Dell PowerEdge R740 vs HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10

The Dell PowerEdge R740 and HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 are both 2U, 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 flexibility, storage configuration options, 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, V for VM-optimized, among others) that change per-socket memory ceiling and virtualization characteristics independent of core count. Dell's R740 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 support.

Memory

Both platforms use 24 DDR4 DIMM slots across 2 sockets (12 per CPU), both rated up to 2933 MT/s, and both top out at roughly 3 TB of DRAM using LRDIMM. The R740 reaches a stated 7.68 TB ceiling when Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory is combined with LRDIMM. The DL380 Gen10 reaches 6.0 TB with HPE Persistent Memory, and 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

This is the platforms' clearest structural difference. The R740's front-bay options are fixed at up to 16x2.5" or 8x3.5". The DL380 Gen10 offers a wider range of chassis configurations — 8SFF, 24SFF (expandable with 6 rear bays to 30 total), 8LFF, or 12LFF (expandable with a rear 3LFF+2SFF option to 19LFF+2SFF) — and HPE's own documentation states a maximum of 20 NVMe drives supported with partial population of its dedicated NVMe drive box. Neither platform's chassis options are a direct substitute for the other's; confirm the exact configuration against the applicable manufacturer document before assuming bay counts translate between brands.

PCIe / expansion

Both platforms use PCIe Gen3 and support up to 8 total slots. The R740 reaches that total through riser options with a maximum width of 4x16. The DL380 Gen10 reaches it through a primary riser (x8/x16/x8, tied to CPU 1) and an optional secondary riser (same layout, requires a second CPU), with an optional tertiary riser available for rear-drive configurations. 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 R740 uses Dell's iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller. The DL380 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 2U virtualization hosts from the same CPU generation. HPE specifically markets "V"-suffix (VM-optimized) processor SKUs for the DL380 Gen10 line, intended to support higher virtual-machine density per host. Dell's R740 documentation cites up to 50% more VDI users than the previous-generation R730 when configured with three double-width GPUs. Neither claim is a like-for-like benchmark between the two platforms; both reflect each manufacturer's own stated positioning for its platform.

Database / enterprise workloads

Both platforms support persistent memory for in-memory database acceleration: Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory on the R740, HPE Persistent Memory (also Optane-based) on the DL380 Gen10. The DL380 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 DL380 Gen10 configuration.

When the R740 makes more sense

• You're already standardized on Dell's iDRAC and PERC/HBA ecosystem and want to avoid managing two different platforms.
• Your storage needs fit within the R740's fixed 16x2.5" or 8x3.5" front-bay options.
• Your accelerator cards need double-width, high-wattage GPU slots (up to three 300W cards).
• You want the widest refurbished availability for this exact generation on the Dell side.

When the DL380 Gen10 makes more sense

• You're already standardized on HPE's iLO and Smart Array ecosystem.
• Your workload needs a chassis configuration beyond the R740's fixed bay options — particularly the 24SFF-plus-rear or 12LFF-plus-rear configurations, or higher native NVMe drive counts.
• You need a specific high-memory ("L"-suffix) CPU SKU rated for up to 4.5 TB of addressable memory per socket.
• You want embedded networking plus a separate FlexibleLOM option rather than Dell's single rNDC slot.

Upgrade / lifecycle 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 R740 specifications and options
• Configure the Dell PowerEdge R740
• HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 specifications and options
• Configure the HPE ProLiant DL380 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 R740 specifications are drawn from Dell's official R740 and R740xd Technical Guide, read in full for this program. HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 specifications are drawn from HPE's official QuickSpecs document (a00008180enw), read in full for this guide — HPE's own document notes this U.S. edition is retired and superseded by the current Worldwide QuickSpecs, cited here as the authoritative primary source available for direct reference. Configuration-dependent specifications — PCIe riser mix, storage bay count, GPU count, and PSU wattage on both platforms — are described as ranges rather than single figures, consistent with each manufacturer's own published option tables.