4 Port PCI Express 2.0 SATA III 6Gbps RAID Controller Card with HyperDuo SSD Tiering
Add 4 Internal SATA III (6Gbps) ports to a computer through a PCI Express x2 slot
Product ID: PEXSAT34RH
2,8 stars
(14 reviews) |
- Supports HyperDuo SSD auto-tiering
- 4 AHCI SATA III (6Gbps) ports through PCI Express x2
- Fully compliant with SATA 3.0 specifications and backward compatible with SATA I/II (1.5/3.0Gbps) drives
Your price
€107,99
EUR excl. VAT
€134,99
EUR incl. VAT
The PEXSAT34RH 4-Port PCI Express 2.0 SATA Controller Card with HyperDuo adds 4 AHCI SATA III ports to a computer through a PCIe slot (x2), delivering multiple internal 6Gbps connections for high-performance hard drives and Solid State Drives (SSDs).
Featuring HyperDuo technology, the SATA card offers SSD auto-tiering which lets you balance the performance advantages of SSD storage with the cost-effectiveness and large capacity of standard hard drives. By combining SSD and HDD drives into a single volume (up to 3 SSD + 1 HDD), HyperDuo discreetly works in the background to identify and move frequently accessed files to the faster SSD drive(s) for improved data throughput - up to 80% of SSD performance! (Note: The HyperDuo automatic storage tiering feature is compatible with computers that use a BIOS.)
The PCIe SATA controller card supports Port Multiplier (PM), enabling multiple SATA drives to be connected to one port over a single cable, for a total of 7 drives (Up to 4 drives through PM on one port, and a single drive to the remaining 3 ports). Plus, the SATA controller card offers an effective hardware RAID solution, with native RAID (0, 1, 1+0) support.
Throughput Benchmark
| Drive configuration | Throughput | Drive size |
|---|---|---|
| 1 x HDD | 112.81 MB/s | 2 TB |
| 1 x SSD | 490.28 MB/S | 120 GB |
| 1 x HDD + 1 x SSD HyperDuo (Safe Mode) | 489.28 MB/s | 2 TB |
| 1 x HDD + 2 x SSD HyperDuo (Safe Mode) | 715.13 MB/s | 2 TB |
| Drives Used: SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 Series 2.5” 120 GB (VTX3-25SAT3-120G) HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green 3.5” 2 TB (WD20EARS) Software Used: IO Meter, 256KB Sequential Read, queue depth = 10 |
||
This PCIe SATA 6gbps card is backed by a 2-year StarTech.com warranty and free lifetime technical support.
Applications
- Add more internal SATA ports to a computer system, to connect additional storage drives and/or optical drives
- Upgrade an older PCIe-based system to SATA 6Gbps capability, to better utilize faster SATA drives
- Provide optimized off-site back-ups/vaulting, through built-in RAID 1 capability
The StarTech.com Advantage
- Maximize system capability with SATA III connection speeds
- Fit any standard or low profile chassis with included brackets
Partner Numbers
- Ingram Micro Sweden V932280
- ALSO Sweden 000000000002764069
- UPC 065030849951
Compatibility
Windows® XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Windows Server® 2003, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016
Mac OS® 10.6 to 10.14
Linux 3.5.x to 4.11.x LTS versions only
Windows Server® 2003, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016
Mac OS® 10.6 to 10.14
Linux 3.5.x to 4.11.x LTS versions only
Specifications
| Warranty Information | Warranty | 2 Years |
|---|---|---|
| Connector(s) | 4 - Internal Ports | SATA (7 pin, Data) |
| 1 - Connector Type(s) | PCI Express x2 | |
| Environmental | Operating Temperature | 5°C ~ 50°C (41°F ~ 122°F) |
| Storage Temperature | -25°C ~ 70°C (-13°F ~ 158°F) | |
| Humidity | 20% ~ 80% RH | |
| Hardware | Ports | 4 |
| Interface | SATA | |
| Bus Type | PCI Express | |
| Card Type | Standard Profile (LP bracket incl.) | |
| Port Style | Integrated on Card | |
| Industry Standards | PCI Express 2.0 | |
| Serial ATA 3.0 specification | ||
| Chipset ID | Marvell - 88SE9230 | |
| Packaging Information | Package Height | 32 mm [1,3 in] |
| Package Length | 17,5 cm [6,9 in] | |
| Shipping (Package) Weight | 141 g [5,0 oz] | |
| Package Width | 14,5 cm [5,7 in] | |
| Package Quantity | 1 | |
| Performance | Supported RAID Modes | JBOD - (Just a Bunch of Disks) |
| RAID 1 (Mirrored Disks) | ||
| RAID 0 (Striped Disks) | ||
| RAID 10 (1+0, Striped set of Mirrored Subset) | ||
| Type and Rate | SATA III (6 Gbps) | |
| Port Multiplier | Yes | |
| Number of Ports That Support Port Multiplier | 4 (can only use 1 PM at a time) | |
| Number of Drives Supported Through Port Multiplier | 1 to 4 | |
| Bootable | Yes | |
| LBA support | 48-bit | |
| Hardware Raid Supported | Yes | |
| ATAPI Support | Yes | |
| Max Drive Capacity | Currently tested up to 4TB per drive | |
| Hot Swap Capability | Yes | |
| Physical Characteristics | Weight of Product | 49 g [1,7 oz] |
| Material | Steel | |
| Product Length | 70 mm [2,8 in] | |
| Product Width | 12 cm [4,7 in] | |
| Product Height | 20 mm [0,8 in] | |
| Software | OS Compatibility | Windows® XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 Windows Server® 2003, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016 Mac OS® 10.6 to 10.14 Linux 3.5.x to 4.11.x LTS versions only |
| Special Notes / Requirements | System and Cable Requirements | Available PCI Express x2 slot (backward compatible with x4, 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 2.5 Gbps per lane. If used with PCI Express Gen 2.0 enabled computers, the max throughput is 5 Gbps per lane. Only one port can use the Port Multiplier feature at a time. Supports up to 4 drives connected via Port Multiplier, 7 drives total. Port Multiplier not supported in Mac OS. Note: Connected drives cannot be used as System / Primary drive in Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016 |
|
The Marvell Storage Utility application requires macOS 10.9 to 10.14. |
||
| What's in the Box | 1 - Included in Package | PCIe SATA Controller Card |
| Low Profile Bracket | ||
| Driver CD | ||
| Instruction Manual |
Certifications
View downloadable documentation
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Drivers/Downloads
Talk to an Advisor
We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
Live Chat (opens in new window)Driver(s):
-
[marvell 88se9230] windows pcie sata card.zip
- Language: EN
Firmware
-
[88se9230]_bios_boot_firmware_update.zip
- Version: 2.3.0.1067
- Language: EN
-
[88se9230]_uefi_boot_firmware_update.zip
- Version: 2.3.0.1067
- Language: EN
Manual(s):
-
pexsat34rh_usermanual.pdf
- Language: EN
Software
-
marvell_msu_windows.zip
- Version: 4.1.0.2032
- Language: EN
-
marvell_msu_osx.zip
- Version: 4.1.0.2035
- Language: EN
Datasheet
-
pexsat34rh_Datasheet.pdf
- Datasheet
- Language: EN
Product Support
Talk to an Advisor
We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
Live Chat (opens in new window)Frequently Asked Questions
Installation
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).
- Download the latest drivers from the StarTech.com website at http://www.startech.com/Support. The part number and product ID are on the product packaging.
Note: Windows usually saves the files to the Downloads folder that is associated with your user account (for example, C:\Users\your_name\Downloads).
- After the download is complete, right-click the zip folder that you downloaded, click Extract All, and complete the instructions.
- In the list of extracted files, right-click the Setup.exe file and click Run as Administrator.
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.
- Complete the instructions to install the device drivers, and restart your computer when prompted to.
Your computer will automatically complete the driver installation and your device should be ready to use.
Before you install the device, make sure that your operating system is current (for example, the most recent service pack is installed).
- Download the latest drivers from the StarTech.com website at http://www.startech.com/Support. The part number and product ID are on the product packaging.
Note: Windows usually saves the files to the Downloads folder that is associated with your user account (for example, C:\Documents and Settings\your_name\My Documents\Downloads).
- After the download is complete, right-click the zip folder that you downloaded, click Extract All, and complete the instructions.
- In the list of extracted files, double-click the Setup.exe file.
- Complete the instructions to install the device drivers, and restart your computer when prompted to.
Your computer will automatically complete the driver installation and your device should be ready to use.
Troubleshooting
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
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Hard drives
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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.
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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.
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Do one of the following:
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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.
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If the device is listed with an error, reinstall the drivers by completing the instructions on the website.
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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.
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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.
Rebuild a RAID array
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.
|
You should not upgrade your device's firmware if you do not have any issues with the functionality of your device. The only time you should consider an upgrade is if you are experiencing a problem with the device, and you have confirmed that the firmware addresses this problem. You can confirm this is the case by reviewing the documentation included with the firmware or by consulting with our Technical Support team. Incorrectly upgrading firmware can result in diminished performance so it is best to contact StarTech.com if you would like to perform this operation.
How To
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:
- Press the Windows key+R, type devmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
- In Device Manager, under the appropriate heading, confirm that your expansion card is listed and that there isn't an exclamation mark next to it. For example, a USB controller card would be under Universal Serial Bus controllers.
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:
- Click the Apple icon.
- Click About This Mac.
- Click More Info or System Report.
- Under the appropriate heading, confirm that your expansion card is listed and that there isn't an error. For example, a network card would be under Ethernet Cards.
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.
- Back up any data on the hard drive.
- Make a copy of the drivers from the website onto a floppy disc, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive. The drivers that you download depends on the operating system that you want to install.
- Install the hard drive controller card onto your motherboard.
- Plug the hard drive into the controller card.
- Turn on your computer and open the operating system install wizard.
- Before you select the hard drive that you want to install the operating system onto, select the option to install third-party drivers.
- Point the driver installer to the floppy disc, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive.
- Install the drivers.
- Select the hard drive on the hard drive controller card as the location where you want to install the operating system.
- Complete the on-screen instructions to finish installing the operating system.
Before You Buy
Although you can adapt a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drive to connect to a standard SATA controller card, the card must support SAS commands in order to communicate with SAS drives. SAS drives have a different command set that is not present on SATA controllers.
This SATA controller card only supports standard SATA drives.
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:
- Striping: data is split between multiple disks.
- Mirroring: data is mirrored between multiple disks.
- Parity: also referred to as a checksum. Parity is a calculated value used to mathematically rebuild data.
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. |
Compliance and safety
Compliance letters
-
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE)
- Language: English
-
RoHS & REACH Certificate of Compliance
- Language: English
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Country of Origin (COO)
- Language: English
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Declaration of Conformity (DOC)
- Language: English
Safety Measures
- If product has an exposed circuit board, do not touch the product under power.
- If Class 1 Laser Product. Laser radiation is present when the system is open.
- Wiring terminations should not be made with the product and/or electric lines under power.
- Product installation and/or mounting should be completed by a certified professional as per the local safety and building code guidelines.
- Cables (including power and charging cables) should be placed and routed to avoid creating electric, tripping or safety hazards.
*Product appearance and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Customer Reviews
(14 reviews)2,8 out of 5 stars
Tell us what you think of this product.
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Check out our review guidelines.
Missing JBOD
On the Tech Specs tab it states that JBOD is supported. I bought this card solely for this purpose. It took me hours to figure out that JBOD is NOT supported. It seems to be an adequate card in general, but, for me, it was a waste of money and time.
Hello,
Thanks for sharing this feedback with us.
We wanted to ensure you that JBOD is indeed supported with this card. However, we are aware that JBOD is defined differently depending on where you look.
We define JBOB as a set of disks that operate individually from each other. Whereas other sources cite JBOD as a set of disks that are spanned or concatenated together to function as one disk.
We refer to the second as BIG, something this card cannot do.
We would suggest speaking with our technical advisors if you would to discuss this further.
Thank you.
Great value
Been using it for almost two years now and it's worked consistently good. Used it to connect an internal 4TB drive and my comp case's top HDD docking station, and it does better than expected at both (allows drive hot swapping without issues). Data transfer speeds are just as expected. Totally recommended.
Unstable work
Disks connected to the card are unstable. Speed first 450 MB / s
Then drops to 100 MB / s. Mac OS 10.12.3
Hi Andrey, Drive performance can really vary at times - especially if writing lots of small files to your drive. Please try copying a single large file (ex 10 GB), if you're using a solid state drive connected to our card, it should perform much closer to 450 MB/s. Please contact our Support team if you'd like to take a closer look at the situation with us.
Simple, functional, and fast.
I had to do very little to get this working. Installed in a Linux server, booted into the card BIOS, configured the RAID and done. It presented the drive to the OS as configured, and throughput was better than I expected (first time using a StarTech controller, so I WAS apprehensive) given the list price. The small size makes for it not getting in the way inside the case or obstructing airflow.
I received this product in exchange for an unbiased review.
Missing JBOD
As with a keke27, I too am unable to find a JBOD option using the "card bios" method for installation in a linux rig. Two disks are plugged in, and the only options are Raid1 and Raid0.
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us. There's actually no need to enter the card's BIOS to configure the drives for JBOD use. By default, they will function as independent drives. The BIOS only needs to be used if you wish to configure a HyperDuo or RAID.
Effective! Fast as! wonderful. Amazing for Gamers.
Hello, recently purchased. Spiceworks poster.
Used this recently in a Gaming PC build, 2x 970 evo 512GB with 1x 6TB WD Blue = up to 800mbps throughput from or to NVME System drive.
I had initial issues with conflicts but I eventually got the card and my system working. copied my existing HDD to it, launched some games. Games like total War: Warhammer have gone down as much as less then a minute from a fresh boot not to mention No man's Sky which will load in about a minute.
HyperDuo is simply, incredible. Needed this card as I had a small case and I really needed more space for games, two of my four sata MB headers were blocked by fans so I saw this card and was keen to try the HyperDuo feature.
Great functioning
Hi! I like the product, but I have a question. How can I disable the hot swat function under windows 10 in single disc mode? I was able to disable it in windows 7 in Device Manager, but in win 10 I can't find this function.
Windows 10x64 Update 1809 problem
Boot under 1809 possible, yet system significant slower than under 1803.
Worst: my 4 RAID 10 HDD with the OS on it are shown as "removable drive". No proposals from MS & forums do the fix up-to-date.
We apologize the PEXSAT34RH isn't behaving as expected in Windows 10 1809, and we'd like to look into this further with you. We have Technical Support Advisors ready 24 hours, 5 days a week, to help with issues, so please reach out to us directly using the "Chat Live" option above, or for other options, visit: https://www.startech.com/support
I have this card and the computer does not see it
I bought this card hoping to allow me to hook up a couple more SATA devices. The system a Win 7 64 bit does not even see the card
We're sorry to hear that your computer isn't seeing our PEXSAT34RH. Moving the card to a second PCI Express slot in the PC or trying the card in a second computer may help fix the issue or help identify where the problem lies. We're happy to help get this card working and have reached out at the provided email address to assist you.
Good choice for disk failure recovery.
I have bought 6 of these and used them for SuSe Linux Enterprise and OS/2 as the boot drive device using raid 1. They all have worked without any problems. The throughput is good but not as fast as not having a raid. I bought a backup controller that can replace an existing one if needed. Easy to configure (once you discover the CRTL-M to enter setup).
Card not working in PCIe x16 slot
Trying to get this card working in a Dell Optiplex 3060 box. The motherboard has 3 PCIe x1 slots and 1 x16 slot. The manual stated that it will work in an x16 slot, but after installing the card and booting, the Dell logo pops up and just sits there. It has been like this for a hour and I cannot even enter BIOS. Apparently, your documentation isn't worth the paper it's printed on. The card is worth even less. I'll be returning it today unless I hear from support.
We apologize for the difficulties you've experienced with our PEXSAT34RH. This card uses a PCI Express x2 connector and is compatible with any slot that's x2 or lager. If the slot in the computer works with other cards, but installing this is causing your computer to freeze when booting up, it could indicate that the card you received may be faulty. We'd be happy to look into this further with you. Please feel free to contact us directly at www.startech.com/support where our Technical Advisors are available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week to provide support.
UEFI
I was glad to find new UEFI bios for the card, yet my external drive connected does not show anymore. When viewing in MSU Software its seems to be a problem with a SATA 3G/Bit fault in the controller. My 6G/bit drives works fine. Is there a solution to this problem.
We apologize for the difficulties you're experiencing with our PEXSAT34RH. This is not expected behavior and we'd like to speak with you further so we can investigate this. Please contact us at www.startech.com/support where our Technical Advisors are available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week to provide assistance.
Nothing but problems...
I purchased this card so that I could add 3 additional SATA hard disk drives to my PC, because my motherboard's 12 SATA ports are all being used.
However, the card has caused me nothing but headaches. When I first installed the card, it appeared to be working fine because the hard drives all showed up during POST. It booted into Windows and the hard drives all appeared in My Computer and in disk manager...
But that was only for less than 5 minutes. After that, the three hard drives vanished from My Computer and Disk Manager as though they had been unplugged. In an attempt to make the drives show up again, I restarted my computer, only to have it freeze during the Windows boot logo three times in a row.
When I read that freezing during boot was a sign of a faulty card, I ordered a second card thinking that I must have just been unlucky with the first. But the second card has the exact same issues as the first! This means that either my luck is REALLY bad, or (more likely) most/all of these cards are defective or bad by design.
The three hard drives work properly when attached via a SATA to USB adapter, or when attached directly to the motherboard with either of two brands of SATA cables, so the drives and cables aren't the problem. In my trial-and-error tests, I found that the only thing that differs between when the hard drives work and when they don't is when they are attached via this card.
Therefore, it'd definitely be better to look elsewhere if you need an easy to use, stable, and reliably-working PCI-e to SATA card.
We pride ourselves on our high-quality standards and are sorry to hear about the difficulties you've experienced when installing our PEXSAT34RH. As you're seeing the exact same behavior with both cards it sounds like this may be more related to a chipset conflict between the specific chip used on this card and one of the chipsets used on your computer's motherboard. These problems are very rare but unfortunately when they occur the only option is to look at a card that uses a different chipset.
Works with FreeBSD
I bought this as a replacement for a faulty SATA 2.0 controller. Works out of the box, although for some strange reason only after I booted the second time, examined the BIOS menu with ctrl-M, and figured I didn't need to change anything for JBOD mode. Overall seems good product. Only minor disadvantage is that it is only a PCIe 2.0 x2 lane, so I'm not mistaken that's max 1 GByte/s, whilst 4 disks could theoretically generate 4x 6 Gbit/s = 3 Gbyte/s (minus overhead).
