HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 vs Dell PowerEdge R660: The 1U Rack Server Comparison
The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 and Dell PowerEdge R660 are the two most-deployed 1U dual-socket rack servers for virtualization, VDI, and general enterprise compute. Both run 4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable (Sapphire Rapids / Emerald Rapids) processors with DDR5, PCIe Gen5, and EDSFF E3.S NVMe storage, so the real decision comes down to management tooling, security philosophy, support model, and procurement fit. This guide breaks down where each 1U server wins for enterprise, healthcare, and public-sector buyers.
The short answer
For most virtualization and VM-density workloads these two 1U servers are technically neck-and-neck, so the winner is decided by your management standard and procurement path. Choose the HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 if you want iLO 6 with a silicon root of trust, slightly higher EDSFF NVMe drive density, and HPE GreenLake consumption options. Choose the Dell PowerEdge R660 if your shop is standardized on iDRAC9 / OpenManage and you value its no-cost cooling and serviceability tooling. Either is a sound, TAA-compliant choice we can source on GPC, SAP, and FAR for federal and SLED buyers.
HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 vs Dell PowerEdge R660, head to head
Specifications side by side
- Form factor
- 1U rack
- 1U rack
- Sockets
- 2x Intel Xeon Scalable (4th/5th Gen)
- 2x Intel Xeon Scalable (4th/5th Gen)
- Max cores per socket
- Up to 64 cores
- Up to 64 cores
- Memory slots
- 32x DDR5 DIMM (16 per CPU)
- 32x DDR5 DIMM (16 per CPU)
- Max memory
- Up to 8 TB DDR5
- Up to 8 TB DDR5
- Memory speed
- Up to 5600 MT/s (5th Gen)
- Up to 5600 MT/s (5th Gen)
- Drive options
- LFF/SFF SAS/SATA, U.3 NVMe, up to 20x E3.S EDSFF
- Up to 10x 2.5" SAS/SATA/NVMe or up to 16x E3.S
- Boot device
- HPE NS204i-u dual M.2 NVMe boot module
- BOSS-N1 dual M.2 NVMe boot module
- PCIe expansion
- Up to 3x PCIe Gen5 slots + OCP 3.0
- Up to 3x PCIe Gen5 slots + OCP 3.0
- GPU support
- Single-width accelerators (workload dependent)
- Single-width accelerators (workload dependent)
- Embedded management
- HPE iLO 6 with Silicon Root of Trust
- Dell iDRAC9 with cyber-resilient root of trust
- Power supplies
- Redundant hot-plug, Titanium-class options
- Redundant hot-plug, Titanium-class options
Where HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 wins
- Higher EDSFF NVMe density in 1U (up to 20x E3.S) for storage-heavy VM and database nodes
- iLO 6 Silicon Root of Trust anchors firmware integrity and ransomware-resilient recovery
- HPE GreenLake and Compute Ops Management enable pay-per-use and cloud-based fleet operations
- Tight integration with HPE Aruba/Juniper networking and Alletra storage for a single-vendor stack
- Strong public-sector track record with TAA-compliant builds on GPC, SAP, and FAR
Where Dell PowerEdge R660 wins
- iDRAC9 with OpenManage Enterprise is a mature, widely standardized management toolset
- Excellent serviceability with no-cost iDRAC datacenter telemetry and SupportAssist automation
- Flexible 2.5-inch plus E3.S backplane choices for mixed SAS/SATA/NVMe estates
- Aggressive volume and Dell APEX consumption pricing for large refreshes
- Broad x86 ecosystem and large installed base simplify staffing and spares
Which one should you buy?
Standardizing a new VMware or Hyper-V cluster from scratch
Pick HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11. iLO 6 plus Compute Ops Management gives clean cloud-based lifecycle control, and the higher E3.S density helps with all-NVMe VM datastores.
Shop already running fleets of Dell servers on OpenManage
Pick Dell PowerEdge R660. Staying on iDRAC9 and OpenManage avoids retraining, dual tooling, and new automation pipelines.
Federal or SLED agency buying on GSA or SAP/FAR channels with TAA requirements
Pick HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11. HPE offers TAA-compliant Gen11 configurations and a strong root-of-trust security story that maps well to FedRAMP and zero-trust mandates; we can source it on contract.
Storage-dense 1U node for databases or analytics
Pick HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11. Support for up to 20x E3.S EDSFF NVMe drives in a single rack U gives more IOPS-rich capacity than the R660's 16x E3.S ceiling.
Large-scale refresh prioritizing lowest acquisition cost
Pick Dell PowerEdge R660. Dell's volume pricing and APEX options often win on raw acquisition cost for high-quantity standardized buys.
Frequently asked
What is the main difference between the HPE DL360 Gen11 and the Dell PowerEdge R660?
Both are 1U dual-socket rack servers built on the same Intel Xeon Scalable, DDR5, and PCIe Gen5 platform, so raw compute is comparable. The meaningful differences are management (HPE iLO 6 and GreenLake vs Dell iDRAC9 and OpenManage), maximum EDSFF NVMe density (HPE up to 20x E3.S vs Dell up to 16x), and which ecosystem your IT team already runs.
Is the DL360 Gen11 better than the R660 for virtualization?
For typical vSphere and Hyper-V consolidation the two are very close on CPU, memory, and I/O. The DL360 Gen11 edges ahead when you want maximum all-NVMe storage density in 1U or a silicon root-of-trust security posture; the R660 is the natural pick if you are already standardized on Dell management tooling.
How many drives and how much memory do these 1U servers support?
Both support up to 32 DDR5 DIMMs (16 per CPU) and up to roughly 8 TB of memory. The HPE DL360 Gen11 supports up to 20x E3.S EDSFF NVMe SSDs, while the Dell R660 supports up to 16x E3.S or up to 10x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/NVMe drives.
iLO 6 vs iDRAC9: which remote management is better?
Both deliver full out-of-band control, virtual media, redfish APIs, and security telemetry. HPE iLO 6 is paired with a Silicon Root of Trust and Compute Ops Management for cloud fleet operations; Dell iDRAC9 pairs with OpenManage Enterprise and SupportAssist. The better choice is usually whichever your team already operates at scale.
Are the HPE DL360 Gen11 and Dell R660 TAA-compliant for federal buyers?
Yes. Both vendors offer TAA-compliant configurations suitable for U.S. federal and SLED procurement. As an authorized HPE reseller we can source TAA-compliant DL360 Gen11 systems and verify compliance for your specific build, including required documentation.
Can you sell these servers on GPC, SAP, FAR, or other government contracts?
Yes. We can source the HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen11 (and quote against comparable Dell PowerEdge R660 configurations) through GSA MAS (application in progress), SAP/FAR channels, NASPO, and similar vehicles for federal, SLED, and healthcare buyers, with TAA-compliant build options.
Which server is more secure for healthcare and zero-trust environments?
Both feature hardware roots of trust, secure/verified boot, and signed firmware. HPE emphasizes its Silicon Root of Trust with runtime firmware validation and secure recovery, which maps cleanly to zero-trust and HIPAA-aligned hardening; Dell offers comparable cyber-resilient protections. We can help align either platform to your compliance framework.
Should I buy the DL360 Gen11 or wait for Gen12?
The DL360 Gen11 is current-shipping, fully supported, and built on proven 4th/5th Gen Xeon, making it the safe choice for buyers who need to deploy now. If your workloads specifically need Xeon 6 efficiency or you have a longer runway, we can also quote the newer Gen12 platform so you can weigh refresh timing against budget.
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