Description

The Dell PowerEdge R960 is a flagship-class enterprise server engineered for organizations that require exceptional compute performance, memory scalability, I/O bandwidth, and availability.

Built around 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, the R960 supports up to four processors, enabling organizations to deploy highly parallel and compute-intensive workloads within a single 4U system.

Its large memory architecture, high-speed PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, flexible storage options, accelerator support and advanced management capabilities make the R960 an excellent platform for modern data-center workloads including artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-performance computing, large databases, in-memory applications, virtualization, business intelligence and advanced analytics.

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Key Features

• Brand: Dell
• Model: PowerEdge R960
• Form Factor: 4U Rack Server
• CPU Sockets: 4
• Processor: 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable
• Memory: DDR5 ECC RDIMM
• Memory Slots: Up to 64 × DIMM
• Maximum Memory: Up to 16TB, configuration dependent
• Storage: SAS / SATA / SSD / NVMe
• RAID: Dell PERC / HBA options
• Expansion: PCIe Gen 5
• GPU Support: Selected GPU and accelerator configurations
• Networking: OCP 3.0 / PCIe network adapters
• Remote Management: iDRAC9 with Lifecycle Controller
• Security: Silicon Root of Trust, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 and related Dell security technologies
• Power: Redundant hot-plug power supplies
• Primary Applications: AI/ML, HPC, Virtualization, Databases, In-Memory Computing, Analytics & Enterprise Applications

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4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processing

The PowerEdge R960 supports up to four 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors.

Its four-socket architecture provides a substantial amount of CPU processing capacity for workloads that require high core counts, large memory bandwidth and significant parallel processing capability.

It is suitable for:

• Artificial intelligence
• Machine learning
• High-performance computing
• Large-scale virtualization
• Database workloads
• In-memory computing
• Data analytics
• Business intelligence
• Enterprise applications

Processor selection can be tailored according to required cores, frequency, cache, power envelope and workload characteristics.

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Massive DDR5 Memory Capacity

The R960 is designed for extremely memory-intensive applications and supports DDR5 ECC Registered DIMMs.

With up to 64 DIMM slots, supported configurations can provide up to 16TB of memory.

DDR5 provides significantly increased memory bandwidth compared with previous DDR4-based platforms, making the R960 well suited for applications that continuously move and process large datasets.

Ideal workloads include:

• In-memory databases
• AI and analytics
• Large virtual machine environments
• SAP and other enterprise applications
• Big-data processing
• Scientific computing
• Business intelligence

ECC memory helps provide the data integrity and reliability expected in enterprise environments.

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PCIe Gen 5 Expansion

The R960 incorporates PCIe Gen 5 technology, providing high-bandwidth connectivity for modern expansion hardware.

PCIe Gen 5 can support:

• GPUs
• AI accelerators
• NVMe storage
• High-speed network adapters
• Fibre Channel HBAs
• Storage controllers
• Other PCIe devices

The increased PCIe bandwidth is particularly beneficial for systems where high-speed data movement between processors, storage, networking and accelerators is required.

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Flexible Enterprise Storage

The PowerEdge R960 supports a range of enterprise storage technologies, allowing customers to balance capacity, performance and cost.

Depending on configuration, storage options can include:

• SAS HDD
• SATA HDD
• SAS SSD
• SATA SSD
• NVMe SSD

NVMe configurations can provide extremely low storage latency and high I/O performance for demanding applications.

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NVMe Performance

Selected R960 configurations support NVMe SSD storage, providing high IOPS and low latency.

NVMe is particularly beneficial for:

• High-performance databases
• AI/ML workloads
• Virtualization
• Analytics
• High-frequency transactions
• Caching
• Software-defined storage
• HPC

Exact drive-bay and NVMe capabilities depend on the selected chassis and storage backplane.

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Dell PERC RAID

The R960 supports Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) solutions and HBA configurations.

PERC controllers can provide:

• RAID data protection
• Drive redundancy
• Storage performance optimization
• Drive monitoring
• Enterprise storage management
• Hot-plug drive support

The exact RAID capabilities depend on the selected controller.

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GPU and Accelerator Support

The PowerEdge R960 is designed to support selected GPUs and compute accelerators, making it suitable for workloads that benefit from parallel processing.

Potential applications include:

• Artificial intelligence
• Machine learning
• Deep learning
• Data analytics
• High-performance computing
• Scientific computing
• Visualization
• Video processing

GPU compatibility depends on the system configuration, risers, cooling, power supplies and supported accelerator models.

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High-Speed Networking

The R960 supports modern networking through OCP 3.0 and PCIe network adapters.

Depending on configuration, network connectivity can support:

• 1GbE
• 10GbE
• 25GbE
• Higher-speed Ethernet
• Fibre Channel through supported HBAs

Multiple network interfaces can be dedicated to:

• Production
• Storage
• Management
• Backup
• Virtualization

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iDRAC9 Remote Management

The Dell Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 9 (iDRAC9) provides comprehensive out-of-band management.

Administrators can remotely:

• Monitor system health
• View hardware inventory
• Configure server components
• Manage firmware
• Control power
• Run diagnostics
• Access remote console functionality
• Deploy operating systems
• Manage the server lifecycle

Dell OpenManage integration enables centralized management of PowerEdge infrastructure.

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Enterprise Security

The R960 incorporates modern Dell security technologies designed to protect hardware, firmware and system configuration.

Depending on configuration, capabilities include:

• Silicon Root of Trust
• Secure Boot
• TPM 2.0
• System Lockdown
• Cryptographically signed firmware
• Secure Erase
• Secured Component Verification

These technologies help protect the server from unauthorized firmware and configuration modifications.

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Redundant Hot-Plug Power

The R960 supports redundant hot-plug power supply configurations.

Redundant PSUs can help improve system availability by allowing the server to continue operating if a power supply fails.

Power requirements depend on:

• CPU configuration
• Memory capacity
• Storage configuration
• GPU/accelerator installation
• PCIe cards
• Networking hardware

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High-Capacity 4U Design

The R960 uses a 4U chassis to provide the physical space required for its four-socket architecture, large memory configuration, high-speed storage and accelerator capabilities.

The larger form factor enables organizations to combine:

• Four high-performance processors
• Large DDR5 memory configurations
• High-performance storage
• NVMe devices
• GPUs and accelerators
• High-speed networking
• Enterprise RAID
• Redundant power

This makes the R960 particularly suitable for workloads where maximum compute, memory and I/O capacity are more important than minimizing rack space.

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Ideal Applications

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

GPU and accelerator support, combined with high-bandwidth DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5, makes the R960 suitable for demanding AI and ML infrastructure.

High-Performance Computing

The four-socket architecture provides substantial CPU resources for scientific and engineering workloads.

Large-Scale Virtualization

Large memory capacity and high processor density allow organizations to consolidate demanding virtual machines.

Database & In-Memory Computing

The R960 provides the processing, memory and storage performance required by large database environments and in-memory applications.

Advanced Analytics

High CPU performance, DDR5 bandwidth and fast NVMe storage support data-intensive analytics.

Mission-Critical Enterprise Applications

The combination of redundant components, remote management, security features and high processing capacity makes the R960 suitable for critical enterprise infrastructure.

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Technical Specifications

Note: Exact processor models, DIMM capacity, storage configuration, NVMe support, RAID controller, PCIe cards, GPU compatibility, networking adapters and PSU capacity depend on the specific R960 configuration.

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Key Benefits

Four-Socket Performance: Supports up to four Intel Xeon Scalable processors for highly demanding multi-CPU workloads.

Massive DDR5 Memory: Up to 64 DIMM slots and configurations supporting up to 16TB of memory.

PCIe Gen 5: Provides high-bandwidth connectivity for modern GPUs, accelerators, NVMe storage and network adapters.

Accelerator Ready: Supports selected GPUs and accelerators for AI, ML, analytics and HPC.

High-Performance Storage: Supports enterprise SAS, SATA, SSD and NVMe technologies.

Advanced RAID: Dell PERC controllers provide enterprise storage protection and management.

iDRAC9 Management: Enables remote monitoring, diagnostics, configuration and lifecycle management.

Modern Security: Silicon Root of Trust, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 provide enhanced platform security.

Redundant Power: Hot-plug redundant power supplies help support high-availability environments.

High-Capacity 4U Platform: Provides extensive physical capacity for processors, memory, storage, accelerators and expansion hardware.

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Product Summary

The Dell PowerEdge R960 is a flagship 4U four-socket enterprise rack server designed for organizations that require exceptional compute performance, memory capacity and I/O scalability.

With support for 4th Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 16TB of DDR5 memory, SAS/SATA/SSD/NVMe storage, PCIe Gen 5, Dell PERC RAID, selected GPUs and accelerators, high-speed networking, redundant hot-plug power supplies and iDRAC9 management, the R960 provides a powerful foundation for AI/ML, high-performance computing, large-scale virtualization, databases, in-memory computing, advanced analytics and mission-critical enterprise workloads.