HP ProLiant DL380 G9 2U rack server E5-2670 v3 12C 2.3GHz 64GB DDR4 2x 1TB SAS P440 4GB FBWC

2U rack server for virtualisation

The HP ProLiant DL380 G9 is a 2U rack server built around a single Intel Xeon E5-2670 v3 processor with twelve cores at 2.3 GHz. It ships with 64 GB of DDR4 ECC registered memory across 24 DIMM slots. Two 1 TB 7.2K SAS drives and a Smart Array P440 controller with 4 GB flash-backed write cache provide the storage foundation. Redundant 500 W hot-swap power supplies keep the platform running during a module failure.

Sustained load behaviour

Under continuous workloads the twelve-core Xeon maintains its 2.3 GHz base frequency across all cores, while the P440's flash-backed cache absorbs write bursts without draining battery-backed DRAM. The 6 Gbps SAS drives deliver steady sequential throughput for database logs and virtual-machine images. Redundant power supplies share the load evenly, so a single supply failure does not throttle performance. Cooling is handled by the chassis fans, which scale with inlet temperature rather than spiking on short bursts.

SAS 6 Gbps interface limits

The installed drives and backplane operate at 6 Gbps per lane, capping each drive at roughly 600 MB/s theoretical bandwidth. The P440 controller supports 12 Gbps SAS, but the current drives negotiate down to 6 Gbps. RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50 and 60 are available, though rebuild times on 1 TB SAS drives extend to several hours. The 24 SFF bays allow future expansion with faster 12 Gbps drives, yet the existing two-drive configuration cannot saturate the controller's wider pipe.