804612-006 HPE 480GB SATA-6GBPS Mixed-Use SFF SC SSD

HPE 804612-006 480GB SATA-6GBPS SSD

The HPE 804612-006 480GB SATA 6Gbps Mixed-Use 2.5-inch SFF SC solid state drive represents a focused balance of performance, endurance, and enterprise-grade reliability tailored for HPE ProLiant Gen8 servers and compatible platforms. Engineered to meet the demanding I/O patterns of mixed-use workloads, this 480GB SATA SSD blends sustained throughput with low latency and moderate write endurance that is ideal for virtualization hosts, database acceleration, caching tiers, application servers, and general-purpose boot or storage pools. The compact 2.5-inch SFF form factor and standard Serial ATA 6Gbps interface ensure broad compatibility with Gen8 ProLiant drive bays and many later HPE systems while simplifying upgrades from legacy spinning media and older SSDs. Emphasis on enterprise-focused features such as power-loss protection, intelligent firmware management, and thermal-aware operation helps administrators deploy this HPE 804612-006 drive confidently in production environments where predictable behavior, data integrity, and maintenance simplicity matter.

Key Technical

The HPE 804612-006 is built on a 2.5-inch short form factor (SFF) chassis with single connector (SC) integration suitable for HPE ProLiant hot-swap sleds. The drive communicates over the SATA 6Gbps interface, offering a straightforward integration path into existing SATA backplanes and controllers such as HPE Smart Array controllers configured for SATA devices. As a mixed-use class SSD, the drive provides a performance profile that balances random read/write IOPS and sequential throughput. Typical deployments see this drive delivering consistent low-latency responses under mixed I/O workloads where both read and write operations occur frequently. Drive power characteristics are tuned for server operation, with active and idle power states optimized to reduce rack-level thermal and electrical overhead while maintaining steady-state performance for enterprise tasks. Firmware-level features include wear-leveling algorithms, bad block management, TRIM support (where controllers and OS allow), and SMART telemetry to facilitate proactive maintenance and health monitoring in datacenter environments.

Form Factor

Designed specifically for HPE ProLiant Gen8 servers and validated for many subsequent HPE ProLiant generations, the 2.5" SFF form factor is ideal for dense server architectures where space and airflow are constrained. The hot-swap SC design allows system administrators to replace drives without powering down the server, enabling high-availability maintenance windows and minimizing service disruption. Although optimized for ProLiant Gen8 drive bays, the HPE 804612-006 is also compatible with newer HPE enclosures that accept HPE-branded SATA SFF drives. When used in HPE arrays, the drive benefits from controller-level optimizations and array management features such as proactive spare allocation, predictive failure alerts, and integration with HPE OneView or HPE Insight tools for consolidated hardware health reporting. Compatibility with RAID configurations is straightforward: the drive can participate in standard RAID levels commonly used in enterprise servers, with tradeoffs between redundancy and usable capacity determined by the chosen RAID scheme and workload profile.

Performance

The mixed-use classification of the HPE 804612-006 implies an intended balance between read-centric and write-capable performance characteristics. In real-world terms, this makes the 480GB SATA SSD a flexible option for virtual machine hosts running dozens of small-to-medium-sized VMs, mid-frequency database transactions, web application servers, and multi-tenant infrastructures where both reads and writes occur in significant measure. The drive provides competitive random I/O performance for its class, delivering improved IOPS and far lower latency than traditional hard disk drives. Sequential throughput on SATA 6Gbps is constrained by the SATA interface ceiling yet optimized internally to move large datasets efficiently during backups or bulk reads. Endurance is specified to meet mixed-use expectations: higher than entry-level read-intensive drives yet lower than dedicated high-endurance data center NVMe options. This makes the drive a cost-effective middle ground when balanced lifecycle cost and consistent performance are priorities.

Endurance

Endurance metrics for mixed-use SATA SSDs are calculated to ensure the drive can withstand daily mixed read/write cycles typical in enterprise server workloads. Wear-leveling, over-provisioning, and advanced error correction combine to extend usable life and protect data integrity over the drive’s warranty period. Power-loss protection mechanisms help to ensure that in the event of sudden power loss, in-flight data is handled safely and metadata structures remain consistent. SMART attributes expose predictive failure indicators and wear statistics that enable predictive maintenance practices and integration with server management platforms for alerting and automated workflows. Furthermore, HPE-branded drives like the HPE 804612-006 are often distributed with a manufacturer warranty and may include HPE’s serviceability and support pathways—which can simplify RMA and replacement procedures for enterprise customers operating large fleets of servers.

Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

Enterprises deploy HPE 804612-006 480GB SATA SSDs in a variety of practical scenarios where cost-effective performance enhancement is required without the premium of NVMe architectures. Typical use cases include virtualization clusters where host-level contention benefits from reduced latency and improved random I/O throughput, boot and OS volumes for stateless compute nodes to accelerate server provisioning, caching layers for hybrid storage architectures, and dense rack deployments where the 2.5-inch SFF footprint helps maximize compute-to-storage density. Database applications that are not heavily write-bound but require predictable response times also gain measurable advantages over HDD-based tiers. In many organizations, these drives are used to create a mid-tier storage pool that complements NVMe or SAS flash tiers, enabling storage architects to design multi-tiered systems that match performance to cost granularly across different classes of workloads.

Integration

Integration with HPE’s server management ecosystem is a practical advantage for organizations standardizing on HPE hardware. The HPE 804612-006 can be monitored and managed through HPE system tools for device health, firmware updates, and operational telemetry. RAID controllers that support SATA drives can include this SSD in logically protected arrays, and HPE Smart Array controllers can enable advanced features like background patrol reads, array rebuild acceleration, and consistent firmware staging through integrated update mechanisms. When configuring RAID levels, administrators must weigh usable capacity against redundancy and rebuild impact; SSD-based RAID rebuilds generally complete faster than HDD rebuilds, reducing exposure window during a degraded array state. Ensuring controller firmware and server BIOS are current is an important step for maximizing compatibility and exploiting improved device interoperability.

Comparing

When selecting storage for enterprise servers, mixed-use SATA SSDs occupy a practical middle ground. They deliver far better random I/O and lower latency than traditional HDDs while remaining more cost-effective per gigabyte than NVMe flash. Compared with read-intensive SSDs, mixed-use drives provide higher write endurance and can tolerate heavier write cycles without degradation, making them a preferred choice for write-active workloads that do not demand the absolute lowest latency that NVMe provides. Compared with SAS SSDs and enterprise NVMe devices, SATA mixed-use drives trade interface bandwidth and ultra-low latency for a favorable cost-per-GB ratio and broad compatibility with existing SATA backplanes and controllers. The decision to use an HPE 804612-006 480GB SATA SSD should be driven by workload analysis, budget constraints, and the desired balance between performance, endurance, and capacity.

Choose HPE 804612-006 for ProLiant Gen8 and Later Systems

Choosing the HPE 804612-006 480GB SATA 6Gbps Mixed-Use 2.5" SFF SC solid state drive for ProLiant Gen8 servers and compatible systems offers a pragmatic blend of performance, endurance, and enterprise integration. The drive is particularly well-suited for organizations that require improved responsiveness over legacy HDDs without the higher costs associated with NVMe tiers, yet still want HPE-validated compatibility and support. Its mixed-use endurance profile ensures versatility across a broad range of server workloads, making it a dependable component in virtualization hosts, application servers, and multi-tier storage pools. Combined with HPE server management tools and standard RAID capabilities, the HPE 804612-006 delivers predictable behavior, simplified maintenance, and improved system responsiveness across many common datacenter workloads.