Half height pcie X1 4 X SATA card -- are these things any good

jimbo45 · 20 Jan 2020

Hi folks
Anybody used these things for increasing SSD / HDD storage

@CountMike --any ideas --you seem to be quite good with all sorts of bits of hardware !!!!

I've got a spare half height pcie X1 slot available and a load of old SSD's so I thought of using a card like this to add some more SSD's to my machine.

The power consumption of SSD's is negligible so no probs with a few Molex splitters and >>power part of SSD. Sata cables OK.)

Seems also boot device is supported. The PC I want to use it on is a small Cube type of thing (HP micro server) which has all 4 of the Internal HDD bays populated already. I don't need hardware RAID support but the idea of getting an extra 4 X SSD into the system seems like a great idea. I already have one SSD in place of the DVD drive.

Any ideas folks --Good, Bad or indifferent.

Ziyituod PCIe SATA Card, 4 Port with 4 SATA Cable, SATA Controller Expansion Card with Low Profile Bracket, Marvell 9215 Non-Raid, Boot as System Disk, Support 4 SATA 3.0 Devices(SA3014): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Updated --in next post -- installed and working fine --all 4 of the SATA connected SSD's via the card are also bootable if required --Bios shows all possible to boot if required.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 · 20 Jan 2020

Hi there
update

Installed this thing and works fine -- all 4 of the SSD's are "bootable" via BIOS as well as the SSD I have in the DVD slot and any one of HDD's 1-4. However I've the 4 HDD's in one RAID 0 (software RAID) so I've now got perfect choice --All the HDD's are available now for NAS serving (multi-media etc etc) with SSD's available for local backups, VM's, test alternate boots for various OS'es etc. Speed seems fast enough too.

I can change the DVD (SSD) device via eject --tray opens and I can replace the SSD with another one -- ensure Molex (power) and Sata cables have clearance of course !! -- and the "internal SSD's" work brillianatly -- copying data between 2 SSD's works fast and doesn't "hang the machine" while the I/O is being done.

I had to leave off the metal thing that one usually screws to the PC expansion slots at the rear of the PC -- I would have had to remove the mobo from case to do that (involved) - and the card fitted tight anyway and secured even more with a bit of electrical tape so no fire risk.

So people upgrading gear etc -- don't always through away older HDD's and things --these can make useful Backps, data areas for VM's etc etc.

Marking thread as solved.

Cheers
jimbo

bobkn · 20 Jan 2020

"Old SSDs"?

I had to check. I bought my first SSD in September of 2009. Tempus fugit.