PCIe 3.0 x 1 Sata Adapter

[cobolstinks]

Hello,

 

I just built a new server and with that discovered some automation tools that I didn't even knew existed 6 months ago.  Long story short I'm burning through more storage than I've anticipated and will need a way to expand past my mobo's 8 sata ports.  

I've read about using a HBA card flashed to IT mode.  I'll probably end up going that route with something from ebay... But I came across this in newegg.

https://www.newegg.com/p/17Z-00SW-00030?item=9SIAMKHJRZ6973&source=region&nm_mc=knc-googlemkp-pc&cm_mmc=knc-googlemkp-pc-_-pla-glotrends-_-add-on+cards-_-9SIAMKHJRZ6973&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid+shopping&utm_campaign=knc-googlemkp-pc-_-pla-glotrends-_-add-on+cards-_-9SIAMKHJRZ6973&id0=Google&id1=17926835888&id2=153909840911&id3=&id4=&id5=pla-2129239786725&id6=&id7=9019795&id8=&id9=g&id10=c&id11=&id12=CjwKCAjwyNSoBhA9EiwA5aYlb0n8QsKHS71IMUjy_XkjEpxmLNgn11WIUxWf-lTTceFLn-nIqu1KiBoC6DsQAvD_BwE&id13=&id14=Y&id15=&id16=664915854147&id17=&id18=&id19=&id20=&id21=pla&id22=147550576&id23=online&id24=9SIAMKHJRZ6973&id25=US&id26=2129239786725&id27=Y&id28=&id29=&id30=12149498352225981873&id31=en&id32=&id33=DA&id34=US&gclid=CjwKCAjwyNSoBhA9EiwA5aYlb0n8QsKHS71IMUjy_XkjEpxmLNgn11WIUxWf-lTTceFLn-nIqu1KiBoC6DsQAvD_BwE

16 sata connections from a PCIe 3.0 x 1 slot?  I see that it says I can't read from all 16 ports at 6Gbps because of the speed limitations on the PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.  Is that why most people favor an HBA over a sata adapter card like this?

 

Here is my mobo:
https://pg.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z790 PG Riptide/index.asp

Thanks!

[whipdancer]

Why buy something like that when there are so many other options?

I can't speak to compatibility of the card you linked to nor would I want to consider the implications of running 16 drives over that connection.  Simply put, there are any number of HBA's that absolutely will work and cost less.

Edited September 28, 2023 by whipdancer

[ChatNoir]

@cobolstinks when it seems too good to be true ... it often is.

 

From the description its a ASM1064 SATA controller (4 ports on a x1 PCIe) and the 4 SATA connections are then splitted using 3 JMB575 port multipliers.

Ports multipliers are a generally not recommended as it would reduce available bandwidth for each device, especially for parity checks and simultaneous data access.*

It might be acceptable for very specific use cases but definitely not for most users.

 

You should check this thread :

 

[cobolstinks]

Ok sounds good I'll probably go the lsi hba cars route and pick one up from the art of server on ebay

[Gragorg]

If your looking for inexpensive option this x4 6 port asm1166 card has worked perfect for me. 

 

[Lolight]

15 hours ago, cobolstinks said:

Is that why most people favor an HBA over a sata adapter card like this?

Because it's still a prevalent but IMO probably outdated way of thinking, especially in the view of power efficiency.

As applied to the vast majority of consumer NAS users, running SATA drives...

 

I think the biggest reason for their popularity is based on the HBA's uniform build quality since it's  "server-grade" hardware.

But it's largely an outdated tech, that is guaranteed to mess up modern consumer hardware by disabling CPU's power management features (higher C-States).

HBAs on their own also suffer from relatively high power consumption which often leads to overheating when placed in consumer cases - usually solved by adding an aftermarket dedicated fan to keep its temps in check.

 

On the other hand, the SATA card market is hugely fragmented, mostly cheaply built and marketed by off brand vendors, with largely varying build quality.

But the right card will preserve your system's ability to sip power at idle, perform just as well as the motherboard's SATA controller, not consume much power on its own without any requirement for additional cooling.

 

When shopping you'd need to pay attention to the PCIe card controller chip and overall configuration - look for the card that is built based on the ASM1166 chip.

Most of them normally come with an outdated firmware, which can be "usually" re-flashed with an update that is maintained by Silverstone since their cards are based on the same chip.

 

https://www.silverstonetek.com/en/product/info/expansion-cards/ECS06/

 

And yeah, you'd need to be really selective and look for the card's user feedback prior to deciding on which one to choose.

e.g. @Gragorg seem to be satisfied with his model.

 

You could also get guaranteed quality by going with the card built by Silverstone, but it comes at a much higher price point:

 

https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-ECS06-Non-RAID-Express/dp/B08Y64R5WV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HQAJ4FKTZE37&keywords=silverstone+ECS06&qid=1695977101&sprefix=silverstone+ecs06%2Caps%2C375&sr=8-1

Edited September 29, 2023 by Lolight