HPE Nimble Storage: Models, Specifications, and Technical Details

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Mar 4
2 min read

Updated: Mar 5

While HPE Nimble Storage isn't as popular as HPE MSA or 3PAR, many businesses still rely on it for their storage needs. With AI-driven predictive analytics and high availability, it is widely used by businesses that need efficient, scalable, and easy-to-manage storage solutions.

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Understanding the key specifications, performance differences, and scalability options of Nimble Storage is essential for making an informed decision.

HPE Nimble Storage AF-Series and HF-Series enterprise storage arrays – AI-driven, high-performance, and highly available storage solutions featuring predictive analytics with HPE InfoSight, all-flash and hybrid flash configurations, seamless scalability, multi-protocol support (iSCSI, Fibre Channel, NVMe), and efficient data reduction technologies for cost-effective, resilient, and intelligent storage management. server-parts.eu

HPE Nimble Storage Models & Comparison

HPE Nimble Storage is divided into two primary categories:

✅ All-Flash Arrays (AF-Series) – Built for ultra-low latency and high-speed workloads with SSD storage.

✅ Adaptive Flash Arrays (HF-Series) – A hybrid solution that combines SSDs and HDDs for a balance of performance and cost.

Each series offers different models tailored to varying performance and scalability needs.

HPE Nimble Storage All-Flash (AF-Series)

The AF-Series is designed for organizations that need lightning-fast performance, leveraging 100% SSD storage to deliver ultra-low latency and high throughput.

AF-Series Models & Technical Specs

Model	Effective Capacity*	Raw Capacity	Max Scalability	Memory
AF20Q	128 TB	46 TB	2 expansion shelves	128 GB
AF20	168 TB	46 TB	2 expansion shelves	128 GB
AF40	682 TB	184 TB	4 expansion shelves	256 GB
AF60	2,037 TB	553 TB	6 expansion shelves	512 GB
AF80	4,075 TB	1,106 TB	6 expansion shelves	1 TB

📌 Effective capacity varies based on compression, deduplication, and workload characteristics.

Key Benefits of AF-Series

✔️ Fast performance – Ideal for databases, VMs, and analytics.

✔️ Scalable design – Seamless expansion with extra storage shelves.

✔️ AI-driven optimization – HPE InfoSight prevents bottlenecks before they happen.

✔️ Multi-protocol support – Compatible with iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and NVMe.

HPE Nimble Storage Adaptive Flash (HF-Series)

The HF-Series (formerly CS-Series) is a hybrid storage solution designed for organizations that need a mix of performance and affordability.

HF-Series Models & Technical Specs

Model	Effective Capacity*	Raw Capacity	Max Scalability	Memory	SSD Cache
HF20	168 TB	46 TB	2 expansion shelves	128 GB	1.6 TB
HF40	682 TB	184 TB	4 expansion shelves	256 GB	3.2 TB
HF60	2,037 TB	553 TB	6 expansion shelves	512 GB	6.4 TB
HF80	4,075 TB	1,106 TB	6 expansion shelves	1 TB	12.8 TB

📌 Effective capacity varies based on compression, deduplication, and workload characteristics.

Why Choose the HF-Series?

✔️ Best of both worlds – Performance of SSDs + cost efficiency of HDDs.

✔️ AI-powered automation – HPE InfoSight reduces downtime.

✔️ Enterprise reliability – 99.9999% guaranteed uptime.

✔️ Flexible storage scaling – Expand up to 6 additional shelves.

AF-Series vs. HF-Series: Key Differences

Feature	AF-Series (All-Flash)	HF-Series (Hybrid Flash)
Storage Type	100% SSDs (NVMe & SATA)	Mix of SSDs and HDDs
Performance	Ultra-fast, low latency	Balanced speed and affordability
Best Use Case	High-performance apps like DBs, VMs, AI workloads	General-purpose workloads, backups, file storage
Expansion	Up to 6 expansion shelves	Up to 6 expansion shelves
AI-driven Insights	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Cost	Higher (premium performance)	Lower (cost-effective