Lenovo 4XB7A10176 Thinksystem U.2 PM983 3.84TB Entry NVME

Lenovo 4XB7A10176 ThinkSystem U.2 PM983 3.84TB Entry NVMe SSD

Overview

The Lenovo 4XB7A10176 is a 3.84TB U.2 NVMe solid-state drive from the ThinkSystem PM983 Entry line, engineered for server and workstation deployments where sequential read throughput and low latency matter more than write-intensive endurance. At 3200 MB/s sequential read and 540,000 random read IOPS, it handles the kind of concurrent read-heavy workloads common in network video recorders, analytics servers, and database read replicas. The 2.5-inch, hot-swap form factor means you can service or swap the drive without taking your system offline — a meaningful operational advantage in 24/7 environments.

This is an entry-class NVMe drive, which in practice means it is optimized for read-dominant workloads. Random write IOPS land at 50,000 — substantial for most server roles, but buyers running write-intensive transactional databases should evaluate higher-endurance options in the Lenovo ThinkSystem storage line before committing. For surveillance storage, analytics caching, and mixed-use server deployments, the performance profile fits cleanly.

Key Features

• 3200 MB/s Sequential Read: Moves large files — video archives, database dumps, backup streams — at speeds that keep the host CPU from waiting on storage. At this throughput, a full 3.84TB read completes in under 22 minutes, which matters when restoring from backup or scanning video archives.
• 540,000 Random Read IOPS (4KB): Handles heavily concurrent read patterns without queuing delay. In a NAS or NVR serving simultaneous camera streams or analytics queries, this translates to consistent retrieval latency rather than spikes under load.
• 85µs Random Read Latency: Sub-100µs access time means the host processor gets data fast enough that storage is rarely the bottleneck in read-dominated server workloads. Compare this to SATA SSD typical latency of 100–200µs — the NVMe PCIe path eliminates the protocol overhead.
• 50µs Random Write Latency: Even in entry-class NVMe, write latency at 50µs is well below SATA SSD equivalents. Write operations complete without holding up subsequent reads queued behind them.
• End-to-End Data Protection: The drive validates data integrity from the host interface through to the NAND cells. In server environments handling security footage or financial records, this catches silent data corruption — bit-rot that RAID alone won't detect until a comparison reveals mismatches.
• Hot-Swap Capable: The U.2 form factor with hot-swap support means failed or degraded drives can be replaced without scheduling downtime. In a live surveillance or recording environment, this eliminates the service window entirely for drive replacements.
• V-NAND Flash Technology: Samsung's vertically-stacked NAND architecture delivers better endurance and density than planar NAND at the same die size. The capacity-to-longevity ratio is well-suited to read-dominant archival and streaming workloads.
• S.M.A.R.T. Support: Standard health monitoring telemetry integrates with server management platforms (Lenovo XClarity, third-party IPMI tools) to surface predictive failure indicators before data loss occurs. Set up threshold alerts in your management stack and this drive will tell you when it's approaching end-of-life.
• UBER < 1 per 10^17 bits read: Uncorrectable bit error rate at this level means statistically, you would need to read roughly 12.5 petabytes before encountering a single uncorrectable error. For a 3.84TB drive, that represents thousands of full-drive read cycles — far beyond typical enterprise lifecycle expectations.
• 3.84TB Capacity in 2.5-inch U.2: Dense storage in a standard server bay. In a 2U system with 24 U.2 bays, this drive family can populate over 90TB of NVMe capacity without requiring a custom chassis or backplane adapters.

Integration and Compatibility

The 4XB7A10176 ships as a ThinkSystem-qualified component, designed for integration into Lenovo ThinkSystem servers that support U.2 NVMe backplanes. Verify your specific server model's U.2 NVMe bay support and backplane version before ordering — ThinkSystem servers with NVMe-capable backplanes accept this drive natively; older SAS/SATA-only backplanes do not support U.2 NVMe without a backplane upgrade. The drive weighs 0.50 lb and measures 7.40 x 5.20 x 2.50 inches, fitting standard U.2 drive sleds. S.M.A.R.T. telemetry is accessible via standard NVMe management tools and Lenovo XClarity Administrator for fleet-level server storage monitoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What interface does the 4XB7A10176 use, and is it compatible with SATA or SAS backplanes?

A: The 4XB7A10176 uses NVMe over a U.2 (SFF-8639) connector. It is not compatible with SATA or SAS backplanes. Your server requires a U.2 NVMe-capable backplane to use this drive.

Q: What are the sequential read and write speeds for this drive?

A: Sequential read is 3200 MB/s and sequential write is 2000 MB/s. Random read IOPS (4KB) reach 540,000 and random write IOPS reach 50,000.

Q: Does the 4XB7A10176 support hot-swap replacement?

A: Yes. The drive is hot-swap capable when installed in a compatible ThinkSystem server with a hot-swap U.2 NVMe backplane, allowing drive replacement without powering down the system.

Q: What is the UBER rating for this drive, and what does that mean for data reliability?

A: The uncorrectable bit error rate is less than 1 per 10^17 bits read. In practical terms, you would need to read approximately 12.5 petabytes of data before statistically encountering a single uncorrectable error — well beyond typical enterprise drive lifecycle usage.

Q: Is this drive optimized for read-heavy or write-heavy workloads?

A: The PM983 Entry is read-optimized. At 540,000 random read IOPS versus 50,000 random write IOPS, it is best suited for workloads like video retrieval, analytics query serving, and read-dominant database roles. High-write transactional workloads should consider a write-optimized NVMe variant.

Q: Does the 4XB7A10176 include end-to-end data protection?

A: Yes. End-to-end data protection validates data integrity from the host interface through to the NAND, detecting silent corruption that RAID parity alone would not catch.

Karl Wilson

The 4XB7A10176 is a drive I'd reach for when building out a ThinkSystem-based surveillance analytics server or a read-heavy NVR backend — the 540,000 random read IOPS at 4KB blocks is the number that matters most in those environments, where dozens of concurrent camera stream retrievals hit storage simultaneously. Entry NVMe is often misunderstood; this is not a budget compromise, it's a deliberate profile choice for read-dominant infrastructure.

Technical Highlights:

• 3200 MB/s Sequential Read: Moves a full 3.84TB archive in under 22 minutes — relevant when you're restoring footage or seeding a new node in a distributed recording cluster.
• 85µs Random Read Latency: Well under the 100–200µs range you'd get from SATA SSDs — the NVMe PCIe path removes protocol overhead and keeps the host from queuing behind storage in concurrent-access scenarios.
• UBER < 1 per 10^17 bits: That translates to roughly 12.5 petabytes of reads before a statistically expected uncorrectable error — for a surveillance workload cycling through 3.84TB of footage repeatedly, this is effectively lifetime reliability.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm your ThinkSystem server has a U.2 NVMe-capable backplane before ordering — older SAS/SATA backplanes will not recognize this drive regardless of physical fit, and backplane upgrades add cost and complexity.
• Random write IOPS cap at 50,000 — if your workload involves simultaneous high-frequency ingest from many sources (think write-intensive transaction logs or real-time IoT telemetry), the PM983 Entry will bottleneck on writes before reads become the constraint. Size your workload profile honestly.

This drive fits cleanly into a ThinkSystem-based central recording server handling concurrent playback requests from a security operations center — the read IOPS headroom handles dozens of simultaneous stream retrievals without queuing, and hot-swap keeps the system live through individual drive failures without a maintenance window.