Thirty-six front drive bays, not thirty-eight, is the difference that matters most between the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 and the server it replaced. Both are two-socket 2U machines carrying thirty-two memory slots, and both offer four front ends listed under the same four chassis names. Processor generation is the other change.
Underneath those two headline differences sits a third that costs more than either: the drive carriers changed. HPE states outright that this platform uses Basic Carrier drive cages rather than the Smart Carrier cages of its predecessor, which means caddies pulled from the older machine do not fit the newer one despite identical chassis names.
DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 chassis options, and where the two rear bays went
Four chassis types are documented: an eight-bay small-form-factor chassis with an optional Universal Media Bay, a twenty-four-bay small-form-factor chassis reaching thirty-six drives with an eight-bay mid tray and a four-bay rear option, an eight-bay large-form-factor chassis with a Universal Media Bay, and a twelve-bay large-form-factor chassis reaching twenty drives with a four-bay mid tray and a four-bay rear option.
| Chassis | Front Bays | Mid and rear options | Reaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 SFF | 8 SFF | Universal Media Bay, further SFF or NVMe bay options | Extendable within the small-format front end |
| 24 SFF | 24 SFF | 8 SFF mid tray, 4 SFF rear | 36 SFF |
| 8 LFF | 8 LFF | Universal Media Bay standard, SFF or NVMe options | 8 LFF plus rear options |
| 12 LFF | 12 LFF | 4 LFF mid tray, 4 LFF rear | 20 LFF |
The thirty-six-drive ceiling comes from the rear option dropping from six bays to four, and that is the whole of the difference on the front end. Two placement rules are unchanged from the predecessor and still bind: the four-bay large-format rear drive box consumes the space the primary and secondary risers would use, while the two-bay small-format rear box leaves room to attach a secondary or tertiary riser instead. One convenience is new: HPE notes the twenty-four-bay chassis already includes three eight-bay SAS and SATA drive cages, so no separate cage kit is ordered for it.
Processors, memory and power on the DL385 Gen10 Plus v2
The DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 takes two AMD EPYC 7003 processors, with two selected EPYC 7002 kits also offered, and carries 32 DIMM slots at sixteen per processor across eight channels at two modules per channel. Load-reduced memory reaches 8.0 TB from thirty-two 256 GB modules at 3200 MT/s with one module per channel, dropping to 2933 MT/s with two - the same ceiling as the predecessor, reached on newer silicon.
| Attribute | DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 |
|---|---|
| Form-Factor | 2U rack |
| Sockets | 2 |
| Processor platform | AMD EPYC 7003, plus selected EPYC 7002 kits |
| Maximum Cores | 64, at the EPYC 7763, 7713 and 7773X |
| DIMM Slots | 32, sixteen per processor, eight channels, two per channel |
| Maximum memory | 8.0 TB load-reduced at 3200 MT/s at one module per channel |
| Front Bays | 8 or 24 SFF, or 8 or 12 LFF |
| Maximum drives | 36 SFF, or 20 LFF |
| Drive carriers | Basic Carrier drive cages |
| Lifecycle status | RETIRED; QuickSpecs a50002560enw version 30, 28 July 2025 |
Twenty-three processor kits are listed against the predecessor's twelve. The ceiling is the EPYC 7763 P38696-B21 at 64 cores, 2.45 GHz and 280 W, with the 7713 P38693-B21 at 64 cores and 225 W. Four large-cache Milan-X parts are offered that the predecessor does not have at all - the 7773X P46915-B21, 7573X P46921-B21, 7473X P46924-B21 and 7373X P46927-B21 - and two EPYC 7002 kits remain available, the 7402 P57789-B21 and the 7252 P57790-B21. Nine Flex Slot power supplies are offered up to the 1800 W to 2200 W Titanium P44712-B21, and HPE states that the 1000 W, 1600 W and 2200 W supplies all require high line voltage at 200 to 240 VAC.
Storage, risers and accelerators on the DL385 Gen10 Plus v2
The controller list on this platform reaches further up the range than its predecessor's. It carries the Microchip SmartRAID SR932i-p P04220-B21 with 8 GB of wide cache and the SR416i-a P12688-B21, the full MR Tri-Mode family from the no-cache MR216i-a P26325-B21 to the 4 GB MR416i-p P06367-B21, and the Smart Array modular and plug-in families from the E208i-a 804326-B21 to the 4 GB P816i-a 804338-B21. Boot is the NS204i-p P12965-B21.
Two documented storage conditions are worth carrying. HPE notes that when a mid tray is selected with an eight-bay large-format CTO server and no other controller is chosen, two processors must be selected. And where no Tri-Mode controller or NVMe bundle kit is ordered, a maximum of three NVMe drives can be supported as direct attach. Risers follow the predecessor's parts list closely - the primary riser gives slot one eight electrical lanes in a sixteen-lane connector, slot two a full sixteen and slot three eight in a sixteen-lane connector, with slots four to six on a secondary riser driven by the second processor. Accelerators listed are the NVIDIA A2 16 GB R9H23C and the A16 64 GB R8T26C, and our lineup census records a limit of one double-wide accelerator per riser. Accelerator and high-power builds require the Maximum Performance Fan Kit P14608-B21 and the High Performance Heat Sink Kit P14610-B21.
Where the DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 sits in the ProLiant lifecycle
The DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 is marked RETIRED in HPE's QuickSpecs banner, meaning the base products are no longer available for sale from HPE. The document identifier is a50002560enw, first published on 19 April 2021 and last revised at version 30 on 28 July 2025, with the first-published date verified from the document's own summary-of-changes history.
That revision date is the latest of any AMD Gen10 Plus document in our estate and matches the two mainstream Intel models exactly, which is a stronger continuing-installed-base signal than any other server in the AMD line carries. HPE publishes no support-end date for the platform on any public surface, so none appears here.
DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 vs the original DL385 Gen10 Plus
The two DL385 Gen10 Plus generations share a rack height, a socket count, a memory slot count and four chassis names, and diverge in processor generation, drive carrier type and rear bay count. Only one of those three is visible on a specification sheet, which is why listings confuse them.
| Attribute | DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 | The original DL385 Gen10 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Processor platform | AMD EPYC 7003, including large-cache parts, plus two 7002 kits | AMD EPYC 7002 |
| Processor kits listed | 23 | 12 |
| DIMM Slots | 32, sixteen per processor | 32, sixteen per processor |
| Maximum memory | 8.0 TB load-reduced | 8.0 TB load-reduced |
| Drive carriers | Basic Carrier drive cages | Smart Carrier drive cages |
| Rear bays on the 24 SFF chassis | 4 SFF | 6 SFF |
| Maximum small-format drives | 36 | 38 |
| Power supply range | Nine options, to 2200 W Titanium | Six options, to 1600 W Platinum |
| Lifecycle | RETIRED, doc a50002560enw v30 | RETIRED, doc a00073549enw v31 |
Memory is the row that surprises people: both platforms cap at 8.0 TB, so this is not a capacity upgrade. What it is instead is a compute and power upgrade - almost twice the processor kits including four large-cache parts, and a power range extending to a 2200 W Titanium supply the predecessor does not offer. What it costs is two drive bays and carrier compatibility, and the carrier change is the one that turns a parts order into a returned shipment if it goes unnoticed.
Choosing within the Gen10 Plus ProLiant line
| Model | Form-Factor | Sockets | Processor platform | Maximum drives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 | 2U rack | 2 | AMD EPYC 7003 | 36 SFF |
| DL385 Gen10 Plus | 2U rack | 2 | AMD EPYC 7002 | 38 SFF |
| DL345 Gen10 Plus | 2U rack | 1 | AMD EPYC 7003 | 26 SFF |
| DL325 Gen10 Plus v2 | 1U rack | 1 | AMD EPYC 7003 | 10 SFF |
The DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 is the flagship of the AMD Gen10 Plus line and the only member with two sockets on 7003 silicon. The single-socket alternative on the same processor generation is the DL345 Gen10 Plus, which trades ten drive bays and sixteen memory slots for a halved software licensing footprint. On the Intel side, the live comparisons in our catalogue are the 2U DL380 Gen10 and the 1U DL360 Gen10.
Buying a refurbished DL385 Gen10 Plus v2
Three things settle a quote on this platform, and the first is not a specification at all. The version, because a caddy or a drive cage from the predecessor will not fit this machine despite the matching chassis name. The rear cage, because the four-bay large-format box consumes primary and secondary riser space and a build wanting both drives and cards has to choose one. And the power supply, because three of the nine options require high line voltage and are unusable in a rack fed at low line.
Out-of-band management is HPE Integrated Lights-Out, and its advanced tier is licensed per server against an order rather than travelling with second-hand hardware, so it belongs on the quote as a line item. Enterasource builds each DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 to the specification ordered, testing on receipt, then disassembling, cleaning, inventorying, picking, assembling, configuring and testing again on the bench. Whole systems including this server carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty, and shipping is free to the lower 48 states. Browse the HPE ProLiant server range, or the Dell PowerEdge range for the dual-socket AMD alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 specifications?
Two sockets for AMD EPYC 7003 processors to 64 cores each, with two EPYC 7002 kits also offered, 32 DDR4 DIMM slots at sixteen per processor, a maximum of 8.0 TB with load-reduced modules at 3200 MT/s, four chassis options covering eight and twenty-four small-format bays and eight and twelve large-format bays, a ceiling of thirty-six small-format drives, and nine Flex Slot power supply options.
Do DL385 Gen10 Plus drive caddies fit the v2?
No. HPE states that the v2 uses Basic Carrier drive cages rather than the Smart Carrier cages used on the earlier model, so caddies and cages do not transfer between two servers whose chassis names match exactly. The same change costs two rear bays on the twenty-four-bay chassis, capping the v2 at thirty-six small-format drives against thirty-eight here.
How many drives does a DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 hold?
Thirty-six small-format drives at most, from a twenty-four-bay front end plus an eight-bay mid tray and a four-bay rear option. The large-format path reaches twenty drives from twelve front bays plus a four-bay mid tray and a four-bay rear option. HPE notes the twenty-four-bay chassis already includes three eight-bay SAS and SATA drive cages, so no separate cage kit is ordered.
How much memory does the DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 support?
Up to 8.0 TB, as thirty-two 256 GB load-reduced modules at 3200 MT/s with one module per channel, dropping to 2933 MT/s with two. That is the same ceiling as the predecessor, so a refresh between the two generations is a processor and power decision rather than a memory one. A single-processor configuration halves the usable slot count to sixteen.
Where do I find the DL385 Gen10 Plus v2 QuickSpecs, and is the platform still sold?
The document identifier is a50002560enw, first published on 19 April 2021 and last revised at version 30 on 28 July 2025 - the latest revision date of any AMD Gen10 Plus document in our estate. HPE marks its banner as retired, meaning the base products are no longer available for sale from HPE. Quoting that identifier confirms which generation a listing describes.
