HPE ML30 Gen11 vs Lenovo ST45 V3
A specification-by-specification comparison of the HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 and the Lenovo ThinkSystem ST45 V3, built from HPE’s and Lenovo’s own documents. 4 headline measures favour the ML30 Gen11, 1 favours the ST45 V3, and they share no processors.
Bottom line. ML30 Gen11 leads on virtualisation, databases and in-memory work, network throughput. ST45 V3 leads on storage density. 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…
- Memory ceiling: 0.125 TB against 0.0625 TB on the ST45 V3
- Drive bays: 8 against 4 on the ST45 V3
- Largest power supply: 1,000 W against 500 W on the ST45 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 ST45 V3 if…
- Cores, fully populated: 16 against 12 on the ML30 Gen11
- Up to 16 cores in a desk-side box: the EPYC 4545P brings 16 cores and 32 threads, and every processor on the list, 4004 or 4005 series, is a 65 W part.
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 | ST45 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Processors listed | 18 | 8 |
| Most cores per processor | 12 | 16 |
| Highest processor TDP | 95 W | 65 W |
| Processor families | Xeon 6300 · Xeon E-2400 · Pentium | AMD EPYC 4004 · AMD EPYC 4005 |
Memory
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST45 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| DIMM slots | 4 | 2 |
| Slots per processor | 4 | 2 |
| Fastest rated speed | 4,800 MT/s | 5,600 MT/s |
| Memory types | UDIMM DDR5-4800 | ECC UDIMM DDR5-5600 (TruDDR5) |
Storage
Bay counts are the maximum each document states, including rear and mid-chassis positions.
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST45 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bays | 8 | 4 |
| Documented layouts | 3 | 2 |
| Bay sizes | 3.5-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 | 2 x M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 on system board (SSD1/SSD2; SSD2 needs NVMe M.2 Bracket Kit BMEK; no software RAID on M.2) |
| Storage controllers | 6 | 3 |
Accelerators & I/O
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST45 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe network slots | 4 | 2 |
| Network cards listed | 9 | 3 |
Power & platform
| Specification | ML30 Gen11 | ST45 V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Power-supply options | 4 | 2 |
| Output range | 350–1,000 W | 300–500 W |
| Management | HPE iLO 6 | Lenovo XClarity Provisioning Manager Lite |
| Chassis depthVendors measure depth differently — see each data sheet | 18.70 in (47.50 cm) | 316 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
ST45 V3: processors by cores and TDP
ML30 Gen11: memory with every slot filled
ST45 V3: memory with every slot filled
ML30 Gen11: drive bays
Front panel
8 × 2.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 8 bays in total.
ST45 V3: drive bays
Front panel
4 × 3.5" SAS/SATA at the front — 4 bays in total.
ML30 Gen11: power supplies
ST45 V3: power supplies
ML30 Gen11 vs ST45 V3, answered
Is the ML30 Gen11 or the ST45 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 ST45 V3 lists 8 up to 16 cores at 65 W. Fully populated that is 12 cores against 16.
Which holds more memory?
The ML30 Gen11 has 4 DIMM slots and a stated ceiling of 128GB. The ST45 V3 has 2 and 64 GB.
Which takes more drives?
ML30 Gen11: 8 bays across 3 documented layouts. ST45 V3: 4 across 2. Counts include rear and mid-chassis positions where the vendor documents them.
Can either take GPUs?
Neither vendor document lists an accelerator option for these models.
Do they share any processors?
No. The two documents list different processors, so a like-for-like processor build is not possible across these two.
Where these figures come from. ML30 Gen11: HPE ProLiant ML30 Gen11 QuickSpecs (Version 27 - 03-Aug-2026) (HPE document). ST45 V3: Lenovo ThinkSystem ST45 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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