HPE 7.68TB NVME RI E3S EC1 PS1010 SSD - P70395-B21

HPE P70395-B21 7.68TB NVMe Gen5 SSD

Overview

The HPE P70395-B21 is a 7.68TB NVMe SSD in the E3.S form factor, purpose-built for read-intensive workloads in enterprise storage arrays and surveillance-class storage clusters. This PCIe Gen5 drive delivers consistent sequential read performance without the write-cycle overhead of mixed-workload SSDs — meaning if your deployment is pulling video footage, forensic queries, or analytical reads from stored footage rather than constantly writing, you get better cost-per-performance than a balanced SATA alternative. The EC1 PS1010 specification indicates this is HPE's high-capacity variant tuned for data centers where storage density and read throughput matter more than random write optimization.

Key Features

• 7.68TB Capacity: Single-drive density reduces the number of drives required in your storage controller — fewer mechanical connections, fewer firmware update cycles, and simpler inventory management in multi-node NVR clusters or video analytics farms.
• NVMe Interface: Eliminates the protocol overhead of SAS/SATA bridging. Direct PCIe connection means lower latency on forensic queries (searching for specific footage timestamps or object analytics results across petabyte-scale archives) compared to spinning disk or SATA-based NVR backends.
• PCIe Gen5 Support: Theoretical 128 Gbps bandwidth per lane, though real-world surveillance reads (typically sequential 4–8 Mbps per camera stream) won't saturate this. The benefit is headroom for bursty exports, multi-user playback, and analytics inference pipelines without throttling.
• E3.S Form Factor: Designed for 1U and 2U appliances (common in HPE ProLiant and HPE SimpliVity edge enclosures). Shorter physical dimensions than 2.5-inch drives allow higher density in blade storage modules — relevant if you're consolidating multiple NVRs into a single rack footprint.
• Read-Intensive Optimization: Flash pages are tuned for sustained read throughput rather than write amplification minimization. Video surveillance workflows are predominantly read-bound (live playback, clip export, forensic scrubbing), so this drive avoids paying for wear-leveling overhead you won't use.
• Enterprise Power Management: Built-in thermal monitoring and power-loss protection safeguard against abrupt shutdown in edge datacenter environments where UPS capacity is shared across multiple appliances.

Deployment Context

This drive is not a general-purpose SSD replacement. It fits specific niches: HPE ProLiant storage servers (DL380, DL385) running VMware vSAN with surveillance video workloads, HPE SimpliVity hyperconverged clusters handling multi-site video analytics, or custom-built NVR storage arrays where you've chosen HPE controller firmware and want native PCIe Gen5 SSD support without adapter cards. The 7.68TB capacity makes sense when your storage controller already supports 6–8 drive slots and you want to maximize TB per controller rather than daisy-chain multiple units.

If your storage is still SAS-based or your NVR appliance uses SATA backplanes, stepping to the P70395-B21 will provide no benefit — your controller won't expose the PCIe Gen5 interface. Confirm HPE controller model and firmware version support for E3.S NVMe before specifying.

Integration & Compatibility

The P70395-B21 integrates directly into HPE storage enclosures with native NVMe bays (e.g., HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11+ with NVMe slots, HPE SimpliVity 380 appliances, HPE StoreEasy 3260). It requires an HPE SmartHBA or equivalent NVMe-capable controller — older SAS HBAs will not recognize this device. Firmware updates are delivered through HPE Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP) bundles; verify your controller is certified for Gen5 NVMe prior to deployment. Multi-drive configurations benefit from HPE RESTful API management and Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) monitoring of drive health metrics.

What's in the Box

No package data was available in the manufacturer evidence provided.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the P70395-B21 compatible with my existing HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10?

A: Gen10 servers support NVMe drives, but you must verify the specific HBA firmware version supports PCIe Gen5. Older Gen10 firmware may cap at Gen4. Contact HPE support with your iLO Service Tag for a firmware compatibility statement before ordering.

Q: What warranty does the P70395-B21 carry?

A: Manufacturer warranty details were not included in the evidence provided. Request a warranty statement directly from HPE or your channel partner at time of quote.

Q: Can I mix the P70395-B21 with older NVMe drives in the same storage controller?

A: Yes, but your controller will negotiate down to the slowest drive's PCIe generation. Mixing Gen5 and Gen4 drives in the same array will operate at Gen4 speeds. For maximum throughput, populate all NVMe slots with Gen5 or all with Gen4.

Q: What is the read performance of the P70395-B21 in typical surveillance playback scenarios?

A: The drive supports full PCIe Gen5 bandwidth (128 Gbps per lane), but real-world video surveillance reads consume 4–12 Mbps per camera stream. The drive's strength is low-latency random reads during forensic searches and multi-user concurrent playback without throttling.

Q: Does the P70395-B21 require a separate power supply connection?

A: NVMe drives draw power via the M.2 slot connector on the HPE controller. No separate power cables are required. Power budgeting is handled by the host server PSU and iLO power management firmware.

Q: What is the physical footprint of the P70395-B21 compared to 2.5-inch SSDs?

A: The E3.S form factor is approximately 2.5 inches wide by 3.8 inches long by 0.36 inches tall — smaller than 2.5-inch drives, enabling higher drive density in 1U/2U storage appliances.

Eden Phillips

The P70395-B21 is a niche product — don't reach for it unless your storage controller has native E3.S NVMe bays and you're already committed to HPE infrastructure. I've seen teams struggle by assuming any NVMe drive fits any SAS-era controller, only to discover their HBA doesn't recognize it or firmware caps the drive at Gen3 speeds. The 7.68TB capacity and PCIe Gen5 support are real technical advantages, but only if your host hardware is prepared to use them.

Technical Highlights:

• 7.68TB Per-Drive Capacity: Reduces controller slot count for the same aggregate storage — fewer firmware cycles, lower inventory complexity. One P70395-B21 stores the equivalent of roughly 2–3 traditional 2.5-inch SSDs in the same 1U footprint.
• PCIe Gen5 Interface: Theoretical 128 Gbps per lane provides headroom for bursty multi-user playback and forensic queries without bottlenecking. Most surveillance reads max out at 4–8 Mbps per stream, so Gen5 isn't saturated even with 16+ concurrent playback sessions.
• Read-Intensive Optimization: This drive doesn't waste silicon on write-amplification overhead. In video-heavy deployments (80–95% read, 5–20% write), you avoid paying for wear-leveling and garbage collection features you won't invoke.

Deployment Considerations:

• Verify your HPE controller explicitly supports E3.S NVMe bays and PCIe Gen5 firmware. DL380 Gen10 and earlier may cap at Gen4 or require a separate HBA card. Check iLO firmware version against HPE's NVMe compatibility matrix before purchase.
• Mixing Gen5 and Gen4 NVMe drives in the same array will throttle the entire array to Gen4 speeds. Plan for homogeneous drive populations unless your workload is so read-light that the speed difference is invisible.

The P70395-B21 is the right choice for HPE ProLiant or SimpliVity clusters running surveillance analytics where storage density and read latency matter — think multi-petabyte forensic archives or edge compute nodes pulling thousands of camera streams. It's wasted on a modest 4–8 camera NVR.