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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
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
Drives

512e Drives - what are they?

"512e" on an HPE drive spec sheet means the drive uses modern 4K physical sectors while presenting classic 512-byte sectors to your server — the "e" is for emulation. Once an early-adopter curiosity, 512e is now the default for enterp
▸ Jul 23, 2015
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