The corporate sector demands high-quality server equipment. The major players in the global IT industry offer consumers server platforms in various configurations to address a wide range of tasks. Certain assemblies are popular and widely used, and accordingly there is a high demand for them. However, there are quite specific models on the market for which there is less demand. In this article we will consider the most popular HPE ProLiant server models.
According to our research, when choosing a model of HPE ProLiant systems, the buyer is guided by the following factors:
- Price;
- Efficiency;
- Technical equipment;
- Scalability;
- Possible upgrade.
Below is a rating of the most popular ProLiant server models among customers. In addition to ranking the models in order of most customer demand, we have also discussed the possibilities, features and potential application of these models.
10. HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 (P20249-B21)
Let's start with the powerful 2U server, the DL380, built on the basis of the Intel Xeon Gold 5218 processor (2.3-3.9 GHz, 16/32, 22 MB L3 cache).
Its basic assembly includes:
- 32 GB DDR4-RAM 2666 MHz ECC;
- HPE Smart Array P408i-SR Gen10 hardware controller with 8 dedicated lanes (+ support for 12G SAS drives);
- 800W hot-swappable power supply (with the possibility to increase the number of PSUs up to 2);
- A bay for 8SFF drives with the capability to scale the storage, allowing installation of up to 30 HDD/SSD SFF.
This model may be more suitable for the needs of backup server and archive requirements in medium-sized organizations. A mail server is also installed on such a server. Disks are not included in the assembly, which is quite logical, since the manufacturer does not set itself the goal of meeting the needs of future users in quantities and types of disk media at the production stage. With the installation of SFF SAS SSD media, this server can store data up to 459 TB.
You can read more about this server in the article "HPE Proliant DL380 GEN10 server overview"
9. HPE ProLiant DL160 Gen10 (P35516-B21)
This 1U form factor model is most popular when transitioning to a rack configuration. It features the Intel Xeon Silver 4210R processor and 16 GB of DDR4 2933 MHz RAM, providing ample performance for rack placement with the possibility of further expansion.
The basic configuration provides for the installation of only one 10-core processor and 16GB RAM. In total, the platform can be equipped with two 4210R processors (yielding a total of 20 cores) and 16 DIMM DDR4 RAM slots (with a total capacity of 1 TB).
Platforms of this type are purchased for building and further modernizing the organization’s network infrastructure.
We already covered this server in the article "HPE Proliant DL160 GEN10 review: universal entry-level server for the smb segment".
8. HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 (P19776-B21)
This 1U form factor model is built with one Intel Xeon Silver 4208 and comes equipped with pre-installed 16 GB of RAM. In total, it provides 24 slots for RAM. The architecture supports expansion up to:
- 3 TB of RAM;
- 2 CPUs;
- 48 TB of 4 LFF for file storage;
- A pair of 800 W power supplies.
This model is designed for tasks such as simple computing, print serving, hosting, etc. This platform is an excellent option for organizations focused on the future successful development of their server infrastructure.
You can learn more about this server in the article "HPE Proliant DL360 GEN10 review"
7. HPE ProLiant DL160 Gen10 (P19560-B21)
Next, we consider another model from the DL160 class. The basic configuration of the processor and RAM is similar to that of the P19776-B21 model, but it offers fewer modernization options and a different drive bay configuration. The P19560-B21 platform can be equipped with 8 SFF disks and has 16 DIMM slots for RAM. For users who are satisfied with the embedded functions and capabilities of this server (+ eight 2.5-inch hard drive slots), this model is a cost-effective option.
6. HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 (P20172-B21)
The following model is part of the DL380 line. Characteristics of this model: pre-installed with Xeon Silver 4208 (8 cores) running at a frequency of 2.1 GHz and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. This platform is attractive to users due to the following advantages:
- Maximum storage capacity with LFF SAS/SATA HDD is up to 311.68 TB;
- iLO 5th generation support;
- 2 x 800 W hot-swappable power supplies;
- P816i-a hardware controller with 4 GB of cache memory;
- 12 front slots for 3.5” HDD with a 2FF rear basket;
- 4 dedicated gigabit ports.
The main task of the platform is to provide:
- a high level of performance,
- fault tolerance,
- a large amount of memory for storing data.
This device is an excellent option for archiving, data storage and working with corporate backup servers.
5. HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 (P24741-B21)
The DL360 configuration offers more power compared to the previous P19776-B21. This server is created on the basis of Intel Xeon Gold 5220RC (24 cores) with a frequency of 2.2 GHz. Thus, this platform can be a great solution for organizing terminals for 10-15 people. Basic configuration also includes:
- 800W hot-swappable power supply;
- 32 GB RAM module with a frequency of 2933 MHz (DL360 has a total of 24 RAM slots);
- standard S100i/ZM controller.
Due to the presence of the HPE FlexibileLOM 562FLR-T network controller with a pair of 10 Gbit ports designed for creating and operating the fastest local network, this model is suitable for use as a terminal server.
4. HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10 (P20174-B21)
This model is built on the basis of a 10-core Intel Xeon Silver 4210 processor with a frequency of 2.2 GHz and 13.75 MB of L3 cache memory. The pre-installed RAM amount is 32 GB, with one DDR4 SDRAM ECC module also installed. The P408i-a hardware module is used as a controller for organizing RAID 0-60.
These options are designed for the following purposes:
- capacious storage for databases,
- working with Big Data,
The advantage of this platform is that the maximum number of disks (up to 30 in SFF format) can be placed in the basket. This allows configuring up to 459 TB of SSD storage, which is also sufficient for applications virtualization if the device is used only as a file server. Four gigabit ports are used in order to transfer large amounts of data.
Top 3. HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10+ models
The remaining 3 spots in our top are taken by HPE microserver models from the Gen10 Plus generation:
- 3rd place: P16005-421 model - Pentium G5420, 8 GB DDR4, 180 W PSU without hot swap, iLO 5;
- 2nd place: P16006-421 model - Xeon E-2224G, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, 180 W PSU without hot swap, iLO 5;
- 1st place: P18584-421 model - Xeon E-2224G, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, HDD 1 TB SATA 7200 rpm, 180 W PSU without hot swap, iLO 5.
These models are popular among users due to a number of factors:
- Compact size (it is enough to have a hanging shelf or cabinet space to place these servers);
- Improved functionality;
- Remote control using iLO 5;
- Price (they are the most inexpensive models of the ProLiant line).
The considered models are widely used at home and in small businesses. However, despite all the advantages and popularity of the models of this line, HPE left in it the only model P16005-421 on a 2-core Pentium G5420 processor. The production of the remaining server models with Intel Xeon-E processors is planned to be discontinued.
Conclusion
The configurations discussed in this review represent the most popular types of basic servers. While popularity is not always a guarantee of server quality. When speaking about servers, this implies that the configuration is suitable for addressing the maximum number of tasks set by the user.
Perhaps your company's activities differ from the generally accepted ones and require a completely different configuration of server machines. Newserverlife specialists can assist you in making the right choice. They are ready to answer any questions you may have and help you choose the most optimal option.
Specialists of our company are ready to help you purchase the server and select the necessary server configuration for any required task.
