HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Drives
Genuine HPE hot-plug drives for the HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. The Gen11 chassis family spans every drive format: 2.5-inch SFF U.3 bays on Basic Carriers, 3.5-inch LFF bays for capacity spindles, and EDSFF E3.S bays for dense NVMe flash.
DL380 Gen11 Drive Specifications
- Bay types by chassis: SFF (U.3, Basic Carrier), LFF, and EDSFF E3.S
- Maximums: up to 36 SAS/SATA SFF drives (24+8+4 with the right cage mix), up to 20 LFF (12+4+4 with the optional rear cage), up to 36 EDSFF
- Top capacities per class: 15.36TB SFF SAS SSDs (583TB total), 18TB LFF spindles (360TB total), 15.36TB EDSFF NVMe (550TB total)
- Interfaces: NVMe (U.3 and E3.S), SAS 12G, SATA 6G — including Value SAS options
- SSD endurance classes: Read Intensive (about 1 drive write per day) and Mixed Use (about 3 DWPD)
- HDDs: Mission Critical 10K SAS SFF plus LFF SAS/SATA midline drives
- Carriers: Gen11 uses the Basic Carrier (BC) — Smart Carrier (SC) drives from Gen8–Gen10 servers do not fit
Check the carrier before you buy. DL380 Gen11 bays take Basic Carrier (BC) U.3, LFF, and EDSFF E3.S drives — Smart Carrier (SC) drives from Gen8–Gen10 servers do not fit, and your chassis determines which bay types you have.
What drives fit the DL380 Gen11?
| Bay type | Carrier / form factor | Interfaces | Max bays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5-inch SFF | Basic Carrier, U.3 | NVMe, SAS 12G, SATA 6G | 36 |
| 3.5-inch LFF | Basic Carrier | SAS 12G, SATA 6G | 20 |
| EDSFF | E3.S | NVMe | 36 |
LFF chassis carry the cheapest terabytes; SFF U.3 keeps NVMe, SAS, and SATA options open in the same bays; EDSFF E3.S is the density play for all-flash builds. Our Gen11 drive compatibility guide walks the cage and backplane rules in detail.
Choosing the Right DL380 Gen11 Drives
- Never mix interfaces, endurance classes, or drive types within one RAID array — build arrays from identical drives.
- Match endurance to workload: Read Intensive for read-heavy serving, Mixed Use for databases — our DWPD guide explains the classes.
- Boot from the NS204i-u module (dual-NVMe RAID1) rather than spending front bays on the OS.
- Check the carrier before reusing older drives: Smart Carrier drives from Gen10 and earlier are mechanically incompatible — here's why HPE moved off Smart Carriers.
- Considering Value SAS? Our vSAS vs SAS guide explains where HPE's Value SAS SSDs fit.
Complete Your DL380 Gen11 Build
Drives pair with DL380 Gen11 storage controllers and the rest of the platform: memory, processors, networking, power supplies, or the full DL380 Gen11 parts page. Other generations: DL380 Gen10 drives and DL380 Gen12 drives. Browse the wider catalog at all HPE server SSDs, EDSFF NVMe SSDs, U.3 SSDs, and parts by server model.
DL380 Gen11 Drives FAQ
Does the HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 support 3.5-inch LFF drives?
Yes - LFF chassis configurations take up to 20 LFF drives (12 front + 4 mid + 4 rear with the optional rear cage), with SAS and SATA spindles up to 18TB each for 360TB of raw capacity.
How many drives fit in a DL380 Gen11?
Depending on chassis and cage selection: up to 36 SAS/SATA SFF drives (24+8+4), up to 30 with all seven cages populated, up to 20 LFF, or up to 36 EDSFF E3.S NVMe drives.
Can I use drives from a Gen9 or Gen10 ProLiant in the DL380 Gen11?
No - those generations use the Smart Carrier (SC) tray, while Gen11 bays take Basic Carrier (BC) and EDSFF drives. Drives must be sourced in the correct Gen11 carrier.
What's the difference between Read Intensive and Mixed Use SSDs?
Endurance. Read Intensive drives are rated around 1 drive write per day and cost less per TB; Mixed Use drives are rated around 3 DWPD for write-heavy databases and virtualization. Match the class to your workload and never mix classes in one array.
Are HPE Multi Vendor SSDs genuine HPE drives?
Yes. Multi Vendor (MV) SSDs are HPE-qualified, HPE-firmware drives sourced from multiple flash manufacturers for better availability and price. They carry HPE part numbers and full DL380 Gen11 compatibility.
Do DL380 Gen11 NVMe drives need a RAID controller?
Not necessarily. NVMe drives can run direct-attached with Intel VROC software RAID, or through a tri-mode controller (MR416i family or the SR932i-p) for hardware RAID - but direct-attach and tri-mode drives follow different cabling paths, so plan the configuration before ordering.
✅ Looking for a specific DL380 Gen11 drive? Browse our full selection below.
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