HPE 3TB 6G SATA 7.2K LFF Midline LP HDD (861688-B21)

The HPE 3TB 6G SATA 7.2K LFF Midline LP HDD (861688-B21) is a cost-effective large form factor drive engineered for archival, backup, and less intensive transactional workloads. Unlike high-performance enterprise SAS drives, this midline SATA model balances capacity and economy, making it a practical choice for secondary storage in ProLiant servers and HPE storage systems. Its low-power design reduces energy consumption without sacrificing the 3TB capacity needed for growing data volumes.

Highlights

• 3TB formatted capacity in a 3.5-inch LFF form factor
• SATA 6Gb/s interface with 512e sector emulation
• 7200 RPM spindle speed for reliable midline performance
• Hot-plug capable for easy serviceability
• Digitally signed firmware ensures authenticity and integrity

In daily use

This drive is suited for environments where data is written less frequently and read occasionally, such as backup repositories, archival storage, and low-tier virtual machine storage. The 7200 RPM speed provides predictable latency, while the SATA interface simplifies integration into existing server platforms. Hot-plug support allows replacement without downtime, and the low-power consumption helps manage operating costs in dense storage configurations.

Full specifications

• Brand: HPE
• Model: 861688-B21
• Capacity: 3 TB
• Interface: SATA 6Gb/s
• Spindle speed: 7200 RPM
• Form factor: 3.5-inch LFF
• Drive type: Midline HDD
• Sector size: 512e
• Hot-swap: Yes
• Firmware: Digitally signed
• Power: Low power (LP)
• External data transfer rate: 600 MB/s

Final note

For reliable bulk storage in HPE environments, the 861688-B21 offers a proven balance of capacity, power efficiency, and compatibility.