HP
HP 748596-001 DL380P GEN8 XEON E5-2690 V2 SVR
130W750W
Dual Xeon E5-2690 v2 processors deliver 20 cores at 3.0GHz with 25MB LLC each — this 2U server still handles serious multi-threaded enterprise workloads on a refurbished budget.
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Overview
High-Performance Server for Demanding Workloads
The HP DL380p Gen8 server is engineered for demanding workloads and provides high performance and reliability. Equipped with dual Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 processors, ample memory, and advanced RAID capabilities, it's ideal for business-critical applications.
Specifications:
- Processors: (2) Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 (3.0GHz/10-core/25MB/8.0GT-s QPI/130W, DDR3-1866, HT)
- Memory: 64GB (4x16GB) PC3-14900R (DDR3-1866) Registered DIMMs
- RAID: HP Smart Array P420i/1GB FBWC (RAID 0/1/1+0/5/5+0/6/6+0)
- Expansion Slots: 6 PCIe slots
- Network: HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 331FLR Adapter
- Form Factor: Rack (2U)
- Power Supply: (2) HP 750W CS Platinum Plus Hot Plug Power Supply (94% Efficient)
Key Features
(2) Intel Xeon E5-2690 v2 (3.0GHz/10-core/25MB/8.0GT-s QPI/130W, DDR3-1866, HT)
64GB (4x16GB) PC3-14900R (DDR3-1866) Registered DIMMs // HP Smart Array P420i/1GB FBWC (RAID 0/1/1+0/5/5+0/6/6+0)
6 PCIe slots // HP Ethernet 1Gb 4-port 331FLR Adapter // Rack (2U), HP Ball Bearing Rail Kit without Cable Management Arm
(2) HP 750W CS Platinum Plus Hot Plug Power Supply (94% Efficient)
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- Dual E5-2690 v2 processors provide 20 physical cores and 40 threads at 3.0GHz base with 3.6GHz Turbo Boost, delivering genuine parallel compute capacity for virtualization and database workloads
- HP Smart Array P420i with 1GB FBWC supports RAID 6+0 with write-cache acceleration — protecting data at enterprise RAID levels while sustaining write throughput
- Dual 750W hot-plug PSUs in N+1 redundancy configuration allow power supply replacement under live load with zero downtime
- 64GB DDR3-1866 ECC RAM with 20 DIMM slots free provides a clear upgrade path to 768GB maximum — significant headroom for memory-bound workloads
- 6 PCIe Gen 3 expansion slots support high-bandwidth add-in cards including 10GbE NICs, GPU compute cards, or additional storage controllers
👎 Cons
- The E5-2690 v2 is a 130W TDP processor — dual-socket operation means 260W CPU TDP alone, contributing to rack power density and cooling requirements that rule this server out for low-power or home-lab environments without adequate airflow
- DDR3 memory is a generational limitation: no DDR4 path exists on this platform, and DDR3-1866 maximum bandwidth is a ceiling a modern DDR5 server surpasses by 3–4x
- The DL380p Gen8 platform reached end-of-support, meaning HP no longer provides firmware updates, iLO security patches, or active driver support — a documented risk for production security-sensitive deployments
- Rack form factor (2U) requires a standard 19-inch rack or rail kit — not suitable for non-rack environments without additional infrastructure investment
- The 4-port 1GbE onboard NIC is a throughput bottleneck for storage-intensive or high-traffic network workloads — 10GbE expansion requires an additional PCIe NIC card
Frequently Asked Questions
What memory bandwidth does the 64GB DDR3-1866 configuration provide, and is it expandable?
Each E5-2690 v2 has a quad-channel DDR3 memory controller, giving this dual-socket system eight memory channels total. At DDR3-1866 speeds, theoretical peak bandwidth exceeds 100GB/s aggregate across both CPUs. The DL380p Gen8 supports up to 768GB of registered ECC DDR3 — the 64GB (4x16GB) configuration leaves 20 of 24 DIMM slots available for expansion, though the E5-2690 v2 platform caps per-channel at 1866MHz regardless of higher-speed DIMMs installed.
What RAID levels does the HP Smart Array P420i controller support, and what does the 1GB FBWC provide?
The P420i supports RAID 0, 1, 1+0, 5, 5+0, 6, and 6+0 natively. The 1GB Flash-Backed Write Cache (FBWC) acts as a battery-backed write buffer — it absorbs write I/O bursts and flushes them to disk safely, improving write-intensive workload throughput by 2–4x in practice while protecting in-flight data during a power event. Without the FBWC, RAID 5/6 write performance drops significantly.
Are the dual 750W power supplies truly hot-swappable, and what is the redundancy configuration?
Yes — both PSUs are hot-plug capable and operate in an N+1 redundant configuration. If one fails under load, the second carries the full system without interruption or shutdown. The 94% Platinum Plus efficiency rating means at 50% load (typical data center operating point), losses are under 6% — meaningful in rack deployments where power draw is metered.
What is the PCIe slot configuration, and which generation of PCIe does the platform support?
The DL380p Gen8 provides 6 PCIe slots total, supporting PCIe Gen 3 on the primary slots connected to the CPU. PCIe 3.0 x16 delivers 16GB/s bidirectional bandwidth per slot — relevant for high-throughput NIC or GPU compute cards. Slot availability and bifurcation configuration depend on riser options installed.
Is this server suitable for running VMware ESXi or Hyper-V virtualization?
Yes — the E5-2690 v2 supports Intel VT-x and VT-d, and HP's DL380p Gen8 is on VMware's Hardware Compatibility List for ESXi 6.x and 7.x (with community support for 8.x). The 20-core / 40-thread configuration and 64GB ECC RAM (expandable to 768GB) make it a capable hypervisor host for small-to-medium VM estates.
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