Server Drive Compatibility Guide
Most failed drive orders are not quality failures. They are compatibility failures, and nearly all of them come down to three things: the carrier, the firmware, and the interface generation. This page covers what to check on each major server platform before you order, with the part numbers we stock for each.
The three checks that prevent almost every failed order
1. Carrier or caddy type. A drive with the correct capacity and interface will still not physically seat if the tray is wrong. This is the single most common problem and it is entirely avoidable by checking before ordering.
2. Firmware validation. RAID controllers from HPE, Dell and IBM check drive firmware. A mechanically identical disk may be flagged as unsupported, may not report health telemetry, or may be refused during an array rebuild.
3. Interface and link speed. SAS 12Gb/s drives run in 6Gb/s backplanes at the lower speed, which is fine. SAS drives do not work in SATA-only backplanes. Fibre Channel is its own world entirely.
The fastest way to get this right: pull a drive currently in the chassis and read the part number from its label. That single number encodes the drive, the carrier and the firmware together.
IBM System x
IBM used two carrier types that are not interchangeable. Hot-swap trays connect through a backplane and allow replacement while the server runs; they have a lever on the carrier. Simple-swap trays connect directly and require the server powered down; they have no lever. Look at the front of the chassis to tell which you have.
Later IBM units also used G2HS carriers, which do not interchange with the Lenovo-era G3HS trays.
| Part Number | Capacity | Interface | Carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00D5317 | 1TB | SATA 6Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | Simple-swap |
| 81Y9878 | 4TB | SATA 6Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | Simple-swap |
| 42C0498 | 750GB | SATA 3Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | Hot-swap |
| 42C0259 | 300GB | SAS 3Gb/s 15K 3.5in | Hot-swap |
| 45W7766 | 600GB | SAS 6Gb/s 10K 2.5in | Hot-swap |
| 49Y1880 | 300GB | SAS 6Gb/s 10K 2.5in | Hot-swap |
| 90Y8782 | 900GB | SAS 6Gb/s 10K 2.5in | G2HS |
| 00NA492 | 4TB | NL-SAS 12Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | Hot-swap |
Browse all IBM drives.
Lenovo ThinkSystem and post-transition System x
Lenovo acquired IBM’s x86 server business, so the two ranges overlap and a server bought as a System x may take drives listed under either brand. The critical difference is the carrier generation: G2HS and G3HS trays are not interchangeable, and this catches people whose fleet spans the transition.
| Part Number | Capacity | Interface | Carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4XB0G45727 | 300GB | SAS 12Gb/s 15K 2.5in | Hot-swap |
| 00MM685 | 300GB | SAS 12Gb/s 15K 2.5in | G3HS |
| 4XB0G88734 | 600GB | SAS 12Gb/s 15K 2.5in | Hot-swap |
| 4XB0G88761 | 2TB | SATA 6Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | Hot-swap |
Browse all Lenovo drives.
HPE ProLiant and MSA storage
Two separate things that are frequently confused. ProLiant server drives ship in Smart Carrier (SC) trays, and the carrier generation must match your chassis generation. MSA array drives carry array-specific firmware; an MSA controller will report a standard ProLiant server disk as unsupported. The part numbers differ and the drives are not interchangeable at identical capacity and interface.
HPE Smart Array controllers are among the strictest at firmware validation. A non-HPE drive may work but be flagged in iLO, may not report predictive failure warnings, or may be refused mid-rebuild.
| Part Number | Capacity | Interface | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| P20077-001 | 300GB | SAS 12Gb/s 10K 2.5in | ProLiant SC |
| N9X07A | 4TB | SAS 12Gb/s 7.2K 3.5in | MSA midline |
| Q2R42A | 2.4TB | SAS 12Gb/s 10K 2.5in | MSA |
Browse all HPE drives.
HP ProLiant G-series and Integrity
Older HP platforms use different carriers again, and HP stopped supplying parts for many of these years ago while a large installed base remains in production. Integrity and ProLiant x86 drives are not interchangeable.
| Part Number | Capacity | Interface | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 430165-002 | 146GB | SAS 10K 2.5in | ProLiant hot-swap |
| AB432-69001 | 146GB | SAS 15K 2.5in | Integrity |
Browse all HP drives.
NetApp FAS and disk shelves
NetApp is the exception to everything above. Its disks are formatted with non-standard sector sizes carrying checksum data that the storage OS relies on. A standard 512 or 520 byte drive presents the wrong geometry, so the shelf will not recognise it or will refuse to assign it to an aggregate. This cannot be worked around with firmware.
Additionally, aggregates expect uniform drive characteristics. Replacing a failed 15K disk with a slower one degrades the whole RAID group to the slowest member.
| Part Number | Capacity | Interface | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| X287A-R5 | 300GB | FC 4Gb 15K 3.5in | NetApp-coded firmware |
Browse all NetApp drives.
Unbranded drives: Seagate, Western Digital, HGST, Toshiba
Drives sold under the original manufacturer’s part number rather than an OEM server brand carry no carrier and no vendor firmware. They are the correct choice for Supermicro builds, white-box servers, NAS units and any chassis using generic trays, and they are typically cheaper than the OEM-branded equivalent of the same mechanism.
They are the wrong choice where a Smart Array, PERC or ServeRAID controller expects OEM firmware, or where you need the tray supplied with the drive.
Note that Western Digital acquired HGST, which is why current drives appear under part numbers beginning 0F, 0B, HUS and HUC while carrying both brand identities. Browse Seagate, Western Digital and HGST, and Toshiba ranges.
Choosing the right drive class once compatibility is settled
Compatibility tells you what will fit. Drive class tells you whether it will perform.
15K SAS for transactional workloads where latency matters: databases, virtualisation datastores, busy application servers. In performance tiers, spindle count matters more than capacity per drive.
10K SAS as the general-purpose enterprise choice, balancing latency and capacity.
7200 RPM nearline (SATA or NL-SAS) for backup targets, archives, file shares, surveillance and bulk storage. Built for sequential access at 24/7 duty, far cheaper per terabyte, and the wrong choice under a busy VM host.
Our buying guides cover each platform’s compatibility traps in more detail, and the refurbished process page explains our condition labelling and warranty.
Not sure? Send us the part number
If you are unsure of carrier type, firmware requirement or the right drive class, send us the part number from a unit currently fitted, or your server model and generation, and we will confirm the match before you order. We would rather do that than process a return. Contact our team or call (954) 601-5103.