835265-001 HPE Proliant ML350 Gen9 2.2GHz Intel Xeon 12-core 32GB DDR4 Smart Array 5u Tower Server

Comprehensive Product Overview

The HPE 835265-001 ProLiant ML350 Gen9 5U Tower Server represents a zenith in balanced computing, designed for businesses that require robust, reliable, and highly adaptable server infrastructure. As a tower model, it offers exceptional serviceability, expansion capabilities, and quiet operation suitable for office environments, while its substantial 5U footprint provides the internal capacity often reserved for rack-mounted systems.

Main Specifications

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Part Number: 835265-001
• Product Type: ProLiant ML350 Gen9 5U Tower Server

Technical Specifications

• Dual Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 CPUs, base clock 2.2 GHz
• Turbo Boost frequency reaching 2.9 GHz
• 12 physical cores per processor, 64-bit computing enabled
• QuickPath Interconnect bandwidth: 9.6 GT/s
• Socket compatibility: FCLGA2011-3
• Scalability: Supports up to 2 processors, fully upgradable
• Total cache installed: 60 MB
• Per CPU allocation: 30 MB
• Optimized for faster data retrieval and reduced latency

System Memory

Capacity & Features

• Pre-installed: 32 GB DDR4 SDRAM
• Maximum supported: 384 GB Registered / 768 GB Load-Reduced
• Speed: 2400 MHz
• Form factor: 288-pin DIMM
• Advanced ECC protection with HP SmartMemory
• Quad-channel architecture with online spare capability

Storage & Controllers

Drive Options

• No factory-installed HDD or optical drive

Smart Array P440ar Controller

• Cache buffer: 2 GB
• Supports SAS 12 Gb/s and SATA 6 Gb/s
• PCIe 3.0 x8 interface
• Up to 26 physical drives, 64 logical drives
• Comprehensive RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60, 1 ADM, 10 ADM

Integrated Controller

• Matrox G200 embedded graphics solution

Connectivity

• HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 331i Adapter
• Broadcom BCM5719 chipset
• Protocols: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
• Remote management: Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO4)
• Wake-on-LAN, PXE boot support
• Compliance: IEEE 802.3 standards

Expansion & Connectivity

• 24 DIMM slots (22 available)
• Multiple PCIe 3.0/2.0 slots (x8, x16 modes)
• Hot-swap bays: 8 x 2.5” SFF
• External slim-line 5.25” bay
• Internal microSD card slot

Ports & Interfaces

• 1 x VGA, 1 x Serial
• 4 x Gigabit LAN
• HP iLO dedicated port
• USB: 3 x USB 3.0, 5 x USB 2.0

Power Supply

Efficiency & Redundancy

• Dual hot-plug power modules
• Optional redundancy scheme: 1+1
• Voltage: AC 120/230 V, 50/60 Hz
• Output: 800 W per unit
• Certification: 80 Plus Platinum

Physical Specifications

Dimensions

• Width: 8.6 inches
• Depth: 30.3 inches
• Height: 18.3 inches

Compliance & Accessories

Standards

• Certified for ACPI 2.0b, FCC Class A, EN55022, IEC 60950-1, WEEE
• Meets Ashrae and CISPR 22 requirements

Included Components

• 8 x cooling fans for optimized airflow

Core Architectural Power: Intel Xeon E5-2600 v4 Processors

At the heart of this ML350 Gen9 lies its computational engine, defining its capability to process complex instructions and manage multiple concurrent tasks.

Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 Processor Specifications

This server is equipped with two Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 processors, a significant configuration for parallel processing. Each CPU features 12 physical cores, and with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology enabled, this effectively provides 24 logical cores per processor, totaling 48 threads for the entire system. The base clock speed of 2.9 GHz, coupled with a Turbo Boost frequency of up to 3.4 GHz, ensures strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. With a 30MB shared L3 cache, these processors efficiently manage data access for memory-intensive applications, reducing latency and improving overall throughput.

Broadwell-EP Microarchitecture Advantages

Built on the 14nm Broadwell-EP microarchitecture, the E5-2650 v4 delivers improved performance per watt compared to its predecessor (Haswell-EP). This translates to better computational density and energy efficiency, a critical consideration for always-on servers. The support for advanced instruction sets enhances performance for cryptographic, virtualization, and data analytics workloads.

Memory Subsystem: High-Bandwidth DDR4 SDRAM

The memory configuration is critical for server performance, directly impacting application responsiveness and virtualization density.

32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 Memory Configuration

This model is populated with 32GB of DDR4 SDRAM, utilizing two 16GB Dual In-Line Memory Modules (DIMMs). The use of DDR4 technology provides several key benefits over DDR3, including higher data transfer rates (up to 2400 MT/s in this platform), increased module density, and a reduction in operating voltage to 1.2V, which lowers power consumption and heat generation. This initial configuration operates in a dual-channel mode per processor, optimizing memory bandwidth.

Expansive Memory Scalability

The HPE 835265-001 ProLiant ML350 Gen9 platform supports a vast memory footprint. With 16 DIMM slots available (8 per processor), it can scale up to 1TB of DDR4 memory using LRDIMMs or 512GB using RDIMMs. This immense headroom allows for significant future expansion to accommodate growing virtual machines, in-memory databases, or large application datasets without requiring a platform upgrade.

Storage Controller: HPE Smart Array P440ar with 2GB FBWC

Data integrity, performance, and availability are managed by the integrated storage controller, a crucial component for any server handling business-critical data.

Smart Array P440ar Controller Features

The HPE Smart Array P440ar is a 12Gb/s SAS hardware RAID controller. The "ar" designation indicates it is an "adaptive RAID" controller embedded on the system board, providing robust RAID functionality without consuming a PCIe slot. It supports RAID levels 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, 6, and 60, offering flexibility for performance, capacity, or redundancy priorities.

2GB Flash-Backed Write Cache (FBWC) Importance

The integrated 2GB of Flash-Backed Write Cache (FBWC) is a vital feature for data protection and performance. It dramatically accelerates write operations by caching data in high-speed DRAM before destaging to the physical drives. The "flash-backed" aspect means this cache is non-volatile; a supercapacitor provides power to flush the cache to flash memory in the event of a sudden power loss, ensuring no data in transit is lost. This makes it safe to enable write-back caching, a key performance booster, even in environments without a UPS.

Network Connectivity: 1Gb 4-Port 331i Ethernet Adapter

Network throughput and flexibility are provided by the integrated Network Interface Card (NIC).

HPE Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 331i Adapter Capabilities

This server includes a versatile quad-port Gigabit Ethernet network adapter embedded on the system board. The "i" denotes that it is an integrated LOM (LAN on Motherboard). Having four independent 1GbE ports enables several key network configurations: port aggregation (link aggregation/teaming) for increased bandwidth and failover, segregation of network traffic (e.g., separating management, VM, storage, and production traffic), or connection to multiple physical networks.

Management and Virtualization Benefits

The 331i adapter supports advanced features like VMware NetQueue and Microsoft Receive Side Scaling (RSS) to optimize network performance in virtualized environments by efficiently distributing network processing across CPU cores. It also provides the physical interface for the HPE iLO management network, ensuring reliable out-of-band management connectivity.

Form Factor and Chassis: 5U Tower with 8 SFF Bays

The physical design of the ML350 Gen9 balances substantial internal expansion with the convenience of a tower form factor.

8 Small Form Factor (SFF) Drive Bay Configuration

The chassis supports eight (8) Small Form Factor (SFF) drive bays, which accommodate 2.5-inch hard drives or solid-state drives. This high-density storage configuration is ideal for leveraging the performance of SAS or SATA SSDs or enterprise SAS HDDs. The 2.5-inch form factor allows for a greater number of spindles in a confined space, which can improve I/O performance in RAID configurations. The bays are typically hot-pluggable, enabling drive replacement or addition without server downtime.

5U Tower Server Design Philosophy

The 5U tower design provides exceptional internal space for expansion cards, cooling, and accessible serviceability. It is designed to operate as a standalone unit but is often accompanied by an optional rack conversion kit (sold separately), allowing it to be transformed into a 5U rack-mounted server for data center deployment. This flexibility makes it a "future-proof" choice for businesses that may transition to a rack environment later.

Power Supply System: Dual 800W Flex Slot Platinum Hot-Plug Power Supplies

Power delivery and redundancy are critical for server uptime and operational efficiency.

2x 800W Flex Slot Platinum Hot-Plug PSUs

This configuration is equipped with two 800-watt Platinum-certified Flex Slot power supply units (PSUs). Operating in a redundant (1+1) mode, if one power supply fails, the other immediately takes the entire load without interruption to server operation. The hot-plug capability allows for the failed unit to be replaced while the server continues to run. The 80 PLUS Platinum certification denotes exceptional electrical efficiency (over 94% under typical loads), reducing energy costs and heat output.

Flex Slot Modularity and Efficiency

The Flex Slot design allows these power supplies to be used in other compatible HPE Gen9 tower platforms, offering investment protection. The high efficiency of these PSUs not only lowers operational expenditure but also reduces the thermal load on the server's cooling system, contributing to overall system stability and component longevity.

Security: Integrated Lights-Out 4 (iLO 4)

While not a physical component listed in the part number, the HPE iLO 4 management processor is a standard and vital feature of all ProLiant Gen9 servers.

Remote Server Management via iLO 4

HPE iLO 4 provides comprehensive, secure, remote out-of-band management. From a standard web browser or the HPE iLO Mobile app, administrators can perform tasks as if they were physically at the server: power the system on/off, mount virtual media (ISO images) for OS installation, view the server's health status, and access the console for BIOS configuration or operating system interaction.

Advanced Security

iLO 4 includes advanced security features like Secure Boot, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) integration, and role-based access control. Its health monitoring system proactively tracks temperatures, fan speeds, voltage levels, and hardware errors, alerting administrators to potential issues before they cause downtime. This level of management is essential for servers deployed in remote offices or for IT teams managing multiple systems.

Expansion and Upgrade Potential

The inherent design of the ML350 Gen9 is centered on adaptability and growth to meet evolving business needs.

PCIe Expansion Capabilities

The server motherboard offers multiple PCI Express 3.0 expansion slots. These slots can be used to add higher-speed networking (10GbE or Fibre Channel), specialized compute cards (GPUs for visualization or computational tasks), additional storage controllers (HBA or RAID), or other application-specific hardware. This ensures the server can be tailored precisely to its workload.

Storage Expansion Options

Beyond the eight internal SFF bays, storage capacity can be expanded externally via the SAS ports on the Smart Array P440ar controller. These ports allow for the direct connection of HPE D-series Storage Enclosures, enabling the creation of a dedicated, high-performance storage pool with dozens of additional drives, all managed by the same reliable RAID controller.

Target Workloads and Ideal Use Cases

This specific configuration of the HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen9 is optimized for a range of common business-critical applications.

Virtualization Host Platform

With 48 processing threads, ample memory expansion slots, and support for hardware-assisted virtualization (Intel VT-x/VT-d), this server is an excellent host for hypervisors like VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or Citrix Hypervisor. The 8 SFF bays are perfect for hosting VM datastores on RAID-protected SSD or SAS storage.

Database and Application Server

The high core count and large memory capacity make it suitable for hosting mid-sized Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, or PostgreSQL databases. It is equally capable of running business applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server, SharePoint, or mid-tier ERP/CRM solutions like SAP Business One or Microsoft Dynamics.