Lenovo 4XB7A80531 ST50 3.5 8TB 7.2K Non-hs SATA HDD REP

Lenovo 4XB7A80531 8TB 3.5-Inch SATA 7200 RPM Server Hard Drive

Overview

The Lenovo 4XB7A80531 is an 8TB, 3.5-inch SATA hard drive engineered and validated for the Lenovo ThinkSystem server platform — specifically the ST50 tower server. If you're expanding storage in an ST50 or replacing a failed drive, this is the factory-validated option that eliminates firmware compatibility guesswork. At 8TB capacity with a 7,200 RPM spindle and a 6 Gb/s SATA interface, it delivers the throughput and density that server-class sequential and mixed workloads demand. For environments running structured data, backup targets, or file serving off a tower server, this drive covers the capacity and performance baseline without over-specifying for flash.

Key Features

• 8TB Validated Capacity: Eight terabytes in a single 3.5-inch bay means you can maximize usable storage density in the ST50's limited bay count. Filling four bays with 4XB7A80531 units gives you 32TB raw — enough for weeks of high-bitrate video archive, large database volumes, or bulk file storage without adding external enclosures.
• 7,200 RPM Spindle Speed: The 7.2K spindle hits the practical sweet spot for server HDDs — faster sequential throughput than 5,400 RPM NAS-class drives, without the acoustic and power overhead of 10K/15K SAS spindles. For backup targets, surveillance recording, and general file service, 7.2K is the right call.
• 6 Gb/s SATA III Interface: The 6 Gbit/s interface keeps up with the drive's sustained throughput ceiling and ensures the controller won't be the bottleneck. SATA III backward-compatibility means this drive installs cleanly into any SATA II or III port on the ST50 backplane without adapters.
• 3.5-Inch Large-Form-Factor: The 3.5-inch form factor allows higher areal density per platter compared to 2.5-inch drives — which is why large-capacity enterprise HDDs almost universally ship in this format. The physical dimensions (10.10 × 3.80 × 7.60 in) are standard LFF, so no bracket adapters are needed in LFF bays.
• Hot-Swap Capable: Hot-swap support means you can pull and replace a failed drive without powering down the server — critical in any environment where downtime has a cost. Pair this with a RAID controller and you can maintain array integrity during a drive swap with no service window required.
• Server/Workstation Validated Component: This is a server-validated part, not a desktop or consumer drive re-sold into a server slot. Server-class drives carry firmware tuned for RAID error recovery timing (TLER/ERC), which prevents a controller from dropping the drive during a lengthy read retry — a failure mode that silently kills consumer HDDs in RAID arrays.
• Single-Unit Pack: Ships as a single drive (1 pc), so you can order exactly the quantity your bay count requires — no forced bundle minimums. If you're staging a phased build-out, order one at a time as bays fill.

Integration and Compatibility

The 4XB7A80531 is validated for the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50 server platform. The ST50 uses a standard LFF SATA backplane, and this drive's 3.5-inch, 6 Gb/s SATA interface matches that backplane directly. If you're running the ST50 with an onboard RAID controller or an optional RAID adapter, the 8TB capacity is within the supported volume sizes for both hardware and software RAID configurations common to the platform. For NVR or surveillance server builds based on the ST50, this drive's capacity and spindle speed align well with multi-camera continuous recording workloads — 8TB at typical H.265 bitrates covers several weeks of retention across a modest camera count. Consult your storage retention planning calculations before committing to drive count. For mixed workloads (VM storage plus backup), evaluate whether a tiered approach — SSD for OS/VM, HDD for bulk data — better fits your latency requirements, since this is a rotational drive and random IOPS are bounded accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What server is the Lenovo 4XB7A80531 designed for?

A: The 4XB7A80531 is validated for the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50 tower server. It uses a standard 3.5-inch SATA interface compatible with the ST50's LFF backplane.

Q: Is the 4XB7A80531 a hot-swap drive?

A: Yes. The 4XB7A80531 supports hot-swap operation, allowing drive replacement without powering down the server when used with a compatible hot-swap backplane and RAID controller.

Q: What is the interface speed of the 4XB7A80531?

A: The drive uses a SATA interface rated at 6 Gbit/s (SATA III), which is backward-compatible with SATA II controllers at reduced speeds.

Q: Can I use the 4XB7A80531 in a RAID array?

A: As a server-validated component, it is suited for RAID use with the ST50's supported RAID configurations. Server-class drives like this one include firmware tuned for RAID error recovery, which is essential for stable array operation.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of the 4XB7A80531?

A: The drive measures 10.10 × 3.80 × 7.60 inches (L × W × H) and weighs 2.15 lb — standard 3.5-inch LFF dimensions that fit directly into LFF server bays without adapters.

Q: How much storage can I build in an ST50 using the 4XB7A80531?

A: Each drive provides 8TB. Filling multiple LFF bays with this model allows you to scale raw capacity in 8TB increments per bay, depending on the ST50 configuration's available bay count.

Marty Allison

When I spec storage for an ST50-based deployment, the 4XB7A80531 is the straightforward answer when you need LFF SATA density at the 8TB tier — the 7,200 RPM spindle and 6 Gb/s interface are the right combination for sustained sequential workloads, and the hot-swap support means you're not scheduling a maintenance window every time a drive reaches end-of-life.

Technical Highlights:

• 8TB at 7,200 RPM: Sequential throughput from a 7.2K spindle comfortably handles continuous multi-stream writes — relevant if you're running this in an ST50 configured as an NVR backend or a backup target where sustained write bandwidth matters more than random IOPS.
• 6 Gb/s SATA III: The interface ceiling won't constrain the drive's actual throughput. In a RAID-5 or RAID-6 array on the ST50, having the full 6 Gb/s headroom per drive keeps rebuild times predictable during a degraded array recovery.
• Hot-Swap Support: At 2.15 lb and standard LFF dimensions (10.10 × 3.80 × 7.60 in), this drive slots directly into the ST50's hot-swap bays — no tray modifications, no adapter brackets. The physical install is a non-event.

Deployment Considerations:

• This is a rotational drive — random IOPS are bounded by the 7.2K spindle. If your ST50 is running VMs with heavy random read/write patterns, a tiered configuration (SSD for the OS/VM volumes, this drive for bulk storage) will perform significantly better than an all-HDD pool.
• Hot-swap is only functional when paired with a hot-swap-capable backplane and a RAID controller that supports online drive replacement. Verify your ST50 configuration includes these before counting on zero-downtime swap capability.

This drive is the right fit for ST50 deployments used as NVR backends, file servers, or backup targets — environments where you need maximum gigabytes-per-bay at a predictable cost, and where rotational latency is acceptable given the predominantly sequential workload profile.