Moving from ProLiant DL380 Gen9 (HPE Gen9) to PowerEdge R750 (Dell 15G) is a decision most infrastructure teams make once every 5-7 years. Get it wrong and you inherit a platform your staff cannot service. Get it right and you cut hardware spend 40-60% while keeping the workload humming.
Why this cross-brand move happens
DL380 Gen9 hit end-of-support 2025-07-22. Enterprises replacing aging HPE fleets often cross to Dell for the refurb economics — R750 refurb offers current-gen 15G platform at 30-40% of new HPE Gen11 pricing. The combination of ‘skip a full generation’ + ‘switch vendor for better deal’ is increasingly common in 2026 procurement cycles.
Data migration: VMware, Hyper-V, bare-metal
VMware vSphere migration via vMotion is transparent across HPE-to-Dell as long as CPU generation is compatible (Gen9 Broadwell → R750 Ice Lake requires EVC mode set to lowest common denominator, typically Broadwell-DE baseline). Hyper-V Live Migration works identically. Bare-metal workloads: prefer P2V (physical-to-virtual) as the migration step, giving you hardware independence going forward.
BIOS and firmware re-certification
HPE BIOS settings do not translate to Dell. iLO config, Smart Array controller profiles, custom boot order — all manual re-create on R750 iDRAC. Document everything on the Gen9 via iLO RESTful API export before starting. Dell’s Lifecycle Controller handles replay of config via SCP (Server Configuration Profile) for fleet-level consistency on the target side.
SKU reality: what swaps, what does not
DDR4-2133/2400 Gen9 memory is ancient by R750 standards — R750 requires DDR4-3200. Zero reuse. Drives: SAS/SATA drives can sometimes be re-used after firmware reflash via PERC, but Dell warranty coverage requires Dell-serialized drives. PSUs: completely incompatible form factor. Riser cards, bezels, rails: no reuse. Expect near-zero parts carryover.
Support contract transition
Foundation Care on Gen9 expired. ProSupport Plus 3-year on R750: $1,800-$2,400 USD per server. HPE service ID closure is administrative; the technical operational handover is more significant.
Retraining: the hidden cost
iLO 5 to iDRAC 9 is the reverse of the common Dell-to-HPE crossover. Operators used to iLO’s web UI will find iDRAC’s UI different but not harder. OneView and InfoSight users transition to OpenManage Enterprise and SupportAssist — feature parity but different workflows. Plan 6-8 hours hands-on training per operator.
Budget reality (USD)
Refurb R750 $3,800-$5,500 + ProSupport Plus 3-year $1,800-$2,400 + migration labor $1,000-$1,800 + retraining $300-$500 per head amortized = $6,900-$10,200 per server. For a 10-server migration: $69K-$102K. Comparable to a full Gen11 new buy but at 40% less capex and similar support runway.
ICD’s position: same team, both brands
Running both brands in-house for 15+ years means ICD understands exactly where HPE-to-Dell migrations trip. We pre-cache the three or four parts that commonly stall the cutover (memory sticks at correct speed, Dell riser cards for PCIe NICs, Dell-compatible PSU cable kits). ICD Care+ covers both the retiring Gen9 and incoming R750 fleet on a single contract through cutover.
Migration steps
- Audit current Gen9 fleet — Serial list, workload map, iLO configuration export, firmware versions. Identify any custom HPE-specific integrations (Aruba networking, 3PAR storage).
- Size R750 target — CPU/memory sizing with EVC compatibility factored. Consolidation ratio typical 1.5:1 (Gen9 to R750).
- Procure R750 — Order refurb R750 via ICD with ProSupport Plus 3-year. 5-10 day lead time.
- Stage Dell hosts — Rack, cable, firmware baseline via DSU, configure iDRAC, install ESXi or Hyper-V matching source cluster version.
- EVC cluster join — Add R750 to existing vSphere cluster with EVC baseline set for compatibility with Gen9. Run cluster health checks.
- Migrate VMs in waves — Dev/test first, production after 48-hour soak. vMotion or Live Migration.
- Decommission Gen9 — Drain, power down, remove from monitoring, secure data wipe per ICD destruction protocol (EKODAQ-certified if needed).
- Validate R750 fleet — 30-day burn-in. Power, temperature, error metrics.
- Buy-back — Return Gen9 gear for ICD buy-back credit. Typical $180-$450 per unit.
ICD inventory on both sides
ProLiant DL380 Gen9 legacy spares: 1353 HPE memory SKUs; 4724 SSD SKUs; 4288 HDD SKUs; 1167 RAID controller SKUs; 34 PSU SKUs. Keep the old fleet alive through transition.
PowerEdge R750 go-forward parts: 591 Dell memory SKUs; 2961 SSD SKUs; 5623 HDD SKUs; 936 RAID controller SKUs; 128 PSU SKUs. Everything you need to stand up the new platform.
Next steps
Before you buy anything, send us your BOM. We will cross-check every part, flag the three or four items that silently brick cross-vendor (memory firmware tags, proprietary riser cards, RAID battery kits), and price the full migration in USD with ICD Care+ support for both old and new hardware during the cutover. One quote request, one support contract, both brands. That is what decades of running mixed estates teach you.
Related: ProLiant DL380 Gen9 legacy parts | PowerEdge R750 parts | ICD Care+ cross-brand support.