Server SSDs - SAS, SATA & NVMe Enterprise

Shop server SSDs by form factor and capacity

U.2 NVMe drives and four capacities have their own pages: U.2 NVMe SSDs, 800GB, 960GB, 1.92TB and 3.84TB enterprise SSDs. The capacity pages mix interfaces, so match each drive's interface to your controller.

What makes an SSD enterprise-grade

An enterprise SSD documents how it behaves in a server, and these are the lines to read on its data sheet:

Software that leans on flash says the same: Proxmox, for one, recommends SSDs with power-loss protection for good performance and calls the use of consumer SSDs discouraged.

SAS vs SATA vs NVMe server SSDs

The three interfaces differ in speed, in ports per drive and in what the server has to provide:

NVMe is the fastest of the three: Seagate's data sheets list sequential reads of up to 7,400 MB/s for its Gen 4 NVMe SSDs, more than three times the 2,200 MB/s they give its dual-port 12Gb/s SAS SSDs. Command handling differs too, since Seagate's NVMe primer allows up to 64K I/O queues of up to 64K commands each, where SATA native command queuing tracks at most 32 commands. A SAS drive will not run on a SATA controller, and a 24G SAS drive behind a 12Gb/s controller links at the lower rate.

Endurance classes

The endurance class sets how much a drive can be written each day, and two of our guides explain how to choose one: read-intensive, write-intensive and mixed-use SSDs and SSD endurance: DWPD vs TBW.

Enterprise SSDs under ZFS, Ceph and Proxmox

ZFS and Ceph want to see each SSD directly: Proxmox states that neither is compatible with a hardware RAID controller, so those builds pair enterprise SSDs with a host bus adapter. Our Proxmox hardware requirements guide covers the rest of the server.

Before you order

1. Check the bay type: 2.5-inch SAS and SATA bays, NVMe bays, or EDSFF E3.S bays. E3.S is on select 16th and 17th generation PowerEdge servers such as the R660, R760 and R770, and Dell lists up to 16 front E3.S Gen5 NVMe drives on the R760.
2. Match the interface to the controller: SAS drives need a SAS controller, SATA drives run on SAS or SATA controllers, and NVMe needs NVMe-capable bays.
3. Keep each RAID volume to one interface: Dell's PERC 11 user guide rules out SAS and SATA drives sharing a virtual disk.
4. Order drive carriers if the server needs them: see hard drive caddies and trays.

Enterprise SSD questions

What makes an SSD enterprise-grade?

Its data sheet commits to server behavior. Enterprise SSDs document power-loss protection, an endurance rating in drive writes per day over a fixed period, and data-path protection. KIOXIA, for example, rates its 24G SAS read-intensive drives at 1 DWPD over five years of useful life with power-loss and end-to-end data protection, and SAS models add a second port for dual-path storage systems.

Are enterprise SSDs better than consumer SSDs for servers?

For server workloads, yes. Proxmox's hardware requirements favor power-loss-protected SSDs and advise against consumer drives. Enterprise drives also carry an endurance rating in drive writes per day and come in server form factors such as 2.5-inch SAS and U.2 NVMe that fit hot-swap bays, RAID controllers and HBAs.

How long do enterprise SSDs last?

As long as their write budget. Makers rate endurance as drive writes per day over a set period: KIOXIA rates its 24G SAS read-intensive drives at 1 DWPD for five years of useful life, so a 3.84TB model is rated for about 3.84TB of writes every day for five years. Seagate offers its 12Gb/s SAS SSDs at 1, 3 and 10 DWPD. Our DWPD vs TBW guide converts between the two ratings.

Can enterprise SSDs be used in RAID?

Yes. Dell's PERC 11 controllers run SAS and SATA SSDs, and NVMe on the models built for it, in RAID 0, 1, 5 and 6 and the spanned levels 10, 50 and 60. Keep each virtual disk to one technology and interface, because PERC 11 does not support SSDs with hard drives, or NVMe with SAS or SATA, in one virtual disk. ZFS and Ceph are the exception: Proxmox says neither works with a hardware RAID controller.

Need spinning storage for capacity? Browse enterprise server hard drives. Building a whole server instead? Browse refurbished servers, or compare controllers on RAID controllers.