3.84 TB SSD for HPE ProLiant: the types in HPE's QuickSpecs and how to tell them apart

3.84 TB SSD HPE: the types in three QuickSpecs

Searching for a 3.84 TB SSD for an HPE server turns up drives that share a capacity and little else. HPE's QuickSpecs for the DL380 Gen10, the DL380 Gen11 and the DL360 Gen10 each list several 3.84TB drives, and they differ by interface, by speed, by form factor, by carrier and by endurance class:

• SAS 12G Read Intensive, SFF, SC: in the DL380 Gen10 and the DL360 Gen10 QuickSpecs.
• SAS 12G Read Intensive, SFF, BC, Value SAS: in the DL380 Gen10 and the DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs, listed separately from the standard SAS 12G drive.
• SAS 24G Read Intensive, SFF, BC: in the DL380 Gen10 and the DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs.
• SATA 6G, SFF, in Read Intensive and Mixed Use versions: SC in the DL380 Gen10 QuickSpecs, BC in the DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs.
• NVMe Gen4 Read Intensive, SFF, BC, U.3, in Mainstream Performance and High Performance versions: in the DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs.
• NVMe Gen5 Mainstream Performance Read Intensive, E3.S: in the DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs. E3.S is a different form factor from a 2.5-inch drive.

So "3.84TB" alone does not identify a part. The interface changes it (SAS at 12G or 24G, SATA, NVMe), the form factor changes it (SFF, U.3 or E3.S), and so do the carrier and the endurance class. We have not found a document that defines what makes a drive "Value SAS", so treat that as a name to match.

SC or BC: the carrier has to suit the controller

SC and BC are carrier types: Smart Carrier and Basic Carrier. HPE's DL380 Gen10 QuickSpecs ties each to a controller. Smart Array controllers only support Smart Carrier drives, and SC drives will not function with Broadcom controllers. Only BC drives listed in the QuickSpecs will function with Broadcom MegaRAID controllers, and configurations must not mix BC and SC drives.

That makes the carrier a fit check. A 3.84TB SATA drive comes as SC and as BC in HPE's lists, and on a DL380 Gen10 only one of them suits a given controller. Find out which controller your server runs before you pick the HPE part. The rule above is stated in the DL380 Gen10 document; for other servers, look for the same note in that server's QuickSpecs.

Read Intensive, Mixed Use and Write Intensive: what HPE means

HPE sorts its enterprise SSDs into three categories, Read Intensive (RI), Mixed Use (MU) and Write Intensive (WI), which indicate the number of drive writes per day (DWPD). Its solid state drive QuickSpecs puts them at these levels:

• Read Intensive: endurance less than or equal to 1 full drive write per day.
• Mixed Use: balanced read and write performance, with an endurance of typically ~3 DWPD.
• Write Intensive: endurance of 10 or more full drive writes per day.

Every 3.84TB type above is Read Intensive except the Mixed Use SATA drives. If your workload writes heavily, the class matters as much as the capacity. These are HPE's category bands; a maker-branded drive in the tables below has its own rating on its own sheet.

SAS 12G or SAS 24G at 3.84 TB

Three of the types are SAS, at two speeds, and the DL380 Gen10 QuickSpecs carries both speeds. We have not found an HPE document on running a 24G drive behind a 12G controller or the reverse, so we make no claim either way. Ask HPE, or check the controller's documentation, before mixing them. The tables' interface column says SAS without the speed, so the part number on the listing, checked against the maker's sheet, is the safer test.

3.84 TB 2.5-inch SSD prices on Amazon.co.uk

This table holds 3.84TB enterprise SSDs in the 2.5-inch form factor on Amazon.co.uk, every interface together, lowest £/TB first. It holds 6 listings right now. Prices are pounds sterling inc VAT. None of the rows is an HPE-labelled drive; they are sold under the drive maker's own name, without an HPE carrier.

Read the Interface column before the price. A SATA row and a SAS row at this size are different products for different bays, even though both are 2.5-inch, and a low £/TB on one says nothing about the other. The full 3.84TB field, with part numbers and endurance from the makers' sheets, is on 3.84TB SSD.

3.84 TB NVMe: U.3 SFF and E3.S in HPE's Gen11 list

HPE's DL380 Gen11 QuickSpecs lists 3.84TB NVMe in two forms: Gen4 SFF drives with a BC carrier and the U.3 connector, and Gen5 E3.S drives. The U.3 table below is the same connector as HPE's Gen4 SFF line. The U.2 table is a different connector from both, and we have not found an HPE document that lists U.2 3.84TB drives for these servers, so treat its rows with care.

The U.3 table holds 2 listings right now. The U.2 table holds 2 listings. The wider U.2 picture, connector and dimensions included, sits on U.2 SSDs.

HPE option SSDs: P06200-B21 and two smaller drives

Three HPE option SSDs carry a server-generation statement in HPE's solid state drive QuickSpecs. For each, the column headed "Server Gen Supported (Select Platforms)" reads Gen9 & 10:

• P06200-B21: 3.84TB, SATA 6G, Read Intensive, SFF, hot-plug, SC. Its option name includes "SFF (2.5in) SC 3yr".
• 875503-B21: 240GB, SATA 6G, Read Intensive, SFF, hot-plug, SC. Its option name also includes "SFF (2.5in) SC 3yr".
• 873351-B21: 400GB, SAS 12G, Write Intensive, SFF, hot-plug, SC.

"Gen9 & 10" with "Select Platforms" is a generation-level statement. It does not name a server model, and it does not say every Gen9 or Gen10 server takes these drives, so check your own server's QuickSpecs for the option number. All three are SC drives; on a DL380 Gen10 that matters under the controller rule above. The "3yr" is HPE's option name; it is not a statement about what a given Amazon.co.uk listing carries.

The solid state drive QuickSpecs we used was a copy hosted by a third party, jarcomputers.com, not hpe.com.

Before you buy a 3.84TB SSD for a ProLiant

• Server model and generation, from the server's own label or its QuickSpecs. HPE marks the DL380 Gen10 QuickSpecs retired, so a DL380 Gen10 buyer is filling a machine already in service.
• Controller and carrier. On the DL380 Gen10, HPE's QuickSpecs pair Smart Array with SC and Broadcom MegaRAID with BC, never mixed; check your own server's QuickSpecs for its note.
• Interface: SAS, SATA or NVMe, and for SAS the speed in HPE's name, 12G or 24G.
• Form factor: SFF 2.5-inch, U.3 or E3.S. An E3.S drive is not a 2.5-inch drive.
• Endurance class: Read Intensive, Mixed Use or Write Intensive, then the rating on the drive's own sheet.

For hard drives in the same servers, HPE ProLiant hard drives sets out HPE's LFF lists by generation.