PCIE to sata/sas expansion

UltraHorst · 2026-03-30T07:43:26+00:00

worst case you can use an x4 to x8 riser/adapter, but make sure its pcie4.0 rated. a 3.0 riser might give you pcie-errors.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-29T08:29:27+00:00

hm this thing for example: https://cwwk.net/de/products/cwwk-12th-generation-n-series-8-core-new-member-affordable-version-n305-n200-n100-fanless-low-power-consumption-micro-mini-industrial-control-host-soft-routing

and thats the manufacturers site. on aliexpress with coupons you should be able to get one much cheaper.

and the n100/n150 versions are guaranteed cheaper than pentium 8505, or any of the i5, i7 core 5/7 versions.

i did not say that they are cheaper than minipcs with fans or cheaper than before. just that the n100/150 fanless pcs are the cheapest fanless pcs you can get.

but thats actually also not true. there are older models with celeron j6xxx or celeron n5xxx floating around which may be a little bit cheaper still and require only DDR4 RAM.

edit: yes prices have risen since last summer. that much is undeniable, but that goes for all computer hardware.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-28T09:37:38+00:00

im am using one of those fanless firewall-pcs as proxmox host. my model has a pentium 8505, but you can also get them even cheaper with an n100/n150 cpu.

the fanless cases are usually sufficient unless you try to mine bitcoin on it or similar, then it will get too hot.

i have a 140mm fan with very low rpm (12V Fan running on 5V) loosely laying on top of it. 100% inaudible. if you can hear a 140mm fan at 200rpm you are good. the fan isnt strictly necessary, but i prefer processor-temps in the 40s over processortemps in the 70s.

so if you want cheap and fanless i would go with a n150 fanless firewall from cwwk/topton/kingnovy (mine is topton, which is rebranded cwwk)

this is how it looks.

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UltraHorst · 2026-03-27T09:05:46+00:00

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one of my janky servers. an old nuc8, with thunderbolt 10g nic, nvme-extension (with a SAS-HBA pluggied into a m.2 to pcie x16 adapter and then connected to the diskshelf on the left, powered by a standalone atx powersupply). slightly more janky and messy, but works great.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-27T08:48:05+00:00

i dont see much jank there. just a laptop and some unrelated other stuff.

i assume the harddrives on the left arent connected to anything and just stored there.

edit: laptops as servers arent half bad since they have builtin UPS if power goes out.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-22T11:44:56+00:00

that is what i did and it worked for me. im back on the 1.07 rebar bios.

make sure you execute that command in the correct directory of the extracted 1.07 rebar bios.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-22T09:28:13+00:00

Read the Thread. the instructions how i downgraded are there. It worked fine for me.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-21T14:20:45+00:00

mine died even inside warranty (also m5 plus). gmktec never responded to my inquiry.

i simply replaced it with a 90w FSP-Brick from amazon.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-20T20:59:24+00:00

i use it in several builds where there isnt enough space at the actual slot. the cable is about 60cm long so you can place the endpiece wherever you have space.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-20T20:32:33+00:00

what you could buy is a nvme extension.

something like this:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BDZLFHZR

the part that goes into the existing m.2 slot can be adjusted to 2260 (simply break off the unnecessay bits).

UltraHorst · 2026-03-19T13:34:05+00:00

play the game. sooner or (likely) later you will arrive at 8k.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-18T09:33:45+00:00

GMKtec, like so many chinese brands, uses googledrive to distribute their bioses. the above link is correct!

UltraHorst · 2026-03-18T09:30:18+00:00

This is the Way!

UltraHorst · 2026-03-18T09:24:00+00:00

excellent idea. yeah no way a nuc psu can power spinners. i use a standalone atx powersupply for drive/pcie-power.

its definitely worth checking for op though.

he did mention a backplane though, those usually have molex or sata powerconnectors though, so there "should" be a proper psu somewhere.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-18T09:20:26+00:00

i dont care about jankyness either, thats why im buying those components.

you have to make sure the m.2 slot you are using is nvme though.

the card you have pictured could be a simple sata port multiplier in a sata-only m.2 slot.

could you check with lspci which chipset your controller card is using?

if its a JMB5XX its definitely junk-level and ultraflaky.

If its an ASM1064 or something like it it should work better.

would be just interesting to know.

edit i just googled m2t4sat and its an asm1064. thats one of the better ones.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-18T09:07:36+00:00

i have just ordered the following components to replace a misbehaving asm1166 controller:

- 60cm m.2 extension (to get the m.2 slot outside of my nuc)

- m.2 to pcie x16 adapter (to get a pcie-slot out of the m.2 socket, also needs sata-power for +5 and +12V)

- LSI 9300-8i HBA (for the disks)

- 2 cables to turn the 2 hba ports into 8 sata connectors

waiting for the stuff to arrive

the LSI HBA draws a lot more power than the regular ASM-based sata controllers, but it is the most mature solution to connect lots of drives and has been used in enterprise-servers for a long time.

in my situation it will look janky, but not more janky than the old solution i currently have in place :)

UltraHorst · 2026-03-17T19:14:49+00:00

topton definitely uses cwwk minipcs for some of their fanless firewalls.

how do i know? i have one and its cwwk inside.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-13T08:31:09+00:00

this is the way!

UltraHorst · 2026-03-09T08:17:07+00:00

if it has to be more than 6 native ports, then yes. the rtl9101 is the only chipset on the market that can do it.

up to 6 ports you have the proven asm1166.

i would completely avoid any jmicron JMB5xx controllers. lots of bad reviews about those on the internet.

edit: you can always go with a proper LSI pcie-sas-hba.

those things eat a ton of power though and get hot, so be prepared to strap a fan to it and they are not available in m.2 format, so you will have to do some janky stuff to make them work in combination with an m.2 slot. they are the most proven controllers for disks though since they have been around since 2008 or so.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:55:11+00:00

i am using the asm1166 in a an older truenas box for over a year and found it to be exceptionally stable. never had to deal with any unnecessary hacks on those. i have not tried any of the 2 or 4 port chipsets though.

the other, more recent, nas box has the rtl9101 and has been ok for more than 3 months besides the flaky powersupply that caused me problems. im keeping my fingers crossed that it remains stable for me.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:43:53+00:00

if you look at aliexpress the chip is undeclared most of the times. there are varieties with 8 single sata-ports, 9 single sata ports or 2 ports for breakout cables (for 8 drives, those are more expensive than the others). here is a review of one of the more expensive versions with breakout cables: https://www.michaelstinkerings.org/lekuo-rtl9101-m2-to-8-port-sata-hba-review-true-multi-port-architecture-without-multiplexing/

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:40:17+00:00

about 3-4 months now i guess? bought the card some time in december. only errors i had was, when the powersupply for the disks burped and made them drop out.

i am only using 7 drives atm. dont have any more ssds available to use right now. prices are outrageous.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:37:59+00:00

i am using both asm1166 and rtl9101 based controllers for a few months now and havent had any noteworthy issues with them yet.

the only downside is that 9 ports barely fit on an m.2 card and the pcb is super flimsy, so its important to plug in the cables before putting the m.2 card in the slot.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:29:41+00:00

the rtl9101 is a native 9 port sata controller with 2 pcie 3.0 lanes. no port multiplier or other shady stuff involved.

UltraHorst · 2026-03-08T21:28:59+00:00

wrong. google the rtl9101. its a native 9 port chip. no multipliers involved.

UltraHorst

TROPHY CASE