P50218-B21 HPE 3.84TB NVMe Gen4 RI SFF SC U.3 SSD

HPE P50218-B21 3.84TB NVMe U.3 SSD

Discover the HPE P50218-B21 3.84TB NVMe U.3 solid-state drive—engineered for high performance, read‑intensive workloads, and dependable enterprise storage. This small form factor (SFF) SC carrier drive delivers exceptional throughput, low latency, and robust reliability for modern data centers and virtualized environments.

Main Specification

• Manufacturer: HPE
• Model Number: P50218-B21
• Product type: Solid state drive

Technical specifications

Physical and interface details

• Capacity: 3.84 TB
• Height: 15 mm
• Form factor: SFF (small form factor)
• Port: Dual
• Interface: NVMe
• Plug type: Hot plug
• Carrier type: SC

Performance metrics

Random operations

• Random reads: Up to 225,000 IOPS
• Random writes: Up to 140,000 IOPS

Sequential throughput

• Sequential reads: Up to 7,100 MiB/s
• Sequential writes: Up to 4,200 MiB/s

Compatibility and supported platforms

Supported HPE ProLiant models

• DL325 Gen10
• DL345 Gen10
• DL360 Gen10
• DL365 Gen10
• DL380 Gen10
• DL385 Gen10

Enterprise NVMe Gen4 Read Intensive SSD Category Overview

The HPE P50218-B21 3.84TB NVMe Gen4 High Performance Read Intensive SFF SC U.3 SSD belongs to a specialized category of enterprise-class solid state drives designed to meet the growing demand for ultra-low latency, high throughput, and consistent performance in modern data center environments. This category focuses on PCIe Gen4 NVMe storage solutions optimized for read-intensive workloads, delivering significant improvements over traditional SATA and SAS SSDs in terms of bandwidth, parallelism, and responsiveness. As enterprises transition toward software-defined infrastructure, virtualization, containerized applications, and real-time analytics, NVMe Gen4 SSDs have become a foundational component for performance-driven server architectures.

Read intensive enterprise SSDs are engineered to prioritize read operations while maintaining sufficient endurance for predictable write activity. This balance allows organizations to deploy high-capacity flash storage for workloads such as virtual desktop infrastructure, web serving, content delivery, database indexing, and cloud-native microservices. The HPE P50218-B21 fits squarely into this category by offering a refined blend of capacity, speed, reliability, and compatibility with HPE ProLiant servers that support U.3 backplanes.

Positioning of High Performance Read Intensive NVMe SSDs

Within the broader enterprise storage ecosystem, high performance read intensive NVMe SSDs occupy a critical position between extreme endurance write-intensive drives and cost-optimized mixed-use solutions. This subcategory is designed for applications where read throughput and latency consistency directly influence user experience, application responsiveness, and system efficiency. The HPE P50218-B21 leverages NVMe over PCIe Gen4 to provide significantly higher queue depths and parallel access paths than legacy storage interfaces, ensuring predictable performance even under sustained workloads.

The adoption of PCIe Gen4 technology effectively doubles the available bandwidth compared to Gen3, enabling this category of SSDs to support data-intensive operations such as large-scale virtualization, in-memory databases with persistent backing, and AI-assisted analytics pipelines. As enterprise applications increasingly rely on rapid data access rather than heavy write cycles, read intensive NVMe SSDs have become the preferred choice for IT architects seeking both performance and longevity.

HPE P50218-B21 3.84TB NVMe Gen4 SSD Architecture

The architectural design of the HPE P50218-B21 emphasizes efficiency, scalability, and seamless integration into HPE server ecosystems. Built around the NVMe 1.x protocol and PCIe Gen4 interface, this SSD eliminates traditional storage bottlenecks by enabling direct communication between the storage media and the CPU. The result is reduced latency, higher IOPS, and more deterministic performance compared to SAS-based solutions.

U.3 Interface and Server Compatibility

The U.3 interface represents a major advancement in enterprise storage compatibility, allowing a single backplane to support SAS, SATA, and NVMe drives. The HPE P50218-B21 takes full advantage of this flexibility, making it suitable for modern HPE ProLiant Gen10 Plus and Gen11 servers equipped with U.3-capable drive bays. This compatibility simplifies infrastructure upgrades by enabling mixed-drive deployments and future-proofing storage investments.

From a category perspective, U.3 NVMe SSDs reduce operational complexity while delivering next-generation performance. Organizations can standardize on a single drive form factor while scaling performance according to workload requirements, making this subcategory particularly attractive for enterprises undergoing phased data center modernization.

Small Form Factor Design Benefits

The small form factor design of the HPE P50218-B21 aligns with density-focused server architectures where maximizing storage capacity per rack unit is a priority. By offering 3.84TB of usable capacity in a compact SFF enclosure, this SSD enables higher consolidation ratios without compromising airflow or thermal efficiency. This design approach supports dense virtualization environments and cloud service providers seeking to optimize space utilization.

Key Characteristics of Read Intensive NVMe Gen4 SSDs

Performance is the defining attribute of this category, and the HPE P50218-B21 exemplifies the advantages of NVMe Gen4 technology. High sequential read speeds, rapid random read access, and minimal latency overhead make this SSD suitable for latency-sensitive applications. The architecture supports thousands of parallel command queues, allowing multiple workloads to access the drive simultaneously without performance degradation.

Latency Consistency and Quality of Service

Enterprise applications demand predictable response times, and read intensive NVMe SSDs are engineered to maintain consistent latency under load. The HPE P50218-B21 is optimized to deliver stable quality of service by minimizing internal contention and leveraging advanced controller firmware. This consistency is essential for workloads such as transactional databases, virtualized application servers, and large-scale content repositories.

From a category standpoint, low latency variance is just as important as peak throughput. NVMe Gen4 read intensive SSDs ensure that performance remains stable during peak demand periods, reducing the risk of performance spikes that could impact user experience or service-level agreements.

Throughput Scaling in Multi-Core Environments

Modern servers rely on multi-core processors and parallel processing models. The NVMe protocol is specifically designed to scale with CPU cores, enabling efficient utilization of system resources. The HPE P50218-B21 benefits from this design by allowing each core to communicate directly with the SSD, reducing interrupt overhead and improving overall system efficiency. This characteristic makes the category particularly well-suited for high-concurrency workloads.

Endurance and Reliability for Enterprise Deployment

Although classified as a read intensive SSD, the HPE P50218-B21 is built to meet stringent enterprise endurance and reliability standards. The drive incorporates enterprise-grade NAND flash, robust error correction mechanisms, and advanced wear-leveling algorithms to ensure data integrity over its operational lifespan. These features are essential for maintaining consistent performance in always-on data center environments.

Smart Carrier and Predictive Monitoring

HPE Smart Carrier technology enhances the manageability of this SSD category by providing real-time status indicators and predictive health monitoring. The HPE P50218-B21 integrates seamlessly with HPE management tools, allowing administrators to monitor drive health, remaining lifespan, and performance metrics. This proactive approach reduces unplanned downtime and supports data-driven maintenance strategies.

Data Protection and Error Management

Enterprise NVMe SSDs incorporate multiple layers of data protection to safeguard critical information. The HPE P50218-B21 includes end-to-end data path protection, power loss protection, and advanced error correction capabilities. These features ensure that data remains consistent and accessible even in the event of unexpected power interruptions or system anomalies, reinforcing the reliability of this category for mission-critical workloads.

Use Case Alignment for Read Intensive NVMe SSDs

The HPE P50218-B21 is designed to support a wide range of enterprise use cases that prioritize read performance. This category is particularly well-suited for environments where data is accessed frequently but modified less often, enabling organizations to achieve high performance without the cost premium associated with write-intensive SSDs.

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

Virtualized environments benefit significantly from the low latency and high IOPS offered by NVMe Gen4 SSDs. The HPE P50218-B21 enables faster virtual machine boot times, improved application responsiveness, and higher VM density per host. In cloud infrastructure deployments, this category supports scalable storage pools that can handle dynamic workloads with ease.

Database Acceleration and Analytics

Read-heavy databases and analytics platforms rely on rapid data retrieval to deliver insights in real time. The performance characteristics of the HPE P50218-B21 make it ideal for database indexing, reporting, and query acceleration. By reducing storage latency, organizations can achieve faster query execution and improved overall system efficiency.

Content Delivery and Media Streaming

Content delivery networks and media streaming platforms require consistent read performance to serve large volumes of data to end users. The high throughput and low latency of this SSD category ensure smooth content delivery, reduced buffering, and improved user satisfaction. The 3.84TB capacity also supports extensive content libraries within a compact server footprint.

Scalability and Future-Proofing Considerations

As data volumes continue to grow, scalability has become a key consideration for enterprise storage investments. The HPE P50218-B21 supports scalable architectures by integrating seamlessly with HPE server platforms and NVMe-capable backplanes. This compatibility allows organizations to expand storage capacity and performance incrementally without major infrastructure overhauls.

Integration with HPE ProLiant Ecosystem

One of the defining advantages of this SSD category is its tight integration with the HPE ProLiant ecosystem. The HPE P50218-B21 is validated for use with HPE servers, firmware, and management tools, ensuring optimal compatibility and performance. This integration simplifies deployment and reduces the risk of interoperability issues in complex enterprise environments.

Supporting Next-Generation Workloads

Emerging workloads such as artificial intelligence inference, edge computing, and real-time data processing place increasing demands on storage subsystems. The NVMe Gen4 architecture of the HPE P50218-B21 positions it as a future-ready solution capable of supporting these evolving requirements. By investing in this category, organizations can prepare their infrastructure for continued growth and innovation.