731041-002 HPE 960GB Value Endurance SATA 6GBPS SSD

HPE 731041-002-SC 960GB 2.5-inch SATA Solid State Drive Overview

The HPE 731041-002-SC is a high-performance 960GB solid state drive (SSD) designed for HPE ProLiant servers and storage systems. Featuring a 2.5-inch small form factor and SATA-6Gbps interface, this drive offers reliable value endurance for enterprise-grade storage applications.

Key Manufacturer Details

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number / SKU: 731041-002
• Product Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Sub-Type: 960GB SATA-6Gbps

Technical Specifications

Drive Characteristics

• Device Type: Hot-Swap Solid State Drive
• Capacity: 960 GB
• Form Factor: 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF)
• Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s
• Plug Type: Hot-Pluggable
• Carrier: HPE Smart Carrier (SC)
• Special Feature: Value Endurance for consistent performance
• Bundled Accessories: HPE Smart Carrier included

Performance Metrics

• Data Transfer Rate: Up to 6 Gb/sec
• Optimized For: Enterprise workloads with consistent endurance

Expansion and Connectivity Options

• Interfaces: 1 x SATA 6 Gb/s
• Compatible Bay: 2.5" SFF
• Hot-Swap Capability: Yes, supports quick replacement without downtime

Compatibility with HPE Systems

ProLiant BL Series Servers

• BL460c (Gen10)
• BL420c, BL460c, BL465c, BL660c (Gen8/Gen9)

ProLiant DL Series Servers

• DL20, DL60, DL80, DL160, DL360, DL380, DL385, DL388, DL560, DL580 (Gen10)
• DL20, DL60, DL80, DL120, DL160, DL180, DL320e, DL360e, DL360p, DL380e, DL380p, DL385p (Gen8/Gen9)

ProLiant ML Series Servers

• ML110, ML150, ML310e, ML350, ML350e, ML350p (Gen8/Gen9/Gen10)

ProLiant XL Series Servers

• XL230k (Gen10), XL170r, XL190r, XL220a, XL230a, XL250a (Gen9)

ProLiant SL Series Servers

• SL230s, SL250s, SL270s (Gen8/Gen9)

HPE Synergy Systems

• D3940 Storage Module

HPE Storage Arrays

• D3700
• D2220sb

HPE StoreEasy Series

• 1830
• 1840

HPE 731041-002-SC 960GB 2.5-inch SATA SSD

The HPE 731041-002-SC 960GB 2.5-inch Small Form Factor SATA-6Gbps Smart Carrier Value Endurance Solid State Drive represents a key offering in HPE’s portfolio of enterprise-class storage solutions. This category encompasses SSDs designed for high-reliability, cost-effective performance in mixed-use workloads. By combining a 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) form factor with SATA 6Gbps interface compatibility, these drives are optimized for environments where storage density, consistent throughput, and endurance are critical considerations for small-to-medium business servers, enterprise storage arrays, and hybrid IT deployments.

Form Factor and Interface Specifications

The 2.5-inch SFF design of the HPE 731041-002-SC SSD allows for a compact footprint that fits into standard server bays, making it suitable for both high-density server chassis and storage enclosures. The SATA 6Gbps interface ensures compatibility with a wide range of enterprise-class and legacy server architectures, providing a reliable data path while maximizing cost efficiency. This category of SSDs targets customers seeking a balance between performance and value, offering enough throughput for transactional workloads, database operations, virtualization, and mixed-use applications without the higher costs of NVMe-based alternatives.

Value Endurance and Smart Carrier Technology

One defining feature of this category is “Value Endurance,” which emphasizes the SSD’s ability to sustain high-performance write and read cycles over extended periods. These drives are engineered with enterprise-grade NAND flash memory and advanced wear-leveling algorithms to ensure consistent data integrity and predictable performance. The “Smart Carrier” is another integral aspect, allowing for easy hot-swappable installation, firmware management, and monitoring in HPE ProLiant servers or HPE storage systems. This combination of endurance and intelligent management makes the category particularly suitable for mixed-use workloads, including virtualization, content delivery, and general-purpose storage, where a balance of read/write operations and reliability is critical.

Performance and Throughput Considerations

SSDs in this category deliver significant performance improvements over traditional spinning hard drives, with low latency and high IOPS capabilities that enhance application responsiveness. The SATA 6Gbps interface supports sequential read/write speeds that are sufficient for many enterprise and SMB workloads, particularly those involving databases, email servers, and web applications. Performance optimization is also supported by HPE’s firmware enhancements, which manage read/write amplification, garbage collection, and over-provisioning. This ensures that even under heavy mixed-use scenarios, the drive maintains consistent throughput and avoids performance degradation over time.

Reliability, Endurance, and Data Integrity

Reliability is a cornerstone of the Value Endurance SSD category. The HPE 731041-002-SC incorporates features such as error-correcting code (ECC), power loss protection, and dynamic wear-leveling to protect against data corruption and prolong the operational life of the drive. With a focus on mixed-use workloads, the endurance rating is designed to accommodate a broad range of write cycles without compromising data integrity. These drives are ideal for environments requiring consistent uptime and predictable storage behavior, including critical business applications and shared storage infrastructures.

Power Efficiency and Operational Benefits

Another aspect of the HPE 731041-002-SC category is its energy efficiency. Compared to traditional HDDs, SATA SSDs consume significantly less power, reducing operational costs and cooling requirements in data centers. The small form factor contributes to higher storage density per rack unit, enabling IT managers to maximize server and storage capacity without expanding physical footprint. This energy-conscious design aligns with enterprise sustainability initiatives and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) over the lifecycle of the storage infrastructure.

Integration with HPE Systems and Ecosystem

This category is fully supported across HPE ProLiant servers, HPE Synergy systems, and compatible HPE storage enclosures, leveraging Smart Carrier technology for seamless integration. Intelligent monitoring and predictive failure analysis provided by HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) or HPE Smart Storage Administrator (SSA) allow IT teams to proactively manage SSD health, performance metrics, and firmware updates. Such integration ensures that storage devices operate at peak efficiency while simplifying maintenance, upgrades, and capacity planning.

Security and Data Protection Features

Security is increasingly critical in enterprise storage deployments. SSDs in this category include self-encrypting drive (SED) options and support for secure erase functions, helping organizations meet compliance requirements and protect sensitive data. The combination of firmware-based security protocols and hardware-level encryption ensures that even if the drive is physically removed, the stored data remains protected. These features are particularly valuable for industries handling regulated information, such as finance, healthcare, and government sectors.

Use Cases and Application Scenarios

The HPE 731041-002-SC 960GB Value Endurance SSD category is targeted toward mixed-use applications where both read-intensive and write-intensive workloads coexist. Common use cases include virtualization environments, small to medium databases, email and collaboration servers, web applications, content management systems, and general-purpose enterprise storage. IT professionals often deploy these drives in RAID configurations to enhance redundancy, increase storage capacity, and improve performance while maintaining the reliability and longevity expected of enterprise-class storage devices.

Scalability and Future-Proofing

Scalability is a key consideration when selecting SSDs for enterprise storage. The HPE Value Endurance SSD category supports flexible expansion strategies by allowing administrators to add more drives to existing servers or storage arrays without significant infrastructure changes. This modular approach enables organizations to incrementally scale capacity and performance as business requirements grow, ensuring that investment in storage hardware remains future-proof while maintaining compatibility with existing HPE platforms.

Comparative Advantages over HDDs and Alternative SSDs

When compared to traditional hard disk drives, HPE SATA Value Endurance SSDs offer lower latency, higher IOPS, reduced power consumption, and smaller physical footprint. Against other SSD options, this category provides a balance of performance, endurance, and cost efficiency, making it suitable for enterprises seeking predictable mixed-use performance without investing in high-end NVMe SSDs. The Value Endurance classification signals optimized endurance for workloads that are neither purely read-intensive nor excessively write-intensive, filling a critical niche in the storage market.