HPE ProLiant SL165s G7 Hard Drives
Genuine HPE hard drives and solid state drives for the HPE ProLiant SL165s G7, new and refurbished, tested before shipping. Every drive in this tray is non-hot-plug, on a quick release carrier, and the tray takes either six 3.5-inch LFF drives or eight 2.5-inch SFF drives — the front end it was built with decides which.
SL165s G7 Drive Specifications
- Bays: up to six 3.5-inch LFF or up to eight 2.5-inch SFF drives, all non-hot-plug, each on an HPE quick release carrier
- SFF cage requirement: the SL160s G6/SL165s G7 Small Form Factor 2 Drive Cage Kit is needed for each of the first four SFF drives or SSDs; drives numbered five to eight do not need one
- Maximum internal capacity: 12.0TB on six 2TB LFF SATA or SAS drives, 4.0TB on eight 500GB SFF SATA drives, 2.4TB on eight 300GB SFF SAS drives, or 3.2TB on eight 400GB SFF solid state drives
- Interface: 6G SAS and 3G SATA, including 3G SATA MLC solid state drives in 100GB, 200GB and 400GB
- Controller rule: the embedded B110i handles SATA only, so every SAS drive here needs a Smart Array P212 or P410 and the riser kit that card requires
- Mixing: SAS and SATA hard drives cannot be mixed in the same server; SAS and SSD can be mixed, and SATA and SSD can be mixed
Nothing in this tray is hot-plug, and the controller decides how many bays you get. Six 3.5-inch LFF or eight 2.5-inch SFF drives, all on quick release carriers, with the tray pulled from the chassis to change one. The embedded B110i is SATA-only and reaches six SFF drives; SAS drives and the seventh and eighth SFF bays both need a Smart Array card.
Which drives will your SL165s G7 tray actually take?
| Drive | Bays | Controller needed | Maximum capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| LFF 3.5-inch SATA | up to 6 | Embedded B110i | 12.0TB on 2TB midline |
| LFF 3.5-inch SAS | up to 6 | Smart Array P212 or P410 | 12.0TB on 2TB midline |
| SFF 2.5-inch SATA | 6 on the embedded controller, 8 with a Smart Array P410 | Embedded B110i or P410 | 4.0TB on 500GB midline |
| SFF 2.5-inch SAS | up to 8 | Smart Array P212 or P410 | 2.4TB on 300GB 10K |
| SFF 2.5-inch SSD | up to 8 | Embedded B110i or a Smart Array | 3.2TB on 400GB MLC |
Two rows of that table catch people out. The eighth SFF bay is not free: on the embedded controller the tray runs six SFF drives, and it takes a Smart Array P410 to address all eight. And SAS is not simply the faster option here, it is the option that costs an add-in card and a riser kit — real expansion room on a tray with two slots.
Choosing the Right SL165s G7 Hard Drive
- Confirm LFF or SFF before anything else. A 3.5-inch drive will not seat in a 2.5-inch carrier, and no adapter makes it do so.
- Count the cage kits for an SFF build. One SFF 2 Drive Cage Kit covers two of the first four drives, so a four-drive SFF tray needs two of them before the drives go in.
- Decide SAS or SATA for the whole tray. The two cannot be mixed, so this is a platform decision rather than a per-drive one. Solid state drives can join either.
- Budget a slot and a riser for SAS. A SAS drive is only half the order: it needs a Smart Array and the riser kit that card sits on.
- Match the whole storage path. HPE notes that the drive, the controller, the firmware and the backplane should all run at the same transfer rate, or the system negotiates down to the slowest of them.
Complete Your SL165s G7 Build
On this platform the controller decides which drives will attach at all — read SL165s G7 storage controllers before ordering, and SAS vs SATA hard drives for what the choice costs and buys. Also available: SL165s G7 memory, processors, networking adapters and power supplies, or the full SL165s G7 parts listing and every platform we carry from HPE parts by server model.
SL165s G7 Hard Drives FAQ
How many drives does an SL165s G7 hold?
Up to six 3.5-inch LFF drives, or up to eight 2.5-inch SFF drives. The eighth SFF bay needs a Smart Array P410 - the embedded controller reaches six SFF drives.
Are SL165s G7 drives hot-plug?
No. Every bay in this tray is non-hot-plug, and the drives use quick release carriers. Replacing one means pulling the tray from the s6500 chassis.
Can I mix SAS and SATA drives in an SL165s G7?
No. HPE states that SAS and SATA hard drives cannot be mixed in the same platform. Solid state drives are the exception - SSDs can be mixed with either SAS or SATA.
Do I need a RAID card to use SAS drives?
Yes. The embedded B110i is SATA-only, so SAS drives of any size need a Smart Array P212 or P410, plus the riser kit that card is specified for.
What is the SFF drive cage kit for?
It carries the small form factor drives. HPE requires one SFF 2 Drive Cage Kit for each of the first four 2.5-inch drives or SSDs; drives five through eight do not need one.
What is the largest capacity an SL165s G7 can hold internally?
12.0TB, on six 2TB 3.5-inch drives. An SFF tray reaches 4.0TB on eight 500GB SATA drives, or 3.2TB on eight 400GB SSDs.
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