HPE DL360 Gen10 vs Gen9 and DL380 Gen10: Which to Buy
The HPE ProLiant DL360 Gen10 is the 1U machine in the Gen10 line, and buyers are usually weighing it against a cheaper DL360 Gen9 or a roomier DL380 Gen10. This covers both comparisons.
What is the HPE DL360 Gen10?
A dual-socket 1U rack server on socket LGA 3647, supporting Intel Xeon Scalable processors, with DDR4 memory across 24 DIMM slots and iLO 5 remote management.
Same platform as the DL380 Gen10; the chassis height is what differs.
DL360 Gen9 vs Gen10: is the newer one worth it?
Four differences, and one caveat that decides most decisions.
Different socket and processor family. Gen10 uses LGA 3647 and Xeon Scalable; Gen9 uses LGA 2011-3 and Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4. Processors do not transfer.
More memory channels per processor on Xeon Scalable.
Better performance per watt, which in a 1U machine matters twice over — it is both cheaper to run and easier to cool, and 1U cooling is the tighter constraint. Our TCO guide covers counting running cost properly.
Longer support runway from operating systems and hypervisors.
The caveat: nothing transfers. Memory, processors, controllers and carriers are all generation-specific, so a Gen9 to Gen10 move is a replacement rather than an upgrade — our DL380 Gen10 guide covers this in detail and the same applies here.
Rule of thumb: three years or less, a Gen9 is frequently the better spend. Longer, or where power is constrained, Gen10 wins.
DL360 Gen10 vs DL380 Gen10: which should I choose?
Same platform, different chassis, and three things decide it.
Drive bays. The DL360 takes far fewer — a 1U front panel simply has less room. If storage lives in the server, the DL380 is the answer.
Expansion slots. Fewer on 1U, and low-profile only. A full-height card does not fit, and a card supplied with only a full-height bracket needs the low-profile one sourced separately — our PCIe guide covers this.
Rack density. Twice as many machines per rack, which is the whole reason 1U exists.
And one further point specific to 1U: high-power processors and accelerators are harder to cool, so check what your specific configuration supports rather than assuming the whole processor range is available.
What processors does the DL360 Gen10 support?
Intel Xeon Scalable across the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers.
The point that catches people: the tier is not just a speed ranking. It sets your maximum supported memory speed and how many sockets the processor can work in. A Silver part caps your memory speed before you buy a single module — our Xeon Silver guide covers what each tier determines.
For a second processor, the usual rules: same model across sockets, a chassis-specific heatsink as a separate part, and frequently additional fans — and in 1U the fan requirement is stricter. Our processor matching guide covers it.
DL360 Gen10 memory configuration
24 DIMM slots of DDR4 registered ECC, twelve per processor.
A single-processor machine can populate only twelve. Populate channels evenly, since uneven population reports full capacity while delivering less bandwidth with nothing flagging it. And speed can drop as slots fill.
Gen9 memory does not transfer to Gen10 despite both being DDR4 — different population rules and supported speeds. Our memory guide covers checking the population tables.
Do I need an iLO 5 licence?
Worth settling before purchase, and it matters more on 1U machines.
Basic iLO gives health monitoring and hardware inventory. Remote console and virtual media generally require a licence — exactly what you need when a machine will not boot and nobody is on site.
Why it matters more here: 1U servers are frequently deployed in numbers at colocation and remote sites, precisely so nobody has to attend them. Without remote console, that assumption breaks the first time one fails to boot — our out-of-band guide covers why that access is what actually resolves an incident.
Check whether a licence is included on used units, since it does not always transfer.
What is missing from a used DL360 Gen10?
Rails, which stay in the rack. Drive carriers for empty bays. Risers — and with fewer of them in 1U, a missing riser removes a larger share of your expansion capability. Low-profile brackets for cards. The Smart Array cache module and capacitor pack, without which write performance collapses with no error reported. And the iLO licence.
Our build versus buy guide covers why these decide the deployment timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is a DL360 Gen10 worth the extra over a Gen9?
On a three-year horizon or less, a Gen9 at a lower price is frequently the better spend. On a longer horizon, or where power and cooling are constrained, the Gen10 wins — and in 1U the cooling advantage matters twice over.
Can I upgrade a DL360 Gen9 to Gen10?
No. They are different platforms rather than an upgrade path — different sockets, different memory population rules, and controllers and carriers that do not cross. Budget it as a replacement, not a component swap.
DL360 Gen10 or DL380 Gen10?
Same platform, different chassis. Choose the DL360 for rack density; choose the DL380 if you need more drive bays or full-height expansion cards. A 1U chassis takes low-profile cards only.
Does the Xeon Scalable tier affect memory speed?
Yes. The Bronze to Platinum tier sets your maximum supported memory speed and how many sockets the processor works in, so a lower tier caps your memory speed before you buy a single module.
Do I need an iLO 5 licence on a used DL360 Gen10?
For remote console and virtual media, generally yes — and it matters more here because 1U machines are deployed in numbers at remote sites precisely so nobody has to attend them. Check whether one is included, since licences do not always transfer.
Can I fit a full-height card in a DL360 Gen10?
No. A 1U chassis takes low-profile cards only, and the low-profile bracket is its own part. High-power accelerators are also harder to cool in 1U, so check what your configuration supports.
Tell us your drive count, card requirements and how long the machine needs to run, and we will compare Gen9 and Gen10 honestly.
