The HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 16-Bay 2.5" is the canonical SFF configuration of HPE's 2U dual-socket flagship, the platform that anchored mid-decade enterprise infrastructure for HPE shops the way the Dell R740 did for Dell shops. Sixteen 2.5" hot-swap SAS/SATA bays on the full Purley dual-socket platform with up to 24 DDR4 RDIMM/LRDIMM slots, dual 1st or 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Skylake-SP / Cascade Lake-SP, LGA 3647), HPE iLO 5 management with Silicon Root of Trust, and HPE Smart Array Gen10 RAID. This page anchors the canonical DL380 Gen10 platform-fact documentation at Wholesale Servers; the 24-Bay 2.5" and 12-Bay 3.5" LFF sibling pages reference this page for shared platform vocabulary.

The DL380 Gen10 is the HPE-shop equivalent of the Dell R740 in tier and target workloads: 2U, dual-socket, broad chassis flexibility (LFF and multiple SFF densities), strong I/O envelope, iLO 5 management. The Gen10 was widely deployed across mid-tier enterprise from 2017 through 2022 as the VMware standard, the database tier workhorse, and the vSAN hybrid cluster node of choice. In 2026, the Gen10 platform is widely deployed with excellent parts availability and deep institutional operating knowledge. For dev/test infrastructure, expanding existing Gen10 estates, vSAN OSA clusters on vSphere 6.x or 7.x, lab environments, and budget-conscious production where current-gen Sapphire/Emerald Rapids genuinely is not required, the DL380 Gen10 16-Bay is the cost-correct call.

The 16-Bay 2.5" is the canonical DL380 Gen10 chassis at Wholesale Servers because it is the storage-flexibility anchor of the family: enough bays for vSAN hybrid OSA with proper cache-to-capacity ratios, enough bays for all-SSD database storage tiers, enough bays for mixed SSD/HDD tiered storage, and small enough to remain economical per-node for scale-out cluster designs. The 24-Bay 2.5" sibling adds bay count for vSAN all-flash multi-disk-group architectures and Ceph OSD nodes; the 12-Bay 3.5" LFF sibling shifts the storage profile to bulk capacity for NAS, backup, and object storage. We deploy the 16-Bay 2.5" most often as VMware vSAN hybrid nodes, SQL Server and PostgreSQL database tiers with SSD storage, virtualization hosts with substantial local storage, and converged infrastructure workloads where the storage-to-compute ratio fits within 16 SFF bays.

Processors

The DL380 Gen10 uses Intel's Purley platform with the LGA 3647 socket and supports both 1st Generation Xeon Scalable (Skylake-SP, 14 nm, 2017) and 2nd Generation Xeon Scalable (Cascade Lake-SP, 14 nm refresh, 2019). Both generations are drop-in compatible in the same socket; a Gen10 originally shipped with Skylake silicon can be upgraded to Cascade Lake without a motherboard swap. The 2nd gen Cascade Lake is the typical refurbished-market silicon today and is what we usually recommend.

CPU ceiling on Cascade Lake reaches 28 cores per socket on the Xeon Platinum 8280 (205W TDP). The mainstream-deployed envelope is 16 to 24 cores per socket on Gold 6230, 6240, 6248, 6252 SKUs. Memory speed depends on processor SKU: Gold 6200 and 5222 reach DDR4-2933 at 1 DPC; remaining Gold 5200 series, Gold 6100, Gold 5100, and Silver 4100 series cap at DDR4-2666. AVX-512 is supported across the Xeon Scalable line; 6200-series and the 5222 support 2x 512-bit FMA units, while 5200-series (other than 5222), 5100, 6100, and Silver SKUs support 1x 512-bit FMA. This affects HPC-style FP-heavy throughput; for typical virtualization and database workloads, it is rarely the deciding factor.

Our default recommendation for general-purpose virtualization is 2x Gold 6242 (16C / 32T at 2.8 GHz, 150W TDP, 22 MB cache) or 2x Gold 6248 (20C / 40T at 2.5 GHz, 150W TDP, 27.5 MB cache). For higher-density VDI or container workloads, 2x Gold 6230 (20C / 40T at 2.1 GHz) balances core count with thermal envelope. For SQL Server licensed by core, fewer faster cores work best: 2x Gold 6244 (8C / 16T at 3.6 GHz) or 2x Gold 6246 (12C / 24T at 3.3 GHz) deliver clock speed at lower license counts.

Memory

24 DDR4 DIMM slots, twelve per CPU, six channels per CPU at 2 DPC. Mainstream maximum is 1.5 TB dual-socket with 64 GB RDIMMs (24 x 64 GB). Higher capacity is achievable with LRDIMMs: 128 GB LRDIMM x 24 = 3 TB dual-socket. NVDIMM-N is supported on the DL380 Gen10 but is restricted to 1st Generation Xeon Scalable (Skylake) only; if your workload needs NVDIMM-N, verify the CPU SKU. Intel Optane Persistent Memory 100-series (Apache Pass) is supported with Cascade Lake (2nd Gen Xeon Scalable) on M-suffix CPU SKUs (e.g., Gold 6240M, 6242M, 8260M); these are required for the high per-socket memory ceilings (4.5 TB per socket with L-series, 2 TB per socket with M-series).

HPE memory rules: DIMMs must be installed in even quantities for balanced operation. Mixing of RDIMM and LRDIMM is not supported in the same configuration. HPE DDR4 Smart Memory is required to achieve rated speeds; third-party DIMMs will operate at reduced speed even if compatible. We populate memory in matched sets of 12 (one per channel per CPU, balanced across both sockets) for production deployments. Asymmetric configurations work for limited-budget builds but trade off bandwidth.

For VMware vSAN hybrid nodes, 256 GB to 512 GB per node is the practical range; vSAN 7.x with 16 SFF bays at 4-6 disk groups uses memory aggressively for caching and metadata. For database workloads, plan for 75-90% of working set in memory plus headroom; SQL Server and PostgreSQL benefit significantly from large buffer pools.

Storage

The 16-Bay 2.5" SFF configuration provides sixteen front-mounted 2.5" hot-swap bays accepting SAS, SATA, and (with the Universal Media Bay option and Premium SFF backplane) up to 2 NVMe drives via the optional bays. Native NVMe in the 16-Bay configuration is limited compared to Gen10+ or 11; for substantial NVMe storage, the platform of record is HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 Plus or DL380 Gen11 with the appropriate NVMe backplane.

Common 16-Bay storage configurations we deploy:

• VMware vSAN hybrid OSA (vSphere 6.x / 7.x): 2 to 4 SAS SSDs (1.6 TB to 3.84 TB write-intensive) for cache tier, 12 to 14 NL-SAS HDDs (4 TB to 16 TB) for capacity tier. The classic Gen10 vSAN hybrid deployment, fully supported on vSphere 7.x, proven to scale across hundreds of hybrid OSA clusters. vSAN 8.x ESA is NOT supported on Gen10; for ESA you need Gen10+ or Gen11.
• All-SAS SSD performance storage: 16 x SAS SSDs at RAID 10 yields 8 drives of usable capacity with strong write performance and predictable rebuild times. The typical fit is SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and other relational database storage tiers where NVMe latency is not the binding constraint and SAS endurance and dual-port redundancy matter.
• Mixed SSD + HDD tiered storage: 4 to 6 SAS SSDs for hot data alongside 10 to 12 NL-SAS HDDs for bulk; cost-effective tiering for general file serving, application data, and modest databases.
• vSAN all-flash OSA (smaller clusters): 4 SAS SSD cache + 12 SAS SSD capacity. For larger vSAN all-flash with multiple disk groups per node, the 24-Bay 2.5" sibling provides better cluster economics.

Boot configuration: HPE M.2 boot via the optional M.2 enablement kit installs 1 or 2 M.2 SATA SSDs in a dedicated bay outside the 16 data bays. We strongly recommend M.2 boot rather than consuming a data bay for OS. The HPE NS204i-p (Gen10+) NVMe boot device is not native to Gen10 (it's a Gen10+ option); on Gen10 the SATA M.2 enablement kit is the boot path of record.

Smart Array Controllers (HPE RAID)

HPE's Gen10 Smart Array lineup replaces the Dell PERC analogy: same role, different naming. The relevant controllers for DL380 Gen10 16-Bay are:

• Smart Array P816i-a (4 GB FBWC): Flexible Smart Array slot, dual-controller, supports all 16 internal SFF bays plus external SAS expansion. The default recommendation for hardware-RAID production workloads with substantial write activity. Flash-backed write cache survives power loss. FBWC battery is a wear item; check status on used inventory.
• Smart Array P408i-a (2 GB FBWC): Lower-cache version of the P816i-a, internal-only. Adequate for many production workloads without the cost of the 4 GB cache.
• Smart Array E208i-a (HBA mode): 8-port HBA, no on-controller RAID. Required for vSAN OSA, Ceph, ZFS pass-through, and any software-defined storage stack that requires direct disk visibility. The HPE equivalent of Dell's HBA330.
• Smart Array S100i (software RAID): SATA-only software RAID via Intel VROC-equivalent. Acceptable for boot drives in M.2 slots; we do not deploy it on production data arrays.

Our default for production virtualization with hardware RAID is the P816i-a; the FBWC and 4 GB cache pay off on mixed workloads. For vSAN OSA the E208i-a is mandatory; vSAN requires direct disk access. For Ceph and ZFS the E208i-a is similarly the right choice.

Networking

The DL380 Gen10 ships with an embedded 4 x 1 GbE NIC on most BTO configurations (HPE 331i / Broadcom BCM5719). Higher-performance networking is delivered via the HPE FlexibleLOM slot, which accepts a wide range of LOM adapters: 4 x 1 GbE, 2 x 10 GbE BASE-T, 2 x 10 GbE SFP+, 2 x 25 GbE SFP28, and 2 x 100 GbE on appropriate FlexibleLOM cards. The FlexibleLOM does NOT consume a PCIe slot; it occupies a dedicated mezzanine slot on the riser. This is the HPE equivalent of Dell's rNDC and serves the same purpose: dense networking without sacrificing PCIe expansion.

For 10 GbE deployments, the typical FlexibleLOM is the HPE 562FLR-SFP+ (Intel X710, 2 x 10 GbE SFP+) or 562FLR-T (Intel X550, 2 x 10 GbE BASE-T). For 25 GbE the 631FLR-SFP28 (Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX) is standard. For VMware deployments, verify driver support against the FlexibleLOM you order; older Mellanox FlexibleLOMs have specific ESXi support matrices.

For dense networking beyond the FlexibleLOM, add-in PCIe NICs occupy the PCIe slots described below. 4 x 10 GbE on a single FlexibleLOM is achievable; for 4 x 25 GbE plan for a FlexibleLOM plus a single PCIe NIC.

PCIe Expansion

The DL380 Gen10 supports up to 8 PCIe Gen3 slots distributed across three risers. Standard riser is the Primary Riser (slots 1-3); optional Secondary Riser (slots 4-6) requires a second CPU; optional Tertiary Riser (slots 7-8) can also be configured. Slot widths depend on the riser SKU chosen: HPE offers multiple riser SKUs from the standard x8 / x16 / x8 to the GPU-capable x16 / x16 / x16 configurations.

PCIe Gen3 is a meaningful limitation versus Gen10+ (PCIe Gen4) and Gen11 (PCIe Gen5). For NVMe SSDs operating at Gen4 link speeds, Gen3 caps the link to half-bandwidth; for 100 GbE NICs, Gen3 x8 is at the bandwidth ceiling. For most virtualization, database, and general-purpose workloads, PCIe Gen3 remains adequate; for AI inference with high-bandwidth GPUs or Gen4 NVMe-bound storage, this is where Gen10 hits its ceiling.

GPU support: the DL380 Gen10 with the x16 / x16 / x16 Primary and Secondary risers (HPE P14374-B21 and P14373-B21) supports up to 7 NVIDIA T4 16 GB single-width 70W GPUs, or 6 T4s balanced across both processors. Double-width GPUs are limited to 3 cards per platform on appropriate riser configurations; the platform supports up to 3 x 300W double-width accelerators (V100, RTX 6000, A30, A40) in flagship riser SKUs. The Gen10's GPU envelope is genuinely strong for a 2U rack; the limit is PCIe Gen3 bandwidth more than power or physical slots.

Power Supplies

HPE Flex Slot power supplies, hot-plug, redundant. Wattage options span 500W to 1600W in 94% Platinum and Titanium efficiency tiers. Dual PSU is standard for production deployments.

For most 16-Bay 2.5" deployments without GPUs, 2 x 800W Platinum is the recommended PSU. GPU configurations require 2 x 1600W Titanium. Single-PSU configurations are technically supported but we do not deploy single-PSU in production.

Management and Security: iLO 5

HPE iLO 5 is the integrated remote management controller on Gen10, the HPE counterpart to Dell iDRAC9. iLO 5 brought a major security upgrade over iLO 4: Silicon Root of Trust validates firmware integrity at the hardware level during boot, preventing firmware-level attacks via a hardware-anchored chain of trust. This is a meaningful security feature for production environments; it is the HPE equivalent of Dell's iDRAC9 System Lockdown / Silicon-Based Security on 14th gen.

iLO 5 supports HTML5 remote console (no Java required), Redfish REST API, IPMI 2.0, virtual media via web upload, remote KVM, full server power and thermal telemetry, and integration with HPE OneView for fleet management. Standard iLO 5 includes remote console and basic management; iLO Advanced license unlocks virtual media via integrated remote console, directory services integration, and several enterprise features. Most refurbished Gen10 units arrive with iLO Standard; we can include iLO Advanced licenses on request at quote.

For VMware shops, iLO 5 integrates cleanly with vCenter Server via HPE OneView for vCenter. For broad fleet management, HPE OneView 5.x or 6.x is the management plane; OneView 8.x and InfoSight integration are also available.

Physical Specs and Platform Notes

2U rack, approximately 27.83" deep (708 mm). Weight 73.6 lbs (33.4 kg) at typical fully-loaded configuration. Standard EIA 19" rack mount via HPE Easy Install rail kit (679368-001 / 728437-001 for SFF, 679365-001 / 737412-001 for variant configurations). Rail kits are not included with bare server purchase; verify at quote time.

Chassis is welded and not field-convertible between LFF and SFF; the 16-Bay 2.5" backplane is fixed at the chassis level. To convert between bay counts or form factors, the chassis itself must be replaced (a separate chassis SKU).

Cooling: six hot-plug fans in the standard configuration; high-temperature fans optional for sustained 35°C ambient deployments. Acoustic envelope is typical 2U rack server, not designed for office use.

Our Assessment

The DL380 Gen10 16-Bay 2.5" is HPE's mid-decade 2U workhorse and remains a workhorse: widely deployed, well-understood, with mature firmware and broad parts availability. For HPE-standardized shops running VMware vSphere 7.x with vSAN hybrid OSA, the DL380 Gen10 16-Bay is the cost-correct platform when current-generation is genuinely not required. For database tiers with all-SAS SSD storage where NVMe latency is not the binding constraint, this platform delivers strong performance at meaningfully lower acquisition cost than Gen10+ or Gen11.

Where the platform falls short: vSAN 8.x ESA is not supported (no native NVMe backplane on 16-Bay; ESA requires Gen10+ or Gen11 with NVMe). PCIe Gen3 limits NVMe and high-speed networking ceilings. The platform's CPU support tops out at Cascade Lake (28 cores per socket maximum); modern Sapphire Rapids and Emerald Rapids workloads with high core counts and DDR5 bandwidth needs are outside the platform's envelope. HPE official support is winding down for Gen10; OneView and InfoSight continue, but HPE TAC engagement for Gen10-specific issues has narrowing horizons.

vs DL360 Gen10 1U pair-partner: the DL360 is the 1U sibling with the same processor lineup, memory architecture, iLO 5, and Smart Array compatibility. The choice is form factor and storage profile: DL360 Gen10 8-Bay or 10-Bay 2.5" for dense 1U deployments where storage requirements stay below 10 bays; DL380 Gen10 16-Bay where the storage-to-compute ratio needs the larger chassis.

vs DL380 Gen10+ (Plus): the Gen10+ moves to 3rd Gen Xeon Scalable (Ice Lake, LGA 4189), PCIe Gen4, DDR4-3200, and native NVMe backplane options. For greenfield deployments running production beyond 2028, or for vSAN ESA, the Gen10+ is the right platform. For existing Gen10 estates or shorter lifecycle builds, the Gen10 economics are compelling.

vs Dell PowerEdge R740 16-Bay 2.5" (Dell tier-equivalent): same architectural tier, same Skylake/Cascade Lake processor generation, same DDR4 generation. The Dell R740 has 24 DIMM slots versus Gen10's 24 DIMM slots (parity), Dell PERC vs HPE Smart Array (parity in function, different naming), iDRAC9 vs iLO 5 (parity in capability). The choice between R740 and DL380 Gen10 is typically driven by which vendor the shop is standardized on, not by capability deltas.

Bottom line: For HPE-standardized environments where the workload fits the platform envelope, the DL380 Gen10 16-Bay 2.5" delivers proven enterprise capability at refurbished-market economics. We deploy it most often as VMware vSAN hybrid OSA nodes, SQL Server database tiers with SAS SSD storage, and general-purpose 2U virtualization hosts where the 16-bay storage profile fits.

Workload Fit

Honest Limitations

• PCIe Gen3 only. 48 lanes per CPU at Gen3 speeds. Gen4 NVMe SSDs operate at half-link bandwidth; 100 GbE NICs at x8 are at the Gen3 ceiling. For Gen4-bound workloads, Gen10+ is the platform of record.
• No native NVMe backplane on 16-Bay. NVMe in Gen10 16-Bay is via Universal Media Bay (up to 2 NVMe bays) or PCIe AIC; not native 16-bay NVMe. For substantial NVMe storage, the platform is Gen10+ or Gen11 with appropriate backplane.
• vSAN 8.x ESA not supported. vSAN OSA on vSphere 7.x is fully supported. ESA requires NVMe storage and is platform-restricted to Gen10+ or newer with NVMe backplane.
• DDR4 generation, 2933 MT/s ceiling. Gold 6200-series and 5222 reach 2933 at 1 DPC; the rest of the lineup caps at 2666. Modern bandwidth-heavy workloads benefit from DDR5; for those, Gen11 is the platform.
• CPU ceiling at Cascade Lake 28 cores per socket. Workloads benefiting from 32, 40, 48, or 64 cores per socket (Ice Lake, Sapphire Rapids, Emerald Rapids) are outside the platform's envelope.
• NVDIMM-N restricted to Skylake (1st gen Xeon Scalable). Cascade Lake CPUs require Optane PMem 100-series (Apache Pass) on M-suffix SKUs for persistent memory; NVDIMM-N is a Skylake-only path.
• Mixed RDIMM/LRDIMM not supported. The platform requires homogeneous DIMM technology; mixing in the same configuration is unsupported.
• HPE official support narrowing. Gen10 OneView and InfoSight integration continues, but HPE TAC engagement for Gen10-specific issues has decreasing horizons. Critical production workloads on multi-year horizons should evaluate the upgrade path.
• iLO Advanced license typically not included. Most refurbished Gen10 ship with iLO Standard. iLO Advanced (for integrated remote console virtual media, directory services, and several enterprise features) is licensed separately. We can include iLO Advanced licenses at quote.
• FBWC battery is a wear item. Smart Array P816i-a and P408i-a use flash-backed write cache with a capacitor pack. The capacitor is a wear item with a service life of approximately 5 years; refurbished units may have aged capacitors. We test FBWC health during burn-in and replace when out of spec.
• Welded chassis. Bay configuration is fixed at the chassis level. Converting between 8-bay, 16-bay, 24-bay SFF, or 12-bay LFF requires chassis replacement, not field reconfiguration.
• HPE-only parts and firmware. Gen10 firmware updates require HPE Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) and an active HPE account in most cases. Third-party drives and DIMMs may operate at reduced speed or with warning indicators in iLO 5.

Generation Context

The DL380 Gen9 is the immediate predecessor: same 2U tier on the Intel Grantley platform (E5-2600 v3 Haswell / v4 Broadwell), DDR4-2400, iLO 4. The Gen9 is meaningfully older and operates at lower memory bandwidth, PCIe Gen3 (same as Gen10), and lacks Silicon Root of Trust. For workloads sized to Gen9 cost economics, the DL380 Gen9 16-Bay or 24-Bay variants at Wholesale Servers are options; the Gen10 brings Skylake/Cascade Lake compute, iLO 5 security, and broader OS support.

The DL380 Gen10 Plus is the successor: same 2U chassis form factor, but new motherboard architecture with the LGA 4189 socket for 3rd Generation Xeon Scalable (Ice Lake, 10 nm). The Gen10 Plus brings PCIe Gen4, DDR4-3200, native NVMe backplane options, and the Silicon Root of Trust security model carried forward. For greenfield production with extended lifecycle, the Gen10 Plus is typically the right call. For cost-primary deployments fitting the Gen10 envelope, the Gen10 saves meaningful acquisition cost.

The DL380 Gen11 is the current-generation: 4th Gen Sapphire Rapids and 5th Gen Emerald Rapids Xeon Scalable, DDR5, PCIe Gen5, iLO 6, completely new platform. For workloads requiring current-gen capability (DDR5 bandwidth, CXL, PCIe Gen5 NVMe, very high core counts), the Gen11 is the platform of record.

Cross-family pair-partner (1U sibling): The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 is the 1U platform pair-partner, same processor lineup, same memory architecture, same iLO 5 and Smart Array compatibility, in the denser 1U form factor with fewer drive bays (4 LFF, 8 SFF, or 10 SFF). For dense rack deployments where 16 SFF bays per node is excess, the DL360 Gen10 is the right call.

Cross-vendor tier-equivalent: Dell PowerEdge R740 is the architectural counterpart in the Dell catalog: same Purley platform, same processor support, same DDR4 generation, same tier positioning. Choice between R740 and DL380 Gen10 is typically driven by vendor standardization. Both are available at Wholesale Servers; if your shop is mixed-vendor, we can quote both for comparison.

Family siblings (DL380 Gen10):

• 24-Bay 2.5" SFF: Higher-density SFF for vSAN all-flash multi-disk-group nodes, Ceph OSD clusters, and large SAS SSD storage tiers where 24 bays per node improves cluster economics.
• 12-Bay 3.5" LFF: Bulk capacity for NAS, backup, archive, and object storage. Up to 240 TB raw with 20 TB NL-SAS drives.

Request a Quote

Tell us your workload, vSAN or storage design (if applicable), drive type and quantity, memory target, networking requirements, and unit quantity. We respond within 24 hours. Volume pricing applies at 5 units and above. Every Wholesale Servers DL380 Gen10 ships after a 12+ hour burn-in test covering every PCIe slot, every memory channel, and every drive bay. Standard 180-day warranty included; 1-Year, 2-Year, and 3-Year Premium warranty options available. Call 1-800-778-1545 or use the quote form on this page.

If your deployment has a 3+ year production horizon, we will also quote the DL380 Gen11 or Gen10 Plus for comparison on request.