AI servers are in high demand, but choosing the right one isn't always straightforward. Many IT decision-makers face the same dilemma: Do you go for the latest and greatest, or is there a smarter way to get the power you need without overpaying? We recently spoke with a data center manager who was struggling with exactly this—his team needed more AI compute power but had a tight budget.
AI Servers and GPUs: Save Up to 80%
The market offers several options from top brands like Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and Supermicro, making it crucial to choose the right fit for your workload.
Dell PowerEdge AI Servers
Dell’s AI servers focus on scalability, reliability, and high GPU density. The best AI models include:
📌 Dell PowerEdge XE8545 – Best for AI Training & HPC
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual AMD EPYC 7003 or 9004 (Milan/Genoa) with up to 128 cores total
GPUs: Supports 4x NVIDIA A100 (80GB) or H100 (80GB)
Memory: Up to 2TB DDR4 RAM (32 DIMM slots)
Storage: Up to 10x U.2 NVMe SSDs (PCIe 4.0)
Networking: Up to 2x 100GbE ports + optional Mellanox adapters
Power: 2x 3kW redundant PSUs
Best Use Case: AI/ML training, HPC, data analytics, and inferencing.
📌 Dell PowerEdge R760xa – Best for Mixed Workloads (AI & Compute)
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon 4th Gen (Sapphire Rapids), up to 60 cores per CPU
GPUs: Supports 2x or 4x NVIDIA A100/H100/L40S GPUs
Memory: Up to 2TB DDR5 RAM (16 DIMM slots)
Storage: Up to 10x U.2 NVMe or 4x PCIe Gen4 SSDs
Networking: Multiple 10/25/100GbE options
Best Use Case: AI inference, analytics, mixed AI/CPU workloads.
📌 Dell PowerEdge R750xa – Cost-Effective GPU Server
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon 3rd/4th Gen, up to 32 cores per CPU
GPUs: Up to 3x NVIDIA A100/A40/L40S
Memory: 2TB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 12x U.2 NVMe SSDs
Best Use Case: Entry-level AI, GPU virtualization, media processing.
📌 Dell PowerEdge R660/R760 – For Smaller AI Tasks
Key Specs:
GPUs: 2x NVIDIA A100/A40
Memory: 1TB DDR5 RAM
Storage: Up to 8 NVMe SSDs
Best Use Case: AI inference, smaller AI deployments.
HPE AI Servers
HPE’s AI servers focus on high-performance computing (HPC) and AI scalability.
📌 HPE Apollo 6500 Gen10 Plus – Most Powerful AI Server
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual AMD EPYC 7003 (Milan) or 9004 (Genoa)
GPUs: Supports 8x NVIDIA A100/H100/L40S or AMD MI250
Memory: Up to 4TB DDR4 RAM
Storage: Up to 16 NVMe SSDs
Networking: 200Gb/s InfiniBand, 100GbE, SmartNIC options
Power: Dual 3kW PSU
Best Use Case: Massive AI training, HPC clusters, high-scale deep learning.
📌 HPE ProLiant DL380a Gen11 – Balanced AI & Enterprise Server
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon 4th Gen Sapphire Rapids
GPUs: Supports 4x NVIDIA A100, L40S, RTX 6000 Ada
Memory: Up to 2TB DDR5 (16 DIMM slots)
Storage: Up to 12 NVMe SSDs or HDDs
Best Use Case: AI inferencing, AI-powered VMs, financial modeling.
📌 HPE Cray XD670 – Supercomputing AI Server
Key Specs:
CPU: AMD EPYC 9004 series
GPUs: Up to 8x NVIDIA H100 SXM
Memory: Up to 6TB DDR5
Storage: Scalable NVMe storage pools
Best Use Case: AI supercomputing, government labs, medical AI.
Lenovo AI Servers
Lenovo’s ThinkSystem series balances AI compute with cost efficiency.
📌 Lenovo ThinkSystem SR670 V2 – Best for AI Inference & Mixed Workloads
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon Ice Lake/Sapphire Rapids
GPUs: Up to 8x NVIDIA A100/H100 SXM
Memory: 4TB DDR5
Storage: Up to 10 NVMe SSDs
Power: Dual 2.5kW PSU
Best Use Case: AI inferencing, ML training, multi-GPU research.
📌 Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675 V3 – AMD-Based AI Server
Key Specs:
CPU: AMD EPYC 9004 series
GPUs: 6x NVIDIA H100/A100
Memory: 3TB DDR5
Storage: Up to 12 SSDs
Networking: 100GbE options
Best Use Case: Large AI model training, autonomous driving R&D.
Supermicro AI Servers
Supermicro specializes in high-density AI servers at competitive pricing.
📌 Supermicro SYS-420GP-TNR – Best for Multi-GPU AI Workloads
Key Specs:
CPU: Dual Intel Xeon 4th Gen
GPUs: Up to 10x NVIDIA H100 SXM
Memory: 4TB DDR5 RAM
Storage: Up to 24x NVMe SSDs
Best Use Case: Large-scale AI training, GPU virtualization.
📌 Supermicro SYS-821GE-TNHR – Compact AI Server
Key Specs:
CPU: AMD EPYC 9004
GPUs: 4x NVIDIA A100/H100 PCIe
Memory: Up to 2TB DDR5
Storage: 10x NVMe SSDs
Best Use Case: AI inferencing, AI-powered video processing.
AI Servers and GPUs: Save Up to 80%
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