Product ID: PEXM2SAT3422
This M.2 SSD RAID controller card lets you install two M.2 NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor) drives in your desktop computer. The card also features two SATA III (6Gbps) ports and supports hardware RAID. Now, you can merge the speed and compact size of M.2 solid state drives (SSD) with the storage capacity of traditional hard disk drives (HDD).
This M.2 controller card lets you take advantage of the size and performance benefits of NGFF SSDs. M.2 drives are smaller than typical platter drives or mSATA-based SSDs, so you can install them in small form-factor PCs and servers, or in tighter areas within your computer case.
When you couple the card with an M.2 drive, you can give your computer’s performance a noticeable speed boost. By installing your operating system on the M.2 drive, you'll have faster access to the files you commonly use, and you can continue to use your higher-capacity platter HDD for bulk storage.
Due to their performance and size advantages, M.2 drives are commonly used in laptops. If your laptop has failed but its M.2 drive is functional, then this card can help with data recovery. Once the M.2 drive is installed and the data recovery is complete, you can continue to use the drive for storage and backup purposes.
If you need a scalable, internal storage solution that you can count on, then this card can help. It supports a range of RAID configurations (RAID 0, 1, and 10), giving you multiple ways to expand your storage, improve your computer’s performance, or to create data redundancy backups.
Because the M.2 card supports port multiplication, you can connect up to four drives to one of the card’s SATA ports. With a built-in port multiplier, you can install up to seven drives (two M.2 SSDs, five SATA drives) in your computer through this single drive controller.
You can rest assured that your M.2 SATA drives are compatible with the card. It supports the most common drive sizes, including 22110, 2280, 2260, 2242 and 2230. For more versatility, the card also supports hybrid drives.
The PEXM2SAT3422 is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.
Warranty Information | Warranty | 2 Years |
---|---|---|
Connector(s) | 1 - Connector Type(s) | PCI Express x4 |
2 - Internal Ports | M.2 (SATA, B-Key, NGFF) | |
SATA (7 pin, Data) | ||
1 - Internal Ports | SP4 (4 pin, Small Drive Power) | |
Environmental | Operating Temperature | 5°C to 50°C (41°F to 122°F) |
Storage Temperature | -25°C to 70°C (-13°F to 158°F) | |
Humidity | 20%~80% RH (Non-condensing) | |
Hardware | Ports | 2 |
Interface | M.2 SATA | |
Bus Type | PCI Express | |
Card Type | Standard Profile (LP bracket incl.) | |
Interface | SATA | |
Port Style | Integrated on Card | |
Industry Standards | Serial ATA 3.0 specification - SATA I/II/III (1.5/3/6Gbps) | |
PCI Express 2.0 | ||
Hardware RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 | ||
Chipset ID | Marvell - 88SE9230 | |
Indicators | 2 - LED Indicators | M.2 drive LEDs (Green) |
3 - LED Indicators | Pin headers for LEDs | |
Packaging Information | Package Height | 47 mm [1.9 in] |
Package Length | 16.2 cm [6.4 in] | |
Shipping (Package) Weight | 169 g [6.0 oz] | |
Package Width | 21.9 cm [8.6 in] | |
Performance | Type and Rate | SATA III (6 Gbps) |
Port Multiplier | Yes | |
Number of Ports That Support Port Multiplier | 2 (can only use 1 PM at a time) | |
Number of Drives Supported Through Port Multiplier | 1 to 4 | |
Bootable | Yes | |
Hardware Raid Supported | Yes | |
Supported RAID Modes | JBOD - (Just a Bunch of Disks) | |
ATAPI Support | Yes | |
Supported RAID Modes | RAID 1 (Mirrored Disks) | |
RAID 0 (Striped Disks) | ||
RAID 10 (1+0, Striped set of Mirrored Subset) | ||
Physical Characteristics | Weight of Product | 64 g [2.3 oz] |
Material | Steel | |
Product Length | 18 cm [7.1 in] | |
Product Width | 20 mm [0.8 in] | |
Product Height | 12 cm [4.7 in] | |
Software | OS Compatibility | Windows® XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 Windows Server® 2003, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019 Mac OS® 10.6 to 10.14 Linux 3.5.x to 4.11.x LTS versions only Note: Connected drives cannot be used as System / Primary drive in Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019 |
Special Notes / Requirements | System and Cable Requirements | PCI Express x4 slot (backward compatible with x8, and x16 slots) |
Note | The maximum throughput of this card is limited by the bus interface. If used with PCI Express Gen 1.0 enabled computers, the max throughput is 2.5Gbps per lane. If used with PCI Express Gen 2.0 enabled computers, the max throughput is 5Gbps per lane. | |
The card's two SATA ports support port multiplier, up to seven drives total (including two M.2 drives). Only one SATA port can use port multiplier at a time, with up to four drives total connected through PM (in a non-RAID configuration) | ||
What's in the Box | 1 - Included in Package | M.2 SSD RAID controller card |
low-profile bracket | ||
2 - Included in Package | M.2 mounting screws | |
1 - Included in Package | quick-start guide |
Power up to two 4-pin LP4hard drives or devices, and a floppy drive, from a single SATA power supply connector
We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
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Live Chat (opens in new window)When Windows asks, “Where do you want to install Windows?” choose “Load Driver.” Then connect a USB drive (or insert a CD) with the controller’s RAID driver and load the correct one for the OS you will be installing.
Before you install the device, make sure that your operating system is current (for example, the most recent service pack is installed).
Note: Windows usually saves the files to the Downloads folder that is associated with your user account (for example, C:\Users\your_name\Downloads).
Note: If the Run as Administrator option is not available, you might be attempting to run the installer from within the zipped file. Extract the files using the instructions in step 2.
Your computer will automatically complete the driver installation and your device should be ready to use.
Try updating the Motherboard BIOS and use the card in another PCI Express slot. If that does not help experiment with disabling any onboard RAID controllers or other SATA controllers.
When you troubleshoot issues with a hard drive controller card, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:
IDE, SATA, and eSATA cables
Hard drives
Hard drive controller card
To test your setup components, try the following:
Use the IDE, SATA, or eSATA cable, hard drive, and hard drive controller card in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.
Use a different IDE, SATA, or eSATA cable, hard drive, and hard drive controller card in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.
When you test your cables, it is recommended that you do the following:
Test each cable individually.
Use short cables when you are testing.
When you test the hard drive and hard drive controller card, it is recommended that you do the following:
To open the Device Manager, press the Windows key + R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter. Check the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers (for IDE) section, or the Storage controllers (for SATA) section.
Do one of the following:
If you do not see the hard drive controller card in Device Manager, refer to the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/support/faqs/technical-support?topic=expansion-cards#pci-pcie-cannot-boot-os-or-detect-windows.
If the device is listed with an error, reinstall the drivers by completing the instructions on the website.
If the hard drive is listed with unallocated space, the hard drive needs to be formatted. Right-click unallocated and click New Simple Volume. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reformatting.
Note: Formatting a hard drive erases all of the data on it. Make sure that you back up all of your data before you reformat the hard drive.
To check Disk Management, press the Windows key + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter. Check to see if your hard drive is listed.
If the hard drive is listed as healthy but does not have a drive letter, for example, C:, right-click healthy and click Change Drive Letter and Paths. Click Add, assign a drive letter, and click OK.
Note: A formatted hard drive does not show up in Computer or My Computer until it has a drive letter assigned to it.
In order to rebuild a RAID array, you need to replace a physical drive with an identical drive on the same RAID controller. Although standard RAID levels are generally agreed upon throughout the industry, the implementation varies between manufacturers. RAID arrays are typically not accessible when they are moved to another controller, and data may be unrecoverable if the drives are out of order or have been formatted or accessed by another RAID controller.
If a RAID controller has failed, you should get the exact same model of RAID controller.
Note: If a drive or drives were damaged, it is possible that the RAID array may be permanently unrecoverable.
RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, you should back up the data on another physical drive or logical set of drives.
With the following RAID modes, recovery is possible using the same StarTech.com product. Refer to the following table for the appropriate method to use to recover your RAID array.
RAID mode | Max # of failed drives | Procedure |
RAID 1 | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
The array will rebuild and is accessible during the rebuilding process. |
RAID 3 | Single drive failure will rebuild. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
RAID 5 | Single drive failure will rebuild. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
RAID 10 | Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail. |
Note: Do not change the order of the drives.
|
If you boot into the operating system and load the Marvell Storage Utility, the RAID rebuild will not complete. The RAID can only be rebuilt in the controller’s BIOS. To learn how to access your cards BIOS, please see the product information included with your card.
To confirm that Windows detects your expansion card, complete the following:
Your expansion card is listed according to the name of the chipset. To determine the name of the chipset of your expansion card, navigate to www.StarTech.com and look on the Technical Specifications tab for your product.
To confirm that the Mac OS detects your expansion card, complete the following:
Your expansion card is listed according to the name of the chipset. To determine the name of the chipset of your expansion card, navigate to www.StarTech.com and look on the Technical Specifications tab for your product.
In order to use a hard drive plugged into a hard drive controller card as your operating system, you need to install the operating system onto the hard drive while it is plugged into the expansion card. To do this, complete the following:
Note: Not all hard drive controller cards have drivers that allow you to install the operating system onto the hard drive. All of the hard drive controllers that display this FAQ include this capability.
Before you begin, consult the documentation that came with the motherboard to make sure that the motherboard or BIOS supports booting from an expansion card.
Although M.2 SSDs come in similar form factors, only an M.2 SATA drive with an NGFF B key will operate with this device. M.2 drives that are PCIe or have a different key position are not compatible with this device.
This device can adapt an M.2 SATA drive to standard SATA connections, which is not possible for a PCIe based M.2 drive. The key type refers to the connector type on the M.2 SATA drive. B key can be M.2 PCIe x2 or SATA, so it is important that you check the specifications of the drive to see if it supports SATA.
This device supports the ATA Packet Interface (ATAPI) protocol. ATAPI is required for optical drives, including CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM drives, and Blu-ray players. Because this device supports ATAPI, optical drives are also supported.
Note: Not all StarTech.com devices support each of the RAID modes described below. For more information on the RAID modes that your device supports, refer to the manual or the StarTech.com product page.
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a virtual disk technology that combines multiple physical drives into one unit. RAID can create redundancy, improve performance, or do both.
RAID should not be considered a replacement for backing up your data. If critical data is going onto a RAID array, it should be backed up to another physical drive or logical set of drives.
The following are terms that are normally used in connection with RAID:
Different RAID levels exist for different application requirements.
Refer to the following table for the list of RAID modes offered by some StarTech.com products:
RAID mode | Description | Operation | Advantages | Disadvantages | Recovery |
RAID 0 | Striped disks | Data is split evenly between two or more disks. | Large size and the fastest speed. | No redundancy. | If one or more drives fails, this results in array failure. |
RAID 1 | Mirrored disks | Two or more drives have identical data on them. | A single drive failure will not result in data loss. | Speed and size is limited by the slowest and smallest disk. | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
RAID 3 | Striped set with dedicated parity | Data is split evenly between two or more disks, plus a dedicated drive for parity storage. | High speeds for sequential read/write operations. | Poor performance for multiple simultaneous instructions. | A single drive failure will rebuild. |
RAID 5 | Striped disks with distributed parity | Data is split evenly between three or more disks. Parity is split between disks. | Large size, fast speed, and redundancy. | The total array size is reduced by parity. | A single drive failure will rebuild. |
RAID 10 | 1+0; Striped set of Mirrored Subset | Four or more drives are made into two mirrors that are striped. | Larger size and higher speed than RAID-1, and more redundancy than RAID-0. | No parity. | Only one drive in a mirrored set can fail. |
JBOD | Just a Bunch Of Disks | Any number of drives are accessed independently by the operating system. | Software RAID modes can be used. | Hardware RAID may have better performance. | N/A |
Big | Spanning or Concatenation | Data is written on one drive until it is full, and then the next drive(s) until it or they are full. | Creates a very large and simple array. |
No redundancy. |
N/A |
Clone | RAID 1 + Spare |
Two drives have identical data, plus one drive is used for rebuilding in case of a primary array failure. |
Seamless operation when one drive fails in a RAID-1 array. | Spare drive is not accessible to the user. | Only one drive is needed for recovery. |
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