HPE ProLiant DL388 Gen9 Drives
Genuine HPE hot-plug drives for the HPE ProLiant DL388 Gen9, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. Every drive here ships in an HPE SmartDrive (SC) carrier, and the front end fitted to your chassis decides which carrier will seat — a 2.5-inch SFF drive does not go into a 3.5-inch LFF bay, and no adapter makes it.
DL388 Gen9 Drive Specifications
- Carriers: HPE SmartDrive (SC) hot-plug carriers throughout, in 2.5-inch small form factor and 3.5-inch large form factor
- SFF hard drives: 500GB and 1TB 6G SAS and SATA 7.2K midline drives, alongside the shared enterprise 2.5-inch SAS groups that include 512e parts
- LFF hard drives: 6G SAS and SATA 7.2K midline from 500GB to 6TB, plus 300GB, 450GB and 600GB 12G SAS 15K enterprise drives in SC Converter carriers
- Solid state: 12G SAS in Enterprise Performance, Mainstream and Value endurance classes to 1.6TB, and 6G SATA in Mainstream, Value, Light and Boot classes from 80GB to 1.6TB
- Cage and backplane kits: 8SFF kits for Bay 1 and Bay 2, a 2SFF front or rear kit and a 3LFF rear kit, plus drive blanks in both sizes
- Controller path: the embedded B140i is a SATA controller, so any SAS drive here needs a Smart Array card or a Smart Host Bus Adapter behind it
The 15K enterprise drives listed in 3.5-inch form are converter parts. A 15K spindle is built in 2.5-inch form, so the 300GB, 450GB and 600GB 12G SAS LFF drives here are SC Converter assemblies — a small drive already mounted in a large carrier, with its own part number. It is the only way to put an enterprise 15K drive in an LFF bay.
Which Drive Fits the Front End You Have?
| Bay | Carrier | Stocked for it |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5-inch SFF | SmartDrive SC | 6G SAS and SATA 7.2K midline, 12G SAS and 6G SATA SSDs |
| 3.5-inch LFF | SmartDrive SC | 6G SAS and SATA 7.2K midline to 6TB, 12G SAS and 6G SATA SSDs |
| 3.5-inch LFF, 15K enterprise | SC Converter | 300GB, 450GB and 600GB 12G SAS 15K |
That third row is the one people miss. A 15K enterprise drive is built in 2.5-inch form, so the LFF versions here are converter parts — a small drive already mounted in a 3.5-inch carrier, under its own part number. It is the only way to put an enterprise 15K spindle in an LFF bay.
Choosing the Right DL388 Gen9 Drive
- Confirm SFF or LFF before anything else. It is the one mistake no amount of configuration fixes, and the front of the chassis answers it at a glance.
- Check the controller can speak SAS. The embedded B140i handles SATA only; a SAS drive needs a P440ar, P440, P840 or an H240 family adapter in the path.
- Match the endurance class to the work. Enterprise Performance carries the highest write endurance, Mainstream sits in the middle, and Value, Light and Boot suit read-heavy and boot roles.
- A 12G drive on a 6G path runs at 6G. SAS negotiates to the slowest link, so the controller and backplane matter as much as the drive.
- Midline SATA for bulk, enterprise SAS for transactions. 7.2K midline drives carry the terabytes per pound; 15K enterprise drives carry the random throughput.
Complete Your DL388 Gen9 Build
The controller decides which drives will even appear, so read DL388 Gen9 storage controllers before committing to an array. Also available: DL388 Gen9 memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies, or the full DL388 Gen9 parts listing. Background reading: SAS vs SATA, choosing a spindle speed and what 512e drives are.
DL388 Gen9 Drives FAQ
What drives fit the HPE ProLiant DL388 Gen9?
HPE hot-plug SAS and SATA drives in SmartDrive (SC) carriers, 2.5-inch for an SFF front end and 3.5-inch for an LFF one. Both hard drives and solid state drives are listed, from 80GB SSDs up to 6TB midline hard drives.
Can I put a 2.5-inch drive in a 3.5-inch bay?
Only if it comes in a converter carrier. The 12G SAS 15K enterprise drives listed as LFF parts here are SC Converter drives, which are 2.5-inch drives already mounted in a 3.5-inch carrier, and they carry their own part numbers.
Does the DL388 Gen9 need a controller for SAS drives?
Yes. The embedded B140i is a SATA controller. Running SAS drives means fitting a Smart Array P440ar, P440 or P840, or an H240 or H240ar Smart Host Bus Adapter, along with the right cable kit.
How do I add more drive bays?
With the cage and backplane kits listed here. An 8SFF kit is available for Bay 1 and for Bay 2, a 2SFF kit adds front or rear bays, and a 3LFF kit adds bays at the rear.
What is the difference between the SSD endurance classes?
They describe how much writing the drive is built to absorb. Enterprise Performance is the highest, Mainstream is the middle ground, and Value, Light and Boot classes are aimed at read-heavy workloads and boot volumes.
Will a 12G SAS drive run faster than a 6G one?
Only if the whole path supports it. SAS negotiates down to the slowest element, so a 12G drive behind a 6G controller or backplane runs at 6G.
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