HPE P55174-004 6.4TB NVMe Gen4 MP MU SFF BC U.3 V2 MV SSD.

HPE P55174-004 6.4TB NVMe Solid State Drive

The HPE P55174-004 6.4TB NVMe Gen4 MP MU SFF BC U.3 V2 MV Solid State Drive belongs to a class of enterprise NVMe media designed to deliver a balanced combination of high capacity, low latency, and durable mixed-use endurance for modern data centers. This category covers U.3-compatible 2.5" small form factor NVMe drives that are optimized for multi-purpose (MP) and mixed-use (MU) workloads — a broad workload profile encompassing virtualization, database transaction processing, caching, metadata stores, containerized microservices, and tiered storage layers where both read and write demands are significant. The following continuous description unpacks the technical attributes, deployment patterns, operational advantages, procurement considerations, and real-world use cases that define this product family.

Category positioning and product family

Drives in the HPE MP / MU SFF U.3 V2 category are positioned between read-intensive boot/cache drives and ultra-endurance write-intensive drives. They provide a middle-ground: significantly higher endurance and performance than consumer or client NVMe parts, while offering greater capacity and lower cost per gigabyte than ultra-high-endurance datacenter SSDs tailored for heavy write amplification. The P55174-004, at 6.4TB, represents a high-capacity option within this family, making it especially suited to consolidating hot and warm data on U.3 slots without sacrificing the responsiveness required by mission-sensitive services.

Core attributes that define the category

• Interface and bandwidth: PCIe Gen4 NVMe over U.3 V2 connectors enabling higher sequential throughput and improved IOPS ceilings versus Gen3 parts.
• Form factor: 2.5-inch small form factor (SFF) with U.3 backcompatibility to common server trays and sleds.
• Workload class: Multi-purpose / Mixed-use, meaning drives are tuned to handle both frequent reads and moderate-to-heavy writes with balanced endurance.
• Managed NAND: Multi-level or managed MV NAND deployed with enterprise firmware, ECC, and advanced media management.
• Data protection: Features such as power-loss protection (PLP), end-to-end data path protection, and SMART telemetry for predictive maintenance.

HPE P55174-004 — 6.4TB NVMe Gen4 MU SFF U.3 V2 MV SSD

The HPE P55174-004 is a 6.4TB enterprise NVMe Gen4 solid-state drive optimized for mixed-use (MU) workloads. Delivered in a 2.5" SFF U.3 V2 form factor, this drive provides high throughput, low latency and enterprise-grade data protection for data centers, virtualization stacks, databases and AI/ML pipelines.

Core benefits

• PCIe Gen4 NVMe for elevated sequential throughput and improved random IOPS.
• 6.4TB in a compact 2.5" SFF U.3 module — high density per bay.
• Enterprise endurance, wear-leveling and advanced ECC.
• Power-loss protection (PLP) and end-to-end data path integrity.
• SMART telemetry and compatibility with HPE management suites.

Performance & workload suitability

Engineered on NVMe Gen4 architecture, this SSD suits environments that demand sustained throughput and low tail latency. It excels at mixed read/write workloads common to virtual machines, containerized services, and high-concurrency databases.

Performance considerations

Actual sequential and random throughput depends on host platform, firmware, and queue depth. For mission-critical deployments, validate numbers against HPE datasheets and test on representative server configurations.

Durability, data integrity & management

The P55174-004 includes enterprise features to maintain data integrity under heavy load and during unexpected events.

Enterprise-grade protection

• Power-loss protection (PLP) to preserve in-flight data.
• End-to-end data path protection to prevent silent corruption.
• Advanced error correction (ECC) and wear-leveling algorithms.
• SMART telemetry and predictive health reporting for proactive maintenance.

Endurance & provisioning

Designed for mixed-use (MU) workloads, this drive balances endurance and capacity. Plan provisioning according to expected DWPD and retention policies to optimize lifecycle cost.

Compatibility & deployment

The U.3 V2 connector and SFF form factor enable wide compatibility with modern HPE rack and blade servers that provide PCIe Gen4 lanes. Confirm server and HPE controller firmware versions for guaranteed support.

Integration best practices

• Verify server BIOS and firmware support for NVMe Gen4 and U.3 V2 connectors.
• Use up-to-date HPE firmware and storage controller drivers.
• Enable telemetry collection (iLO/HPE OneView) to track health and usage.
• Implement regular backups and snapshot strategies despite high drive reliability.

Specification snapshot

• Model: HPE P55174-004
• Capacity: 6.4TB
• Interface: NVMe Gen4 over U.3 V2 (PCIe)
• Form factor: SFF 2.5" (U.3)
• Workload class: Mixed-use (MU)
• NAND type: Managed MV NAND