[Official] Recommended SAS2 HBA (internal & external)

[JDM_WAAAT]

Notes

• I do not recommend Dell/HP/IBM/Intel/Fujitsu or other LSI OEM cards.
  These “real” LSI models are readily available and are much easier to flash.
• All models support SAS & SATA drives
  • Most SATA SSDs will not support TRIM on SAS HBA, use SATA3 instead.
• All models are SAS2 6Gbps compatible
• Type = Internal/External
• Num. Drives = 4 drives per port, with no expander.
• All low profile cards can be used with high profile bracket, allowing support for either.
• Notes = Firmware options, 4Kn sector support

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Brand (specs)	Model (link)	Type	Controller	Host Bus	Ports	Num. Drives	Profile	Nom. Power	Notes	Price
LSI	9201-16i	INT	LSI2116	PCIe 2.0 x8	4x8087	16	High	16W	IT	$188.00
LSI	9210-8i	INT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	2x8087	8	Low	7W	IT/IR	$28.00
LSI	9211-4i	INT	LSI2004	PCIe 2.0 x4	1x8087	4	Low	7W	IT/IR	$30.00
LSI	9211-8i	INT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	2x8087	8	Low	7W	IT/IR	$35.00
LSI	9240-4i	INT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	1x8087	4	Low	14W	IT/IR	$29.00
LSI	9240-8i	INT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	2x8087	8	Low	14W	IT/IR	$30.00
LSI	9207-8i	INT	LSI2308	PCIe 3.0 x8	2x8087	8	Low	10W	IT 4Kn	$40.00
LSI	9200-8e	EXT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	2x8088	8	Low	8W	IT	$25.00
LSI	9200-16e	EXT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	4x8088	16	High	14W	IT	$18.00
LSI	9201-16e	EXT	LSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x8	4x8088	16	High	17W	IT	$28.00
LSI	9202-16e	EXT	2xLSI2008	PCIe 2.0 x16	4x8644	16	Low	17W	IT	$35.00
LSI	9205-8e	EXT	LSI2308	PCIe 2.0 x8	2x8088	8	Low	9W	IT	$34.00
LSI	9206-16e	EXT	2xLSI2308	PCIe 3.0 x8	4x8644	16	Low	26W	IT 4Kn	$53.00
LSI	9207-8e	EXT	LSI2308	PCIe 3.0 x8	2x8088	8	Low	10W	IT 4Kn	$30.00
LSI	9207-4i4e	BOTH	LSI2308	PCIe 3.0 x8	1x8087 1x8088	8	Low	10W	IT 4Kn	$39.00

[Tozmo]

When I started researching these for NK 4, I read that the cards with brown caps were more likely to be counterfeit or have issues with flashing (due to counterfeit). Does anyone here use cards with these brown caps, any other thoughts?

example

[dude]

Seems that LSI cards are thin on the ground in the UK. Most on eBay seem to come from China/Hong Kong. However, plenty of Dell H200 and H310 cards are around on eBay in the UK - and they’re cheaper. What about the Dell/HP/IBM cards makes them harder to flash into IT mode?

FYI - I’m a complete noob - just setup Unraid on a Dell Poweredge T110 ii and want to expand the number of drives. Got sucked into self-build NAS via your great site!

[Jhunter844]

I’m by no means an expert worthy of having this discussion but from what I know some of those cards will have the LSI model information somewhere on the chip and you basically can make those cards think they are production LSI cards via cross flashing them with the LSI IT (Initiator) firmware rather than the Dell/HP/IBM firmware.

I would watch some “TheArtofServer” youtube videos to get a good idea what’s going on if you haven’t already.

I’ve got a Dell R410 with the SAS 6/IR which is known to be limited to 2tb but that ArtofServer guy does a video on how to cross-flash it to the LSI IT firmware and shows where you can use larger hard drives in them. It’s very possible but I’m sure what looks easy on a Youtube video doesn’t always go that way in real life.

[dude]

Thanks @Jhunter844. Sounds like it makes sense. Not come across TheArtofServer YouTuber so will check the out. I wonder if using a card that is 4kn ready would solve the problem of drive size limitations. Or I wonder if I would I just be better off using a PCIe SATA card instead of a SAS card. That’s trouble with being ignorant on these things it’s easy to get things completely messed up.

[JDM_WAAAT]

TheArtofServer loves to way overcharge for parts on ebay amongst other things, so be careful.

[Jhunter844]

Just google some “H310 crossflash” and you’ll find plenty of discussion on it. Beings that you are a noob…I’m not sure this is really something you should tackle but that’s completely up to you and your pocketbook.

I completely understand sourcing parts could be difficult. I had a vague idea about some of these parts but had never been exposed to them until I took the dive.

Maybe look for a REDDIT UK equivalent to HomeLabSales

https://www.reddit.com/r/homelabsales/

I can’t really offer much advice on the PCIe SATA card other than to say nobody ever recommends them and I gather there is a reason behind that. Most probably has something to do with pass-through and smart data limitations. As a basic storage setup it would probably be fine on something like Unraid or OpenMediaVault.

[dude]

Thanks @Jhunter844 - off I go down the rabbit hole!

[dude]

Yeah, checked out his channel and eBay store and everything look very well presented and photographed and kind of expensive.

Keep up the great work. If it wasn’t for you I seriously wouldn’t have dipped my toe in these server/unraid waters!

[jay_vk]

Thanks for the List JDM! I have the PCIe 4 Port SATA3 Card from I/O Crest card but UnRaid has issues detecting the drives sometimes due to the Marvell Chip. Now my Unraid server won’t detect the drives at all. So I’m going to ditch it and move to the SAS2 9211-8i. Seems like this one from ebay is ok (priced a litle above your chart, but maybe that okay it includes cables).