HPE ML30 Gen11 vs Lenovo ST250 V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST250 V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 2 headline measures favour the ML30 Gen11, 2 favour the ST250 V3, and 17 processors appear in both lists.
Bottom line. ML30 Gen11 leads on virtualisation. ST250 V3 leads on storage density, 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 ML30 Gen11 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 12 against 8 on the ST250 V3
- Largest power supply: 1,000 W against 800 W on the ST250 V3
- Eighteen processors to choose from — Xeon 6300 (nine), Xeon E-2400 (eight) and a single Pentium — spanning 46 W to 95 W, with the 12-core Xeon 6377P at the top.
Choose the ST250 V3 if…
- Drive bays: 16 against 8 on the ML30 Gen11
- Accelerators: Up to 1 against None listed on the ML30 Gen11
- Built for the office floor: Lenovo declares 30.5 dBA idle and 33.2 dBA at full processor load for its typical configuration.
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 | ML30 Gen11 | ST250 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Most cores per processor | 12 | 8 |
| Processor families | Xeon 6300 · Xeon E-2400 · Pentium | Pentium · Xeon E-2400 · Xeon 6300 |
Memory
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST250 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 | ML30 Gen11 | ST250 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bays | 8 | 16 |
| Documented layouts | 3 | 6 |
| Bay sizes | 3.5-inch · 2.5-inch | 2.5-inch · 3.5-inch |
| Boot devices | HPE NS204i-u Gen11 NVMe Hot Plug Boot Optimized Storage Device · HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 NS204i-u Cable Kit · HPE 480GB NVMe Gen4 Mainstream Performance Read Intensive M.2 2280 PE9010 SSD + 1 more | ThinkSystem M.2 SATA/x4 NVMe 2-Bay Adapter (BM8X, software RAID) in slot 4 · ThinkSystem M.2 RAID B540i-2i SATA/NVMe Adapter (BYFF, hardware RAID 0/1 via SAS3808N) in slot 4 · M.2 cable kit 4Z57A88898 (dummy PCIe card + cables); M.2 mutually exclusive with optical drives |
| Storage controllers | 6 | 3 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST250 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerators supported | None listed | Up to 1 |
| Network cards listed | 9 | 7 |
Power & platform
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST250 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Output range | 350–1,000 W | 300–800 W |
| Management | HPE iLO 6 | XClarity Controller 2 |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 18.70 in (47.50 cm) | 578 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.
ML30 Gen11: processors by cores and TDP
ST250 V3: processors by cores and TDP
ML30 Gen11: memory with every slot filled
ST250 V3: memory with every slot filled
ML30 Gen11: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 8 bays in total.
ST250 V3: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 8 bays in total.
ML30 Gen11: power supplies
ST250 V3: power supplies
17 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 ML30 Gen11 and 1 to the ST250 V3.
| Processor | Cores | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Xeon 6369P | 8 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon 6357P | 8 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon 6353P | 8 | 65 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2488 | 8 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2478 | 8 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2468 | 8 | 65 W |
| Intel Xeon 6349P | 6 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon 6337P | 6 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon 6333P | 6 | 65 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2486 | 6 | 95 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2456 | 6 | 80 W |
| Intel Xeon E-2436 | 6 | 65 W |
ML30 Gen11 vs ST250 V3, answered
Is the ML30 Gen11 or the ST250 V3 the faster server?
Neither document publishes benchmark results, so this page compares what they do state. The ML30 Gen11 lists 18 processors up to 12 cores at 95 W; the ST250 V3 lists 18 up to 8 cores at 95 W. Fully populated that is 12 cores against 8.
Which holds more memory?
The ML30 Gen11 has 4 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 128GB. The ST250 V3 has 4 and 128 GB.
Which takes more drives?
ML30 Gen11: 8 bays across 3 documented layouts. ST250 V3: 16 across 6. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
ML30 Gen11: no accelerator option in its document. ST250 V3: up to 1, 0 double-wide listed.
Do they share any processors?
Yes — 17 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. ML30 Gen11: HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 QuickSpecs (Version 27 - 03-Aug-2026) (HPE document). ST250 V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem ST250 V3 Server Product Guide (no revision date printed in the text export) (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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