Lenovo 4XB7A13557 ST50 3.5 6TB 7.2K Non-hs SATA HDD

Lenovo 4XB7A13557 6TB 7.2K SATA 3.5-Inch Non-Hot-Swap Hard Drive

Overview

The Lenovo 4XB7A13557 is a 6TB, 7,200 RPM, 3.5-inch SATA hard drive designed specifically for the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50 server platform. If you are expanding storage on an ST50 for local data retention, file serving, or application workloads, this is the factory-validated, non-hot-swap drive that fits the platform without compatibility guesswork. It is not a generic desktop drive dropped into a server slot — it is sourced and validated for that specific chassis, which matters when you are commissioning hardware that needs to run without surprises.

The non-hot-swap designation is important to understand upfront: you cannot swap this drive while the system is powered on. That is an acceptable tradeoff for the ST50, which is an entry-level tower server targeted at small offices and branch deployments — environments where planned maintenance windows are the norm rather than the exception. If your workload demands hot-swap capability, that is a chassis-level architectural decision, not a drive-level one.

Key Features

• 6TB Capacity: 6 terabytes of raw storage provides meaningful headroom for on-premises workloads — enough for several months of surveillance footage retention at moderate bitrates, or substantial file-server capacity for a small office. Size your RAID set accordingly; a pair of these in RAID 1 gives you 6TB protected, while four in RAID 5 delivers roughly 18TB usable.
• 7,200 RPM Spindle Speed: At 7.2K RPM, this drive delivers the sequential throughput and IOPS profile expected from a workload-class SATA HDD — meaningfully faster than 5,400 RPM NAS or archival drives. For write-intensive tasks like continuous video recording or database transaction logs, the higher spindle speed reduces write latency under sustained load.
• SATA 6 Gbit/s Interface: The 6 Gbit/s SATA III interface saturates the realistic throughput ceiling of a spinning-platter drive (typically 150–200 MB/s sustained), so you are never bottlenecked at the interface level. It is backward-compatible with SATA II (3 Gbit/s) controllers, though pairing it with a SATA III controller is the right call for production use.
• 3.5-Inch Form Factor: The standard 3.5-inch large-form-factor footprint fits the ST50's drive bays directly. Do not attempt to install this in a 2.5-inch bay without an adapter bracket — the physical fit will not work and the drive will not be secured.
• Dual-Voltage Operation (5V / 12V): Standard SATA power connector draws from both the 5V and 12V rails, consistent with the ST50's power supply design. No adapter cables or non-standard connectors required.
• ThinkSystem ST50 Validation: Lenovo qualifies drives for specific server platforms through compatibility testing. Deploying a validated drive like the 4XB7A13557 in the ST50 server avoids the firmware compatibility and system-board detection issues that can surface with uncertified aftermarket options. This matters particularly for systems managed through Lenovo XClarity or similar tools that query drive health at the controller level.
• Non-Hot-Swap Design: The fixed-bay, non-hot-swap configuration keeps the drive cost lower than hot-swap variants with backplane connectors and drive sleds. For deployments where the server will be maintained during scheduled downtime — the majority of ST50 use cases — this is the practical choice.
• Physical Dimensions (10.30 x 7.80 x 3.80 in) and Weight (2.18 lb): Standard large-form-factor HDD geometry. Nothing unusual here, but worth confirming bay clearance if the ST50 chassis has been modified or if you are installing multiple drives and routing cables in a tight enclosure.

Integration and Compatibility

The 4XB7A13557 is validated for the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50. If you are running a different ThinkSystem platform — ST250, SR250, or similar — do not assume cross-compatibility without consulting Lenovo's ServerProven database for your specific server model and firmware level. Drive compatibility on managed servers is firmware-dependent, and a drive that physically fits may not be recognized or may generate alerts in XClarity if it is not on the validated list for that platform.

For software-defined storage or OS-level RAID configurations, this drive presents as a standard SATA block device to Windows Server, VMware ESXi, and Linux environments. There is nothing proprietary about the interface that would restrict OS-level management. Hardware RAID controllers on the ST50 platform will also handle this drive without issue, provided the controller's firmware supports 6TB drives — confirm this if you are running an older RAID controller that may have a capacity ceiling below 6TB.

Pair this drive with a validated server storage configuration and a UPS-backed power supply to protect against write-corruption during unexpected power loss — spinning-platter drives are more vulnerable to this than SSDs, and a write-in-progress at power failure can corrupt data without a battery backup unit or capacitor-protected RAID controller in the chain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the Lenovo 4XB7A13557 compatible with the ThinkSystem ST50?

A: Yes. The 4XB7A13557 is specifically validated for the ThinkSystem ST50 server platform. This is the drive Lenovo qualifies for that chassis — not a generic desktop or NAS drive.

Q: What does non-hot-swap mean for this drive?

A: Non-hot-swap means the server must be powered down before you install or remove this drive. You cannot swap it while the system is running. This is standard for the ST50's fixed-bay design and is a chassis-level characteristic, not a defect in the drive.

Q: Can the 4XB7A13557 be used in other Lenovo ThinkSystem servers?

A: Possibly, but it is not guaranteed. Drive compatibility on managed servers is validated per-platform and per-firmware. Consult Lenovo's ServerProven compatibility tool for your specific server model before ordering drives for a platform other than the ST50.

Q: What RAID configurations does this drive support?

A: The drive itself is a standard SATA block device and can participate in any RAID level (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10) that your hardware RAID controller or OS-level RAID stack supports. Two drives in RAID 1 yield 6TB protected; four in RAID 5 yield approximately 18TB usable. RAID configuration is controlled by your controller, not the drive.

Q: Is this drive suitable for 24/7 surveillance recording?

A: The 4XB7A13557 is a server-class SATA HDD, not a purpose-built surveillance drive. For 24/7 continuous write workloads like NVR recording, a surveillance-optimized HDD (higher workload rating, vibration compensation) would be a more appropriate long-term fit. This drive is best deployed in the ST50 for general server workloads — file serving, light database, or mixed read/write applications.

Q: What is the transfer rate of the 4XB7A13557?

A: The drive uses a SATA 6 Gbit/s (SATA III) interface, which supports up to 600 MB/s theoretical bandwidth. Actual sustained sequential throughput for a 7,200 RPM spinning-platter drive will typically land in the 150–200 MB/s range, which is the real-world ceiling for this class of HDD.

Eden Phillips

The 4XB7A13557 is a straightforward storage expansion option for the ThinkSystem ST50, and the detail that matters most in a managed server context is the platform validation. At 7,200 RPM on a SATA 6 Gbit/s interface, the drive delivers the workload performance profile the ST50 is designed around — no exotic controllers, no compatibility edge cases, and no surprises when XClarity queries the drive's health status at boot.

Technical Highlights:

• 6TB / 7,200 RPM: Enough capacity for months of data retention on a small branch server, with the spindle speed to handle sustained sequential writes without becoming the bottleneck in a mixed read/write workload.
• SATA 6 Gbit/s: The interface ceiling comfortably exceeds what a spinning-platter drive can actually deliver (150–200 MB/s sustained), so the interface is never the constraint — drive mechanics are. This is the right call for a cost-effective, high-capacity storage tier.
• 2.18 lb / 10.30 x 7.80 x 3.80 in: Standard large-form-factor geometry; fits the ST50's fixed bays directly with no adapter hardware required. Straightforward mechanical installation.

Deployment Considerations:

• Plan your maintenance window before installation — non-hot-swap means the ST50 must be powered down for drive installs or swaps. In a branch office or small server room context, this is rarely a problem, but it must be scheduled, not improvised.
• Watch out for RAID controller firmware ceilings: older hardware RAID controllers may have a maximum addressable drive size below 6TB. Verify your controller's supported capacity before deploying, or you may end up with the drive recognized at a truncated size.

This drive is a solid fit for an ST50 deployed as a branch file server or local data repository — validated for the platform, correct form factor, and sized for meaningful on-premises retention without requiring a storage array. It is not the right choice for 24/7 NVR write workloads, where a purpose-built surveillance HDD with a higher annualized workload rating is the better long-term investment.