P64846-B21 HPE 3.84TB NVMe Read Intensive SFF BC U.3 Static V2 SSD

Enterprise NVMe SSD for High-Performance Servers

Product Overview

The HPE P64846-B21 3.84TB NVMe Read Intensive Solid State Drive is designed to deliver exceptional speed, reliability, and efficiency for modern data center and enterprise server environments. Built with advanced NVMe technology and a compact SFF U.3 design, this SSD is ideal for read-heavy workloads that demand consistent performance.

General Information

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: P64846-B21
• Product Category: Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Carrier Type: BC
• Digitally Signed: Yes

Technical Details

Storage & Design

• Storage Capacity: 3.84TB
• Workload Profile: Read Intensive
• Form Factor: Small Form Factor (SFF)
• Drive Height: 15mm
• Flash Technology: TLC NAND

Connectivity & Interface

• Interface Type: NVMe
• Port Configuration: Single Port
• Plug Type: Hot Plug

Performance Metrics

Engineered for speed and efficiency, this NVMe SSD ensures rapid data access and consistent throughput for demanding applications.

Sequential Performance

• Sequential Read Speed: Up to 6200 MiB/s
• Sequential Write Speed: Up to 3969 MiB/s

Random I/O Performance

• Random Read Performance: Up to 209,990 IOPS
• Random Write Performance: Up to 180,000 IOPS

Ideal Use Cases

• Enterprise servers and data centers
• Virtual machines and cloud computing
• Read-heavy databases and analytics platforms
• High-performance storage infrastructure

Understanding the Core Technology: NVMe and U.3

To fully appreciate the capabilities of the P64846-B21, one must understand the underlying technologies that empower it.

The NVMe Protocol Revolution

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a protocol built from the ground up for flash storage. Unlike legacy protocols like SAS and SATA, which were designed for slower mechanical hard drives, NVMe utilizes the high-speed PCIe bus, drastically reducing command overhead and enabling massively parallel data access. This results in exponentially lower latency and significantly higher IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second). The P64846-B21 leverages this protocol to deliver responsive performance for the most demanding workloads.

The Versatility of the U.3 Form Factor

The U.3 (sometimes called SFF- TA-1001) interface is a groundbreaking development in enterprise storage. It is a single, tri-mode connector that supports NVMe (over PCIe), SAS, and SATA protocols. This "Multi-Vendor" capability, as noted in the drive's title, is a key feature. It means data center managers can deploy these drives in existing SAS/SATA backplanes today and migrate to full NVMe topologies tomorrow, all without changing the physical drive. The 2.5-inch Small Form Factor (SFF) ensures broad compatibility with industry-standard server bays.

Comparing Form Factors: U.2 vs. U.3

While U.2 (SFF-8639) also supports NVMe, it is typically a dual-mode (NVMe/SAS) interface. U.3's tri-mode support offers greater backward and forward compatibility, simplifying supply chains and providing ultimate deployment flexibility. The HPE P64846-B21's use of U.3 makes it one of the most adaptable drives on the market.

Specifications and Performance Profile of the P64846-B21

This drive is meticulously specified for consistent, reliable performance in a 24/7/365 operational environment.

Capacity and Endurance Classification

With a usable capacity of 3.84TB, this drive sits in a "sweet spot" for enterprise workloads—large enough for significant datasets or numerous virtual machines, yet balanced for performance and cost. It is classified as a "Read-Intensive" drive. This designation refers to its DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) or TBW (Total Bytes Written) rating, which is optimized for workloads where read operations dominate (typically 70-90% reads). This includes web serving, data analytics, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). This optimization allows for an excellent balance of high performance and long-term value.

Performance Metrics: IOPS, Throughput, and Latency

While exact figures can vary, drives in this class typically deliver:

Random Read IOPS: Often in the high hundreds of thousands, ensuring rapid access to scattered data.Random Write IOPS: Strong performance for write operations, suitable for mixed workloads.
Sequential Read/Write Bandwidth: Leveraging the PCIe Gen3 or Gen4 interface (depending on server platform) to achieve transfer rates measured in gigabytes per second, dramatically speeding up large file operations.
Ultra-Low Latency: Often below 100 microseconds for reads, which is critical for real-time transaction processing and high-frequency databases.

The Importance of Static Wear Leveling (Static V2)

The "Static V2" in the product name refers to HPE's advanced wear-leveling algorithm. Wear leveling ensures that write cycles are distributed evenly across all NAND flash memory blocks, preventing any single block from wearing out prematurely. "Static" wear leveling is particularly efficient, even during periods of inactivity, extending the overall lifespan and reliability of the drive beyond standard techniques.

Target Workloads and Deployment Scenarios

The HPE P64846-B21 is not a general-purpose drive; it is a strategic tool for accelerating specific business-critical applications.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

In hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) and large-scale VMware, Hyper-V, or KVM environments, storage latency is often the primary bottleneck. Deploying these NVMe drives as a cache tier or for hosting high-demand virtual machines eliminates I/O wait times, allowing for higher virtual machine density and faster provisioning. The 3.84TB capacity is ideal for storing hundreds of active VM images.

Relational and NoSQL Databases

Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle DB, MySQL, and NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Cassandra thrive on low-latency storage. The P64846-B21 accelerates query response times, speeds up index rebuilding, and improves transaction throughput. For read-heavy reporting databases or data warehousing offloads, its read-intensive nature provides optimal performance per dollar.

Content Delivery and Media Streaming

Delivering high-definition video, large software packages, or rich web content requires massive read bandwidth. An array of these drives in a server can serve thousands of concurrent streams with minimal buffering, enhancing user experience and reducing content delivery network (CDN) costs at the edge.

Integration with HPE Server Ecosystems

A key advantage of the P64846-B21 is its deep integration and validation within the HPE server portfolio.

Compatibility and Smart Array Controllers

This drive is rigorously tested and certified for HPE ProLiant DL, ML, and Apollo servers, as well as Synergy compute modules, primarily Gen10 Plus and newer. When used with HPE Smart Array SRA/SRB-series controllers or HPE NVMe-enabled backplanes, it unlocks full manageability via the HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) management suite. This allows for firmware updates, health monitoring, and predictive failure analysis from a single, unified interface.

Firmware and Management Simplicity

HPE provides consolidated firmware updates through its Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP), ensuring the drive firmware, controller firmware, and server BIOS remain in a tested, compatible state. This eliminates the complexity and risk of sourcing updates from multiple vendors.