HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Drives
Genuine HPE hot-plug drives for the HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. The chassis ships in four front-end versions — 8SFF, 24SFF, 4LFF and 12LFF — and the one you own sets the bay count, the rear-drive options and the capacity ceiling.
DL380 Gen9 Drive Specifications
- Front bays: 8 SFF (field-upgradeable to 16 or 24 SFF with cage kits), 24 SFF, 4 LFF or 12 LFF hot-plug bays
- Rear and extra bays: an optional rear 2SFF kit fits the 24SFF or 12LFF chassis, a rear 3LFF kit the 12LFF only, and the Universal Media Bay adds 2 front SFF on an 8SFF server
- Carriers: re-designed Gen9 SmartDrive SFF and LFF hot-plug carriers with status, activity and Do Not Remove indicators; SFF and LFF blanks are separate kits
- Interfaces: 12G SAS and 6G SATA hard drives and SSDs, plus NVMe PCIe SSDs that need the NVMe chassis or Express Bay enablement kit
The front end sets the ceiling. HPE states the 8SFF chassis is field-upgradeable to 16 or 24 SFF with cage kits, while the 4LFF chassis cannot be upgraded to 12LFF in the field. A 24SFF with the rear 2SFF kit reaches 52.0TB on 2TB hard drives and 397.8TB on 15.3TB SAS SSDs; a 12LFF with the rear 3LFF kit reaches 180.0TB on 12TB drives.
How many drives does each DL380 Gen9 chassis take?
| Drive cage | Front bays | Optional extra bays | Documented maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8SFF | 8 SFF | +2 SFF via the Universal Media Bay | Field-upgradeable to 16 or 24 SFF |
| 24SFF | 24 SFF | +2 SFF rear | 52.0TB SAS or SATA HDD; 397.8TB SAS SSD |
| 12LFF | 12 LFF | +3 LFF rear, or +2 SFF rear | 180.0TB SAS or SATA HDD |
| 4LFF | 4 LFF | None | Not field-upgradeable to 12LFF |
| NVMe Express Bay | 8 SFF plus 6 NVMe | NVMe cage replaces Bay 2 | 46.08TB NVMe plus 36TB SFF |
The contrast is the point: a 24SFF chassis holds three times the spindles of an 8SFF and reaches 397.8TB on 15.3TB SAS SSDs, while the LFF cages trade bay count for 180.0TB on 12TB drives. Mind the rear-drive caveats: a 3LFF kit consumes the second riser's slot, and rear drives do not support processors above 160W.
Choosing the Right DL380 Gen9 Drives
- Start from the chassis, not the drive. An 8SFF server grows through cage kits in Bay 2 and then Bay 3; HPE states a 4LFF chassis cannot be field-upgraded to 12LFF at all.
- Buy to the whole path. HPE notes the drive, controller, firmware and backplane should all run at the same transfer rate, or the subsystem negotiates down to its slowest member.
- Match endurance to write load. Write Intensive suits heavy write duty, Mixed Use virtualization and databases, Read Intensive read-heavy serving — see the WI, MU and RI comparison and the SAS versus SATA guide.
- Keep each array uniform. Mixing interfaces, spindle speeds or endurance classes leaves the array running to its weakest member.
- Order blanks with a partial fill. Every empty bay needs one, and SFF and LFF blanks are separate part numbers.
Complete Your DL380 Gen9 Build
Drives pair with DL380 Gen9 storage controllers, then memory, processors, adapters and power supplies, or the full DL380 Gen9 parts page. Neighbors: DL360 Gen9 and DL380 Gen10 parts. Catalog-wide: SFF SAS SmartDrive drives, server SSDs and parts by server model.
DL380 Gen9 Drives FAQ
How many drives does the HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen9 hold?
It depends on the front end. HPE lists 8SFF, 24SFF, 4LFF and 12LFF drive cages. An optional rear 2SFF kit fits the 24SFF or 12LFF, a rear 3LFF kit fits the 12LFF, and the Universal Media Bay adds two front SFF bays on an 8SFF server.
What is the maximum internal storage of the DL380 Gen9?
HPE quotes 52.0TB from 24+2 x 2TB SFF hard drives, 180.0TB from 12+3 x 12TB LFF hard drives, 397.8TB from 24+2 x 15.3TB SAS SSDs and 199.68TB from 24+2 x 7.68TB SATA SSDs. The NVMe figure is 46.08TB of NVMe plus 36TB across 18 SFF bays.
Can I upgrade an 8SFF DL380 Gen9 to 24SFF?
Yes. HPE states the 8SFF chassis can be upgraded with drive cages to 16 or 24 SFF in the field, populating Bay 2 second and Bay 3 last. The 24SFF upgrade also uses the 12Gb SAS expander card.
What carrier do DL380 Gen9 drives use?
The Gen9 SmartDrive carrier. HPE re-designed the SFF 2.5-inch and LFF 3.5-inch hot-plug carriers with status and activity indicators plus a Do Not Remove caution indicator, so a drive needs one to seat in this backplane.
Does the DL380 Gen9 support NVMe drives?
Yes, in the SFF chassis only. The six-drive NVMe Express Bay replaces Bay 2 and requires either the NVMe configure-to-order chassis or the NVMe Express Bay enablement kit. HPE also notes that with NVMe installed only one double-wide graphics card is supported.
Do DL380 Gen9 drives come with a warranty?
HPE states that hard drives carry either a one year or three year warranty depending on the drive, and points to the specific hard drive QuickSpecs for details. Midline 7.2K parts are generally the one-year models; enterprise and SSD parts are generally three-year.
✅ Looking for a specific DL380 Gen9 drive? Browse our full selection below.
Browse all models
Why Global One?
- Trusted by thousands. Over 36,000 customers in 100+ countries trust Global One Technology to deliver mission-critical HP Enterprise hardware - including Fortune 500 businesses, schools, hospitals, and federal, state, and local goverment agencies.
- HPE is our specialty! We only sell genuine HP Enterprise parts.
- EASY ordering process. Purchase online now with credit card or PayPal!
- FAST shipping. Global One Technology ships orders received by 4pm ET the same day and offers NEXT DAY delivery to US customers.
