875474-B21 HPE 960GB SATA-6GBPS SFF Hot-Swap SC Mixed-Use DS TLC SSD

HPE 875474-B21 960GB SSD Overview

HPE 875474-B21 960GB 2.5in DS SATA-6GBPS Smart Carrier Mixed Use Server SSD represents a focused solution in the enterprise flash storage landscape. Built for mixed-use workloads, this 2.5-inch SATA SSD with a 6Gbps interface addresses the need for a balance between performance, endurance, and cost-efficiency. Designed to integrate seamlessly with ProLiant servers and HPE storage platforms, the HPE 875474-B21 is optimized for virtualization, moderate database activity, boot volumes, and general purpose tiered storage. The Smart Carrier form factor ensures hot-swap readiness and compatibility with rack and tower server ecosystems where reliability and serviceability matter. As a 960GB capacity class device, it provides a middle ground for teams that require more than small-capacity cache or boot SSDs but do not need the higher cost-per-gigabyte of all-flash arrays at the highest capacities.

Enterprise

Within the broader category of HPE server SSDs, the 875474-B21 fits into the mixed-use segment, which sits between read-intensive and write-intensive product categories. Mixed-use SSDs are engineered to tolerate a balanced mix of random reads and writes, making them suitable for consolidated server environments where virtual machines, application containers, and transactional services coexist. This SSD category is commonly selected by IT architects who want predictable performance under variable workloads, endurance that supports heavy virtualization cycles, and the manageability features required by medium and large data centers. The HPE 875474-B21 is often stocked alongside other enterprise-class HPE SSDs, including NVMe drives for higher performance tiers and SATA read-optimized drives for archival or write-sparse tasks, enabling architects to design multi-tiered storage architectures with clear performance and cost boundaries.

Technical

The HPE 875474-B21 uses the industry-standard 2.5-inch U.2/drive form factor common to server trays and smart carriers. The SATA-6GBPS interface ensures broad compatibility with existing HPE controllers and backplanes, which simplifies upgrades from legacy mechanical drives or SATA SSDs without requiring controller changes. As a mixed-use drive, its firmware and NAND management are tuned to balance random I/O latency, sequential throughput, and sustained write endurance over time. The Smart Carrier not only provides a secure mechanical mounting but also supplies the drive with easy identification, hot-swap extraction, and front-panel status LEDs that integrate with HPE iLO and server monitoring tools. Robust firmware handles power-loss conditions and error management, delivering the durability and data integrity features expected in enterprise deployments.

Form Factor

Physical compatibility matters in server environments, and the 2.5-inch height and smart carrier design make the HPE 875474-B21 straightforward to install in HPE ProLiant servers and storage enclosures. The smart carrier reduces service times and avoids the need for caddies or adapters that complicate inventory. Because many HPE servers include backplane support for 2.5-inch SATA devices, the SSD can be slotted into existing drive bays with minimal disruption. The form factor also aids thermal management since drive trays and chassis airflow designs in HPE hardware are tuned to support dense drive populations while maintaining safe operating temperatures. For system integrators and resellers, the smart carrier simplifies logistics: the drive can be sold and deployed as a drop-in replacement or as part of a factory configured build.

Interface

SATA-6GBPS is a widely adopted interface that offers long-term compatibility with a broad range of server controllers and backward-compatibility with SATA controllers. Choosing SATA for a mixed-use SSD provides balanced benefits: lower per-gigabyte cost compared to NVMe while still achieving strong sequential and random I/O performance for many enterprise applications. HPE tests and certifies drives like the 875474-B21 to ensure interoperability with HPE Smart Array controllers, embedded SATA ports, and RAID configurations typical of ProLiant server platforms. This reduces uncertainty for procurement teams and helps ensure that operating system-level drivers, RAID firmware, and management interfaces work together to present stable storage to workloads.

Performance

The Mixed Use classification signals that this drive is engineered to handle a steady mixture of reads and writes, rather than specializing for read-heavy caching scenarios or write-heavy logging applications. In practical terms, this makes the HPE 875474-B21 particularly well suited to virtual machine boot stores, general application servers, mid-tier databases, and small to medium transactional workloads. The drive's internal architecture optimizes for random read latency while retaining strong random write durability, reducing performance variability during sustained I/O. For environments that combine virtualization, container orchestration, and database services on shared infrastructure, mixed-use SSDs deliver predictable response times and lower tail latency than spinning disks, enabling denser consolidation and improved overall application responsiveness.

Endurance

Endurance is a defining metric for server SSDs, and mixed-use devices are engineered to provide a meaningful endurance rating that allows repeated write cycles typical of server workloads. HPE-certified mixed-use SSDs use enterprise-grade NAND and controller algorithms that include wear leveling, bad block management, and over-provisioning to sustain predictable write performance over the drive’s warranted life. HPE's drive validation and firmwares are tuned to minimize unexpected performance drops and to implement robust error correction. Data integrity features commonly present in this category include power-loss protection mechanisms that help ensure in-flight data completes correctly, and robust SMART telemetry that allows proactive health monitoring through HPE iLO and storage management tools.

Deployment

Mixed-use 960GB SSDs are broadly applicable across many use cases. In virtualization platforms, a set of these drives can provide the primary datastore for virtual disks, offering low latency and reduced storage contention. For databases that combine read acceleration with sustained write activity—such as OLTP systems with moderate transaction rates—these drives provide a cost-effective storage tier. In hyperconverged infrastructures, the HPE 875474-B21 can serve as a persistent storage tier for virtualized workloads while higher-performance NVMe tiers absorb the most latency-sensitive operations. For cloud service providers and managed hosting environments, the drives provide a predictable service level while retaining a reasonable cost profile per gigabyte. Edge and remote-office deployments that require enterprise-grade durability but limited local capacity also benefit from the 960GB capacity point, which offers a balanced trade-off between storage footprint and performance.

Compatibility

RAID remains a common pattern to achieve redundancy and performance parallelism. HPE 875474-B21 drives are suitable for RAID configurations supported by HPE Smart Array controllers and third-party RAID solutions. Proper RAID selection depends on available drive count, desired RAID level, and tolerance for rebuild windows. Because SSD rebuilds behave differently from HDDs, mixed-use drives help shrink rebuild times compared to mechanical drives, but architects must still design for rebuild performance impact on the array. Using drive-level monitoring and spare capacity strategies helps ensure rapid replacement and minimal application disruption. For mission-critical services, combining hot spares, automated monitoring, and defined replacement procedures will maximize uptime while leveraging the SSD's performance advantages.

Use Cases

Real-world deployments of mixed-use SATA SSDs include small to medium enterprise virtualization clusters, remote office servers hosting application and file services, and database front-ends where predictable mixed I/O matters more than absolute peak throughput. Managed service providers often choose 960GB mixed-use drives to service multi-tenant VM populations where balanced cost and performance are essential. Similarly, test and development environments that mirror production behavior benefit from the responsiveness of SSDs without the higher cost associated with NVMe. Across these scenarios, the HPE 875474-B21 offers the practical combination of capacity, form factor compatibility, and mixed-workload endurance that satisfies a wide variety of storage needs.

Choosing the Right Capacity

Capacity planning should consider not only current storage needs but also growth, RAID overhead, and expected write amplification. The 960GB capacity point is often selected as it provides ample space for multiple VM images, application data, and overhead for over-provisioning while fitting within standard 1U and 2U server configurations. Architects should evaluate whether a single drive per host, multiple drives in RAID, or hybrid tiers combining SSD and NVMe best match workload patterns. For distributed storage systems, using multiple identical drives simplifies replacement and performance balancing.