HPE MicroServer Gen11 vs Lenovo ST50 V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen11 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50 V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 2 headline measures favour the MicroServer Gen11, 1 favours the ST50 V3, and 11 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. MicroServer Gen11 leads on virtualisation, AI and acceleration. Neither vendor publishes benchmarks for these machines, so every call here is made on what their documents state.
The measures that decide it
Each row is a figure both vendors publish. Bars show the split between the two; a badge marks the larger figure, which is not always the better buy — a shallower chassis or a lower power ceiling can matter more.
Which one, and why
Drawn from the measures above and each model’s own data sheet. Neither vendor publishes benchmark results for these servers, so nothing here claims one is “faster”.
Choose the MicroServer Gen11 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 12 against 8 on the ST50 V3
- Accelerators: Up to 1 against None listed on the ST50 V3
- A 15.4 × 26.1 × 24.9 cm chassis weighing 8.52–8.65 kg that can lie flat, stand on end or mount on a brick, concrete or wooden wall.
Choose the ST50 V3 if…
- Largest power supply: 500 W against 330 W on the MicroServer Gen11
- Out-of-band management in an entry tower: an XClarity Controller 2 with a dedicated 1GbE port, Redfish and IPMI, and a Platinum licence that adds remote console, virtual media and power capping.
Where each one pulls ahead
Calls made on documented capacity only — cores, memory, bays, accelerators and network options — with the figures behind each one shown.
Side by side, differences first
Everything both documents state, grouped. The default view hides rows where the two machines are identical.
Processors
Every processor each vendor lists for the model, from its own document.
| Specification | MicroServer Gen11 | ST50 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 12 | 18 |
| Most cores per processor | 12 | 8 |
| Processor families | Xeon 6300 · Xeon E-2400 · Pentium | Pentium · Xeon E-2400 · Xeon 6300 |
Memory
| Specification | MicroServer Gen11 | ST50 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest rated speed | 4,800 MT/s | 5,600 MT/s |
| Memory types | UDIMM DDR5-4800 | ECC UDIMM DDR5 (TruDDR5) 4800/5600 MHz, operates at 4400 MHz max |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | MicroServer Gen11 | ST50 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Boot devices | M.2 slot for M.2 SSD support, enabled by HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 iLO/NIC/M.2/COM Port Kit | ThinkSystem M.2 SATA/x4 NVMe 2-Bay Adapter (BM8X) in PCIe slot 3 (dummy PCIe card + cable kit 4Z57A88898); 2 x M.2 SATA SSDs only (no M.2 NVMe drives offered for this server); RAID 0/1 via onboard Intel VROC SATA software RAID for M.2 (BS7Q) |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | MicroServer Gen11 | ST50 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerators supported | Up to 1 | None listed |
| PCIe network slots | 2 | 3 |
Power & platform
| Specification | MicroServer Gen11 | ST50 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Output range | 180–330 W | 300–500 W |
| Management | HPE iLO 6 | XClarity Controller 2 |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 9.82 in (24.9 cm) | 315 mm |
Processors, memory, bays and power
The same charts each data sheet carries, drawn to the same scale so the two ranges can be read against each other.
MicroServer Gen11: processors by cores and TDP
ST50 V3: processors by cores and TDP
MicroServer Gen11: memory with every slot filled
ST50 V3: memory with every slot filled
MicroServer Gen11: drive bays
Front panel
4 × 3.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 4 bays in total.
ST50 V3: drive bays
Front panel
3 × 3.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 3 bays in total.
MicroServer Gen11: power supplies
ST50 V3: power supplies
11 processors you can order in either
Both vendor documents list these parts, so a build can be matched across the two and the comparison comes down to the chassis: 1 more are exclusive to the MicroServer Gen11 and 7 to the ST50 V3.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6369P | 8 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon 6357P | 8 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon 6353P | 8 | 65 W |
| Intel Xeon 6349P | 6 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon 6337P | 6 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon 6333P | 6 | 65 W |
| Intel Xeon 6325P | 4 | 55 W |
| Intel Xeon 6315P | 4 | 55 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2434 | 4 | 55 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2414 | 4 | 55 W |
| Intel Pentium G7400 | 2 | 46 W |
MicroServer Gen11 vs ST50 V3, answered
Is the MicroServer Gen11 or the ST50 V3 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The MicroServer Gen11 lists 12 processors up to 12 cores at 95 W; the ST50 V3 lists 18 up to 8 cores at 95 W. Fully populated that is 12 cores against 8.
Which holds more memory?
The MicroServer Gen11 has 4 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 128GB. The ST50 V3 has 4 and 128 GB.
Which takes more drives?
MicroServer Gen11: 4 bays across 2 documented layouts. ST50 V3: 4 across 2. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
MicroServer Gen11: up to 1 accelerators, 0 double-wide cards listed. ST50 V3: no accelerator option in its document.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 11 processors appear in both documents, including the Intel Xeon 6369P. That makes a like-for-like build possible on either server.
Where these figures come from. MicroServer Gen11: HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen11 QuickSpecs (Version 16 - 03-Aug-2026) (HPE document). ST50 V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem ST50 V3 Server Product Guide (no revision date printed in text (related-publication timestamps run to 2026-07-14)) (Lenovo document). Each claim on this page is derived from those documents, checked page by page on the two data sheets, and carries no pricing.
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