HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Server Types, Specs, and Technical Comparison

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Jun 8
3 min read

Updated: Jun 9

The HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 is a dual-socket 2U rack server built for demanding enterprise workloads. This generation introduces support for 4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0, and enhanced I/O expansion.

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For IT professionals planning infrastructure upgrades or new deployments, understanding the DL380 Gen11 variants is very important. This article compares all available types, including the standard configurations (SFF, LFF, EDSFF) and the GPU-optimized DL380a model.

Front and rear view of HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 server showing drive bays, PCIe slots, and GPU expansion options—optimized for enterprise workloads including virtualization, AI, and high-performance storage.

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HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Servers: Core Architecture Overview

All DL380 Gen11 servers share the same core platform capabilities:

Processors: Dual 4th or 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs, up to 64 cores per CPU.
Memory: Up to 8 TB DDR5 using 32 DIMM slots (16 per CPU), with speeds up to 4800/5600 MT/s.
Expansion: Up to 8 PCIe Gen5 slots and 2 OCP 3.0 NIC slots.
Security and Management: HPE iLO 6 with silicon root of trust and other firmware protections.

Standard HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Server Configurations

SFF (Small Form Factor) Model - 2.5" Drives

Base: 8 front SFF bays.
Expandable: Up to 24 front SFF + 6 rear SFF = 30 total SFF drives.
Drive Support: SAS, SATA, and NVMe (via tri-mode backplanes).
Use Case: Balanced workloads; ideal for virtualization, mixed storage needs, and general-purpose applications.

Note: Earlier versions of this article cited unofficial reports of 38 drive support. HPE officially supports up to 30 SFF drives due to thermal constraints.

LFF (Large Form Factor) Model - 3.5" Drives

Base: 12 front LFF bays.
Expandable: Optional 4 rear LFF bays = 16 total LFF drives.
Drive Support: Primarily SAS/SATA HDDs or SSDs.
Use Case: Capacity-heavy roles such as backup, data lakes, and large-volume storage.

EDSFF NVMe Model - All-Flash NVMe

Options: 12 or 20 front-accessible EDSFF NVMe bays.
Drive Support: PCIe Gen5 NVMe drives in EDSFF form factor.
Use Case: High-performance flash workloads like VDI, real-time analytics, and NVMe-based SDS environments.

HPE ProLiant DL380a Gen11 Server - Accelerator-Optimized Model

GPU Capacity: Up to 4 double-wide or 8 single-wide GPUs.
Cooling and Power: Enhanced airflow, up to 4 PSUs (2 for GPU redundancy).
Memory: 24 DIMM slots, up to ~3 TB DDR5.
Drive Bays: 8 front (either SFF or EDSFF); no mid or rear expansion.
Use Case: AI/ML workloads, HPC, and GPU-intensive computing.

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HPE ProLiant DL380a Gen11 Server Comparison Table

Feature	DL380 Gen11 SFF	DL380 Gen11 LFF	DL380 Gen11 EDSFF	DL380a Gen11
Processor Support	2x 4th/5th Gen Xeon	Same	Same	Same
Max Memory	8 TB (32 DIMM)	8 TB (32 DIMM)	8 TB (32 DIMM)	~3 TB (24 DIMM)
Front Drive Bays	8-24 SFF, up to 30 total	12 LFF, up to 16 total	12 or 20 EDSFF	8 (SFF or EDSFF)
GPU Support	Up to 3 DW / 8 SW GPUs	Same	Same	Up to 4 DW / 8 SW GPUs
PCIe Expansion	Up to 8 Gen5 slots	Same	Same	Most slots used by GPUs
Power Supplies	2 (800W–1600W)	2	2	Up to 4 (1600W+)
Ideal Use Case	Virtualization, mixed	Archive, backup	NVMe flash workloads	AI/ML, GPU compute

How to Choose the Right HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Server

SFF: Great all-rounder. Choose this if you want storage flexibility with performance.
LFF: Best for pure capacity at lower cost per TB.
EDSFF: Choose for NVMe speed and density; ideal for all-flash environments.
DL380a: Pick if your workload demands multiple GPUs or GPU-focused processing.

Final Thoughts - HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 Servers

Each DL380 Gen11 configuration is built for a different type of IT workload. Whether you're building a virtualized environment, planning a storage-heavy deployment, or designing an AI cluster, there's a matching DL380 Gen11 model. Understanding the limits and strengths of each ensures better planning and smarter infrastructure decisions.