HPE ProLiant DL585a Gen13 Drives
Genuine HPE drives for the HPE ProLiant DL585a Gen13, new and refurbished, shipped tested or factory sealed. HPE states that the DL585a Gen13 supports only E3.S NVMe SSDs: every drive it lists is an EDSFF E3.S NVMe Gen5 SSD in the EC1 carrier, across Mixed Use, Read Intensive and Very Read Optimized endurance classes. There are no SFF, LFF, SAS or SATA bays on this server.
DL585a Gen13 Drive Specifications
- Drive bays: 8 EDSFF E3.S NVMe bays as shipped (the 12EDSFF drive cage is the default), 16 with the HPE ProLiant DL585a Gen13 16EDSFF Upgrade Kit on the two-controller topology
- Form factor and carrier: EDSFF E3.S, 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, direct attach or through the MR932i-p controller depending on the configuration topology
- 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
- 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
- Very Read Optimized: 30.72TB, 61.44TB and 122.8TB Mainstream Performance SSDs, plain and Self-encrypting
- Maximum internal storage (HPE): 491.5 TB as 16 × 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 two 960GB NVMe self-encrypting drive modules, in the front chassis slot without using a PCIe slot — listed under Boot Controllers on the DL585a Gen13 parts page
Every bay in this server is EDSFF E3.S, and the bay count is a topology decision. HPE states the DL585a Gen13 supports only E3.S NVMe SSDs: no SFF, LFF, SAS or SATA drive fits. Eight bays ship standard; sixteen needs the 16EDSFF Upgrade Kit, which HPE allows only on the two-controller topology with two MR932i-p controllers. 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 DL585a Gen13 hold?
HPE quotes the maximum internal storage as 491.5 TB, as 16 × 30.72 TB. The option list also carries 61.44TB and 122.8TB Very Read Optimized drives; HPE states the 491.5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Use | 1.6TB, 3.2TB, 6.4TB, 12.8TB | Mainstream Performance and High Performance | Fine-tuning checkpoints, databases, write-heavy pipelines |
| Read Intensive | 1.92TB, 3.84TB, 7.68TB, 15.36TB, 30.72TB | Mainstream Performance and High Performance | Model and dataset stores, inference, RAG corpora |
| Very Read Optimized | 30.72TB, 61.44TB, 122.8TB | Mainstream Performance | Dense, rarely rewritten data sets |
Within each class HPE lists several controller families at the same capacity — CM7 and CM9, CD9P, 7600, 9550, PM9D3a, 6550, 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 DL585a Gen13 Drives
- Every bay is E3.S. No SFF or LFF drive, and no SAS or SATA drive, fits this server. Drives from a DL380a Gen12 SFF cage do not carry over; its E3.S drives do.
- Count the bays before the drives. The server ships with 8 EDSFF bays. Sixteen needs the 16EDSFF Upgrade Kit, which HPE allows only on the two-controller topology with two MR932i-p controllers, or when adding controllers in the field.
- 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. Our 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.
- 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 DL585a Gen13 Build
Shop the rest of the server: all DL585a Gen13 parts, storage controllers, memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies. Many of the same E3.S drives are listed for the DL525 Gen13 and the DL380a Gen12. For other models, browse all HPE EDSFF NVMe SSDs, all HPE server SSDs or HPE parts by server model.
DL585a Gen13 Drives FAQ
What drives does the HPE ProLiant DL585a Gen13 take?
EDSFF E3.S NVMe Gen5 SSDs in the EC1 carrier, and nothing else; HPE states the server supports only E3.S NVMe SSDs. It lists Mixed Use drives from 1.6TB to 12.8TB, Read Intensive drives from 1.92TB to 30.72TB, and Very Read Optimized drives of 30.72TB, 61.44TB and 122.8TB.
How many drive bays does the DL585a Gen13 have?
Eight EDSFF E3.S bays as shipped, and 16 with the HPE ProLiant DL585a Gen13 16EDSFF Upgrade Kit. HPE allows the upgrade kit only with the two-controller configuration topology and two MR932i-p controllers, or when storage controllers are added in the field.
What is the maximum storage in a DL585a Gen13?
HPE quotes 491.5 TB of internal storage, as 16 x 30.72 TB hot-plug E3.S NVMe SSDs, plus 960 GB of hot-plug boot storage as 2 x 960 GB on the NS204mff boot device. The option list also carries 61.44TB and 122.8TB E3.S drives; HPE states the maximum as 491.5 TB and does not restate it for them.
Does the DL585a Gen13 support SAS or SATA drives?
No. Every drive HPE lists for the DL585a Gen13 is an NVMe Gen5 SSD in the EDSFF E3.S form factor. The MR932i-p tri-mode controller on the controller topologies attaches the E3.S NVMe bays, not SAS or SATA drives.
Do I need a RAID controller to use drives in a DL585a Gen13?
It depends on the configuration topology. HPE's direct-attach topology cables the E3.S bays to the processors with no controller; the one- and two-controller topologies run them through one or two MR932i-p controllers with the MR932i-p backplane cable kit. The 16-bay configuration is the two-controller topology.
Can I mix Read Intensive and Mixed Use drives in a DL585a 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.
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