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Featured · SSDs

What is a M.2 2280 Solid State Drive (SSD)?

M.2 2280 is the most common SSD form factor — but the "2280" is just a size, and the interface underneath can be SATA or PCIe. Here's what it all means, and how M.2 is actually used in an HPE server (hint: mostly for boot). Last upda
Read guide → ▸ Apr 13, 2023
Drives

SAS vs SATA Hard Drives: Understanding the Differences

SAS and SATA are the two main drive interfaces in HPE servers — and the difference isn't "enterprise vs consumer." Here's how they really compare on performance, reliability, and high availability, for both hard drives and SSDs, and h
▸ Apr 13, 2023
Drives

Why did HP Enterprise stop using Smart carriers in their server drives?

HPE's Smart Carrier — the drive tray with the LED ring and the "Do Not Remove" warning — was standard on ProLiant Gen8, Gen9, and Gen10 servers. From Gen10 Plus onward, HPE switched to the simplified Basic Carrier. Here's what e
▸ Mar 31, 2023
SSDs

HPE M.2 SSDs: High Performance Storage for Your Data Center

M.2 SSDs have a specific job in HPE ProLiant servers — and it isn't bulk storage. Here's where these compact drives actually fit (hint: it's your boot and OS tier), how the HPE NS204i boot device works, and how to choose between SATA
▸ Jan 18, 2023
Controllers

What are HPE Flexible Smart Array Controllers?

"Flexible Smart Array" is HPE's name for the modular RAID controllers that mount in a dedicated slot instead of consuming PCIe — a design from the ProLiant Gen8/Gen9 era that still runs in thousands of servers today. Here's what the t
▸ Jan 18, 2023
SSDs

HPE Solid State Drives: Write Intensive (WI) vs. Mixed Use (MU) vs. Read Intensive (RI)

Every HPE SSD belongs to one of three endurance classes — Read Intensive, Mixed Use, or Write Intensive — and choosing the right one is mostly a matter of matching one number to your workload. Here's what the classes really mean
▸ Jan 12, 2023
Memory

What memory is compatible with DL360 Gen10 servers?

DL360 Gen10 memory compatibility comes down to one question most buyers skip: which generation of Intel Xeon Scalable processor is in your server? Answer that, and the right DIMM type, speed, and capacity fall into place. Here's the full co
▸ Feb 05, 2022
SSDs

What are HPE "Multi-Vendor" (MV) SSD?

Seen "MV" in an HPE SSD description and wondered if it's some kind of third-party drive? It's the opposite: Multi-Vendor is HPE's own program for sourcing the same drive SKU from multiple qualified manufacturers — same HPE part number
▸ Sep 10, 2021
Memory

What is maximum memory for DL380 Gen10 servers?

How much memory can an HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 hold? Up to 3 TB of DRAM with LRDIMMs, 1.54 TB with RDIMMs, or as much as 6 TB using Intel Optane Persistent Memory — with two fine-print items (your CPU model and your DI
▸ Mar 07, 2021
Drives

Which HPE Hard Drive Do I Need? SAS, SATA & NVMe Guide

A buyer's guide to choosing the right HP or HPE ProLiant drive for your server or storage array — by form factor, drive carrier, interface, and generation. Last updated: 2026 From time to time, a customer needs guidance on which typ
▸ Aug 18, 2015
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