LSI Logic SAS9211-8I vs. SuperMicro AOC-SAS2LP-MV8

[GreenDolphin]

Hi,

UnRAID noob, about to start my first build.

 

The planned motherboard, an Asus Z9PA-D8, has 2x onboard SATA3 and 4x onboard SATA2; while just enough for the drives I'll have initially, I figure I might as well already get the HBA card I'll need eventually. It doesn't look like prices are about to take a dive anytime soon.

 

I want an 8-port (internal) card that won't be a bottleneck for SATA3 drives, so PCIe 8x .

Browsing the forum, popular options appear to be:

• Avago/LSI Logic SAS9211-8I (based on the LSI 2008 chip), or rebranded versions 
  
• SuperMicro AOC-SAS2LP-MV8, Marvell 9480-based
   
  

My server will focus on NAS duty at first, so most new drives will be part of the array, but some will be unassigned drives for other uses (dockers, VMs).

 

In general, any reason to prefer either of the two above for UnRAID, either performance- or compatibility-wise? 

If they're functionally equivalent I prefer the SuperMicro -- a bit more expensive but doesn't require flashing to "IT" mode, and there seems to be a ton of confusing information on how/if to flash the 9211-type cards -- also, I won't have easy access to any PC with slots to do the flashing on except the UnRAID box itself.

 

I was originally hoping for a cheap flashable Asus PIKE card (LSI-2008 based) that goes in a proprietary mobo slot, to save a PCIe slot, but they're apparently EOLed and rather expensive currently.

 

Is there another non-expensive solution other than the SuperMicro which doesn't need flashing?

AFAICS, The only LSI cards that come with IT firmware pre-installed rather than  IR seem to be either for external ports only, or the much more expensive LSI-2308 PCIe 3.0 ones .

 

If I do decide for an LSI-based card, does the Amazon Marketplace ~$91 offer above (fulfilled by Amazon) sound too good to be true? All other new LSI 2008-based cards seem to cost double.

There a lot of recommendations here and elsewhere to buy a rebranded IBM M1015 / Dell / HP controller, but looks like the price advantage is no longer true-- even a used one not-from-China on eBay costs about the same as the new one I linked.

 

Other recommendations? Thoughts?

 

 

[JorgeB]

SAS2LP works for most but there are a few users with issues, seams to be worse with VT-D enable, if you intend to use pci passthrough I recommend going with the LSI.

[Fireball3]

You probably checked the wiki already?

There are some ready 2 go cards but it really depends on your local market.

Prices have dropped quite nicely for those cards in Europe so there is absolutely no need to buy from china.

 

A new Supermicro AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 is available for about 130€ here.

The LSI Logic SAS9211-8I is 230€.

In the US you face a different situation.

 

I get your point with flashing. If you don't have the spare PC and count in the

time to read and prepare for flashing it's probably not worth the effort for one card alone.

I flashed 10+ cards until now so I can say it was worth the effort. 

I thought of offering you one of my spare DELL cards, flashed and ready 2 go but

shipping to Israel is almost 20€. 

 

[GreenDolphin]

Fireball3, thanks 

You probably checked the wiki already?

Absolutely, but it's difficult for me to figure out which HBAs can be expected to work as-is on the current UnRAID Server release (including the  SuperMicro card which is "partially solved" as of a year and several UnRAID versions  ago). Most controllers have comment & notes linked, & when I started following them,  many led to several-year-old threads. Therefore the need to post the questions 

 

There are some ready 2 go cards but it really depends on your local market.

Prices have dropped quite nicely for those cards in Europe so there is absolutely no need to buy from china.

That's pretty good compared to what I saw a few weeks ago, but unless I have some kind of idea of the seller, prefer a new card. A new Dell PERC starts around €150, even on eBay.DE / UK.

 

Prices on common PC components are pretty good here in Israel, about the US level and frequently cheaper than Europe, but as soon as you extend to server/NAS territory, they jump through the roof... I plan on buying most of the stuff (mainboard, case, PSU, fans, SSD) in Germany, from one of the few e-retailers who are set up to deliver outside the EU and deduct the VAT (ComputerUniverse.net) -- they have fat-rate shipping too, so after the VAT deduction it's cheaper delivered than Amazon US/DE .

 

A new Supermicro AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 is available for about 130€ here.

Yes, in general SuperMicro seems to be a rare brand in Europe.

 

The LSI Logic SAS9211-8I is 230€.

In the US you face a different situation.

Indeed. The Amazon link I posted is $91... Curious, I just checked. If I lived in Germany, through the AmazonGlobal program, which guarantees total price ahead of time, it would still be only $117 to Germany (incl. shipping and the German VAT collected by Customs). The same price as shipping it here.

 

I get your point with flashing. If you don't have the spare PC and count in the

time to read and prepare for flashing it's probably not worth the effort for one card alone.

I flashed 10+ cards until now so I can say it was worth the effort. 

I thought of offering you one of my spare DELL cards, flashed and ready 2 go but

shipping to Israel is almost 20€. 

Ah, yes. DHL International-Päckchen to Zone 3 + insurance?  I've used that quite a few times, for Lego.

 

Hmm.. That's not too bad, depending how much you'd want for the card itself (-:

I'll PM you. An already-flashed used card from an UnRAID user who's familiar with the HW is a different matter than one from a random seller in China...

[mata7]

You probably checked the wiki already?

There are some ready 2 go cards but it really depends on your local market.

Prices have dropped quite nicely for those cards in Europe so there is absolutely no need to buy from china.

 

A new Supermicro AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 is available for about 130€ here.

The LSI Logic SAS9211-8I is 230€.

In the US you face a different situation.

 

I get your point with flashing. If you don't have the spare PC and count in the

time to read and prepare for flashing it's probably not worth the effort for one card alone.

I flashed 10+ cards until now so I can say it was worth the effort. 

I thought of offering you one of my spare DELL cards, flashed and ready 2 go but

shipping to Israel is almost 20€. 

 

 

hey man i will be really appreciated if you could sold me one of you spare dell flashed and ready to go, i was thinking on get one from ebay but the flashing stoped me from get it, if you dont mind i will like to get one, i live in Canada

 

thanks in advanced