HPE Gen9 Server Buying Guide for 2026

The HPE ProLiant Gen9 series, while officially retired, remains a staple in the secondary market due to its high reliability and cost-effectiveness for non-critical workloads. In 2026, the market is characterized by a "value sweet spot" where these units serve as primary candidates for budget-sensitive homelabs and backup targets Pcserverandparts.

1. Product Specifications & Models

The Gen9 lineup is anchored by the Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3/v4 processor family and DDR4 memory, supporting up to 3TB of RAM in higher configurations Hpe Newserverlife.

DL380 Gen9 (2U): The most popular "workhorse," offering high storage density (up to 24+2 SFF drives) and PCIe 3.0 expansion Racksolutions Newserverlife.
DL360 Gen9 (1U): A high-density alternative focusing on compute power in a compact form factor, sharing the same processor support as the DL380 Hpe.

2. Lifecycle & Market Trends (2026 Context)

End of Support: Official HPE Support (EOSL) for most Gen9 configurations is slated for mid-2025 (July 22, 2025, for the DL380) Evernex Hpe.
Secondary Market Growth: Refurbished units currently cost 40–70% less than new equivalents. The market is buoyed by a supply surge as enterprises transition away from Gen9/Gen10 due to VMware licensing shifts and newer hardware cycles Pcserverandparts Pcserverandparts.
Maintenance Shift: Many businesses are moving to Third-Party Maintenance (TPM) to extend the life of Gen9 fleets by 3–5 years post-EOSL, effectively reducing TCO and e-waste Evernex Pcserverandparts.

3. Pricing Overview (B2B Listings)

Current B2B pricing reflects a broad range depending on configuration (CPU/RAM/Drive count):

Refurbished DL360 Gen9: Typical entry pricing ranges from $348 to $600 Alibaba Alibaba.
Refurbished DL380 Gen9: Highly variable base models start as low as $89 for barebones, while configured units often reach $800+ Alibaba Alibaba.