HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11 Drives

Genuine HPE hot-plug drives for the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. Five CTO chassis cover every 2U storage profile: 8SFF out to 24 front bays, 8LFF, 12 EDSFF out to 36, a GPU chassis, and a 48SFF chassis on tri-mode controllers.

DL385 Gen11 Drive Specifications

• Bay formats: 2.5-inch SFF U.3, 3.5-inch LFF, and EDSFF E3.S 1T — all on Basic Carrier drive cages
• Maximums: 48 SFF in the 48SFF chassis, 34 SFF in the 8SFF chassis (24 front + 8 mid + 2 rear), 20 LFF (12 + 4 + 4), or 36 EDSFF
• Top capacities: 522.24TB SFF NVMe (34 × 15.36TB), 1,105.92TB EDSFF (36 × 30.72TB), and 400TB LFF (20 × 20TB) — LFF spindles reach 26TB and E3.S flash 61.44TB
• Interfaces: NVMe Gen4 and Gen5 (U.3 and E3.S), SAS 24G and 12G including Value SAS, and SATA 6G
• Endurance classes: Read Intensive, Mixed Use, and Very Read Optimized on EDSFF, plus self-encrypting and FIPS models
• Backplane rule: the 8SFF and 4LFF SAS/SATA backplanes do not carry NVMe — only the U.3 Tri-mode backplanes take SAS, SATA, and NVMe in the same bays

Check the backplane, not just the carrier. Only the U.3 Tri-mode backplanes take SAS, SATA and NVMe in the same bays — the 8SFF and 4LFF SAS/SATA backplanes are SAS and SATA only. Every bay uses Basic Carrier cages, so Smart Carrier drives from Gen8–Gen10 do not fit.

What drives fit the DL385 Gen11?

LFF chassis carry the cheapest terabytes, SFF U.3 keeps NVMe, SAS, and SATA open in the same bays, and EDSFF E3.S is the density play. Our Gen11 drive compatibility guide walks the cage and backplane rules; the EDSFF E3.S guide explains the flash chassis.

Choosing the Right DL385 Gen11 Drives

• Check the backplane before you buy NVMe: SAS/SATA backplanes take SAS and SATA only, and U.3 tri-mode backplanes come in x1 and x4 lane versions that change how many NVMe drives a controller can run.
• 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 rather than spending front bays on the OS.
• Check the carrier before reusing older drives: the DL385 Gen11 uses Basic Carrier cages, so Smart Carrier drives from Gen8 through Gen10 are mechanically incompatible — here's why HPE moved off Smart Carriers.

Complete Your DL385 Gen11 Build

Drives pair with DL385 Gen11 storage controllers and the rest of the platform: memory, processors, networking, power supplies, or the full DL385 Gen11 parts page. Related platforms: DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 drives and DL380 Gen11 drives. Browse the wider catalog at all HPE server SSDs, EDSFF NVMe SSDs, U.3 SSDs, and parts by server model.

DL385 Gen11 Drives FAQ

How many drives fit in a DL385 Gen11?
It depends on the CTO chassis: up to 48 SFF in the 48SFF chassis, 34 SFF in the 8SFF chassis (24 front, 8 mid, 2 rear), 20 LFF (12 front, 4 mid, 4 rear), or 36 EDSFF E3.S.

Does the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11 support 3.5-inch LFF drives?
Yes. The 8LFF CTO chassis builds out to 12 front bays and adds a 4LFF mid tray and a 4LFF rear cage for 20 total. The QuickSpecs list 400TB of raw LFF capacity, and LFF spindles are offered up to 26TB.

Can I use drives from a Gen9 or Gen10 ProLiant in the DL385 Gen11?
No. The DL385 Gen11 uses Basic Carrier (BC) drive cages and EDSFF E3.S bays, so Smart Carrier drives from Gen8 through Gen10 do not fit. Source drives in the correct Gen11 carrier.

Do NVMe drives work in any DL385 Gen11 bay?
No. The 8SFF SAS/SATA and 4LFF SAS/SATA backplanes are SAS and SATA only. NVMe needs a U.3 tri-mode backplane, which is offered in x1 and x4 lane versions.

What is the difference between Read Intensive and Mixed Use SSDs?
Endurance. Read Intensive drives cost less per TB and suit read-heavy serving; Mixed Use drives are built for write-heavy databases and virtualization. Match the class to the workload and never mix classes in one array.

Are HPE Multi Vendor SSDs genuine HPE drives?
Yes. Multi Vendor (MV) SSDs are HPE-qualified drives with HPE firmware, sourced from several flash manufacturers for better availability and price. They carry HPE part numbers and full DL385 Gen11 compatibility.

✅ Looking for a specific DL385 Gen11 drive? Browse our full selection below.

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