10-drive backplane.
• Your accelerator cards need the FPGA option alongside GPU support.
• You want the widest refurbished availability for this exact generation on the Dell side.

When the DL360 Gen10 Makes More Sense

• You're already standardized on HPE's iLO and Smart Array ecosystem.
• Your workload benefits from the 10 SFF NVMe Premium chassis's native 10-drive PCIe direct-attached NVMe support.
• You need a specific high-memory ("L"-suffix) or single-socket ("U"-suffix) CPU SKU for a cost- or density-optimized build.
• You want embedded networking plus a separate FlexibleLOM option rather than Dell's single rNDC slot.

Lifecycle/Upgrade Considerations

Both platforms' chassis configuration, riser layout, and CPU socket population are decided when the unit is built; neither can be changed after purchase by adding drive caddies or risers alone. Both are from the same launch era and use the same two CPU generations, so neither platform has a meaningfully longer support runway than the other based on generation alone — the deciding factor is almost always which management and storage-controller ecosystem you're already standardized on, not raw platform age.

Configure/Shop/Quote Options

• Dell PowerEdge R640 specifications and options
• Configure the Dell PowerEdge R640
• HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 specifications and options
• Configure the HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10
• Browse refurbished Dell PowerEdge servers
• Browse refurbished HPE ProLiant servers

Hardware bought from TekBoost carries our standard 3-year warranty with Next Business Day part replacement, subject to the terms, exclusions and conditions on that page. Every system is tested before shipment. To confirm an exact configuration against current stock on either platform, request a quote.

Methodology and sources

Last reviewed: 2026-11-13. Dell PowerEdge R640 specifications are drawn from Dell's official PowerEdge R640 Technical Guide, read in full earlier in this program. HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 specifications are drawn from HPE's official QuickSpecs document (a00008159enw), read in full for this guide — HPE's own document notes this edition is retired and the base products are now considered obsolete, cited here as the authoritative primary source available for direct reference. Configuration-dependent specifications — PCIe riser mix, storage bay/chassis type, GPU support, and PSU wattage on both platforms — are described as ranges rather than single figures, consistent with each manufacturer's own published option tables.