HPE ProLiant DL525 Gen13 Drives
Genuine HPE drives for the HPE ProLiant DL525 Gen13, new and refurbished, shipped tested or factory sealed. This server is an all-EDSFF, all-NVMe platform: every drive HPE lists for it is an EDSFF E3.S 1T NVMe Gen5 SSD in the EC1 carrier, across Read Intensive, Mixed Use and Very Read Optimized endurance classes. There are no SFF, LFF, SAS or SATA drive bays on this model.
DL525 Gen13 Drive Specifications
- Drive bays: 20 EDSFF E3.S 1T bays on the EDSFF CTO server; 8 EDSFF E3.S 1T bays on the Front FHFL PCIe CTO server
- Form factor and carrier: EDSFF E3.S 1T, EC1 carrier — HPE lists the drives as E3.S EC1 and as E3S EC1; both are the same bay
- Interface: NVMe PCIe Gen5 on every listed drive
- Read Intensive: 1.92TB to 30.72TB, in Mainstream Performance and High Performance tiers, including Self-encrypting, FIPS 140-3, SPDM and Multi Vendor variants
- Mixed Use: 1.6TB to 12.8TB, in Mainstream Performance and High Performance tiers, including Self-encrypting, FIPS 140-3, SPDM and Multi Vendor variants
- Very Read Optimized: 61.44TB and 122.8TB Mainstream Performance Self-encrypting SSDs
- Maximum internal storage (HPE): 614.4 TB as 20 × 30.72 TB hot-plug E3.S NVMe SSDs, plus 960 GB of hot-plug boot storage as 2 × 960 GB
- Boot: the NS204mff hot-plug boot device with a 960GB NVMe self-encrypting drive module, mounted at the front or rear — listed under Boot Controllers on the DL525 Gen13 parts page
Every bay in this server is EDSFF E3.S. HPE lists no SFF, LFF, SAS or SATA drive for the DL525 Gen13; every drive is an E3.S 1T NVMe Gen5 SSD in the EC1 carrier, 20 bays on the EDSFF chassis and 8 on the Front FHFL PCIe chassis. Drives from a DL325 or DL345 do not carry over. Within each endurance class the same capacity appears under several part numbers — a 7.68TB Read Intensive drive has eight listed variants — so pick on performance tier and on Self-encrypting, FIPS 140-3 or SPDM, not on capacity alone.
How much storage can the DL525 Gen13 hold?
HPE quotes the maximum internal storage as 614.4 TB, as 20 × 30.72 TB. The option list also carries 61.44TB and 122.8TB Very Read Optimized drives; HPE states the 614.4 TB figure in its storage table and does not restate it for those capacities, so treat the two as separate statements in the document. The table below groups the listed drives by what they are for.
| Endurance class | Capacities listed | Performance tiers | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read Intensive | 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB, 15.36TB, 30.72TB | Mainstream Performance and High Performance | Read-heavy data, analytics, inference, large capacity per bay |
| Mixed Use | 1.6TB, 3.2TB, 6.4TB, 12.8TB | Mainstream Performance and High Performance | Balanced read/write workloads, databases, virtualization |
| Very Read Optimized | 61.44TB, 122.8TB | Mainstream Performance | Dense, rarely rewritten data sets |
Within each class HPE lists several controller families at the same capacity — PS1010 and PS1030, CM7 and CM9, CD9P, 7600, 9550, PM1753 and PM1755, PM9D3a, 6600 and Multi Vendor — distinguished by performance tier and by security features such as Self-encrypting, FIPS 140-3 and SPDM. A 7.68TB Read Intensive drive exists in eight listed variants; pick on the feature you need rather than on capacity alone.
Choosing the Right DL525 Gen13 Drives
- Every bay is E3.S. No SFF or LFF drive, and no SAS or SATA drive, fits this server. If you are moving from a DL325 or DL345, your existing 2.5-inch drives do not carry over.
- Match the endurance class to the write load. Read Intensive drives give the most capacity per bay; Mixed Use drives trade capacity for write endurance; Very Read Optimized drives are the densest and the least tolerant of rewrites. HPE's guide to drive writes per day explains the classes.
- Do not mix classes in one array. Keep each RAID or software-defined volume to one endurance class and one performance tier.
- Decide direct attach or controller before you cable. HPE's storage configurations run the E3.S bays either NVMe direct attach or through an MR408i or MR416i OCP or PCIe controller, and each layout has its own cable kits; several configurations are marked as available in CQ1 2027. See the storage controllers page.
- Self-encrypting, FIPS 140-3 and SPDM are features, not capacities. Several capacities appear in a plain variant and a Self-encrypting or FIPS 140-3 variant under different part numbers; the security variant is the only difference.
- New to E3.S? Our guide to HPE EDSFF E3.S SSDs covers the form factor, and NVMe drives in HPE servers covers the interface.
Complete Your DL525 Gen13 Build
Shop the rest of the server: all DL525 Gen13 parts, storage controllers, memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies. For other models, browse all HPE EDSFF NVMe SSDs, all HPE server SSDs or HPE parts by server model.
DL525 Gen13 Drives FAQ
What drives does the HPE ProLiant DL525 Gen13 take?
EDSFF E3.S 1T NVMe Gen5 SSDs in the EC1 carrier, and nothing else. HPE lists Read Intensive drives from 1.92TB to 30.72TB, Mixed Use drives from 1.6TB to 12.8TB, and Very Read Optimized drives of 61.44TB and 122.8TB. There are no SFF, LFF, SAS or SATA bays.
How many drive bays does the DL525 Gen13 have?
20 EDSFF E3.S 1T bays on the EDSFF CTO server, and 8 on the Front FHFL PCIe CTO server, which gives up the other bays to its front GPU slots. Both chassis take the same E3.S drives.
What is the maximum storage in a DL525 Gen13?
HPE quotes 614.4 TB of internal storage, as 20 x 30.72 TB hot-plug E3.S NVMe SSDs, plus 960 GB of hot-plug boot storage as 2 x 960 GB. The option list also carries 61.44TB and 122.8TB E3.S drives; HPE states the maximum as 614.4 TB and does not restate it for them.
Does the DL525 Gen13 support SAS or SATA drives?
No. Every drive HPE lists for the DL525 Gen13 is an NVMe Gen5 SSD in the EDSFF E3.S 1T form factor. The MR408i and MR416i controllers in HPE's storage configurations are used to attach the E3.S NVMe bays, not SAS or SATA drives.
Can I mix Read Intensive and Mixed Use drives in a DL525 Gen13?
Install them side by side in different bays, yes; put them in the same array, no. Keep each RAID or software-defined volume to one endurance class and one performance tier so the array's write endurance and performance are predictable.
Do I need a RAID controller to use drives in a DL525 Gen13?
Not necessarily. HPE's storage configurations list NVMe direct attach layouts that cable the E3.S bays straight to the processor, and layouts that run them through an MR408i or MR416i OCP or PCIe controller. The choice decides which cable kits you need, and some configurations are marked as available in CQ1 2027.
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