HPE ProLiant SL165z G7 Hard Drives
Genuine HPE hard drives and solid state drives for the HPE ProLiant SL165z G7, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. Nothing in this tray is hot-plug: every drive rides on a quick release carrier in two 3.5-inch bays, or in four 2.5-inch bays once the SFF drive cage is fitted, so a drive change means taking the server down.
SL165z G7 Drive Specifications
- Standard bays: up to two 3.5-inch non-hot-plug SATA drives on quick release carriers
- Small form factor option: up to four 2.5-inch non-hot-plug SATA hard drives or solid state drives, using the z6000 SFF drive cage kit — one cage per pair
- What ships: no hard drives ship as standard, and optical and diskette drives are supported over USB only
- Maximum internal capacity: 4.0TB on two 2TB 3.5-inch SATA drives, 2.0TB on four 500GB 2.5-inch SATA drives, and 1.6TB across four solid state bays
- SATA path: the embedded HPE Smart Array B110i SATA RAID controller, rated up to 3Gb/s and up to four SATA devices
- SAS path: a Smart Array P212 or P410 card plus the matching z6000 SAS 4 hard drive cable kit — 574001-B21 for the P212, 583997-B21 for the P410
Nothing in this tray is hot-plug, and the 2.5-inch bays are not there until you add them. The server is built for two 3.5-inch quick release drives; four 2.5-inch drives need the z6000 SFF drive cage, one kit per pair. SATA runs on the embedded B110i, but a SAS drive also needs a Smart Array card and the matching cable kit before it will run.
Which drives will your tray actually take?
| Front end | Bays | What drives them | Documented maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5-inch, as the tray is built | 2 | Embedded B110i for SATA; a Smart Array card and cable kit for SAS | 4.0TB on 2TB SATA |
| 2.5-inch, with drive cage kits | 4 | Embedded B110i for SATA; a Smart Array card and cable kit for SAS | 2.0TB on 500GB SATA |
| 2.5-inch solid state, with drive cage kits | 4 | Embedded B110i, SATA only | 1.6TB across four bays |
The 3.5-inch bays are the ones the tray has out of the box; the four 2.5-inch bays only exist once drive cage kits are fitted, one kit per pair of drives. Capacity favours the large bays — two 2TB midline SATA drives hold twice what four 500GB 2.5-inch drives do. The solid state drives stocked for this platform are small boot-class SATA parts rather than bulk storage, which is what a 3Gb/s SATA path and four bays will carry.
Choosing the Right SL165z G7 Hard Drive
- Confirm the form factor before anything else. A 2.5-inch drive will not seat in a 3.5-inch bay, and the 2.5-inch bays do not exist without the drive cage kit.
- SAS costs two parts, not one. The embedded controller is SATA only, so SAS drives need a Smart Array P212 or P410 and the matching cable kit before they will run.
- Match the whole storage path. HPE notes that the drive, the controller, the firmware and the backplane should run at the same transfer rate, or the system negotiates down to the slowest of them.
- Plan the downtime. These drives are non-hot-plug: the carrier makes the swap quick once the tray is down, but it does not make it live.
- Buy to duty cycle, not just capacity. Enterprise 15K SAS carries the higher spindle speed and workload rating; midline 7.2K SATA carries the terabytes per pound.
Complete Your SL165z G7 Build
SAS drives are a controller decision as much as a drive decision — see SL165z G7 storage controllers and the cable kits on the SL165z G7 parts listing. Also available: SL165z G7 memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies. Background reading: SAS vs SATA hard drives, which HPE hard drive do I need, choosing the right spindle speed, and the HPE parts by server model index.
SL165z G7 Hard Drives FAQ
How many hard drives does an SL165z G7 hold?
Two 3.5-inch drives as the tray is built, or four 2.5-inch drives once SFF drive cage kits are fitted - HPE lists one cage kit per pair of 2.5-inch drives.
Are SL165z G7 drives hot-plug?
No. Every drive bay in this tray is non-hot-plug. The drives use a quick release carrier, which speeds the swap up but still requires the server to be shut down.
Can I put SAS drives in an SL165z G7?
Yes, but not on the embedded controller. SAS drives need a Smart Array P212 or P410 plus the matching z6000 cable kit - 574001-B21 for the P212 or 583997-B21 for the P410.
What is the maximum internal storage of an SL165z G7?
4.0TB, using two 2TB 3.5-inch SATA drives. Four 2.5-inch SATA drives reach 2.0TB, and four solid state bays are documented at 1.6TB.
Do the drives come with carriers?
Yes. Drives for this server are supplied on HPE quick release carriers sized to the bay, so the carrier is part of the drive assembly.
Will a 6G SAS drive run at full speed in this server?
Only if the rest of the path does. HPE notes that the drive, the controller, the firmware and the backplane all negotiate to a common rate, so the slowest component sets the speed.
✅ Looking for a specific SL165z G7 drive? Browse our full selection below.
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