LSI 9240-8I on x58 worth it

MEMOFLEX

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Hi guys and girls,

Have recently been offered an LSI 9240-8I pretty cheap and was wondering whether it would be worth it.

I will admit that I will most likely not use it for RAID at all and was wondering if it is usable to just offer proper sata 6/gbs support for additional hard disks / ssds?

Cheers
 
Solution
You probably already know this but the card is an x8 card, so make sure you have an x8 (or x16) PCIe slot available on your motherboard.
That card sells for $294.99 on Newegg.com. Unless you're getting it for half price or less it's probably not worth it.
If your 2 SSDs are connected to the Marvell controller then you're getting SATA 3 speeds, although you're not getting your drive's maximum advertised SATA 3 speeds.

Probably best to upgrade your motherboard & CPU to a Z77 chipset which have native Intel SATA 3 ports.
If you're really patient then wait for the 4th Gen Z87 motherboards and CPUs that should be released before the end of this year.
 

MEMOFLEX

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I have been offered the card for £60 and it has only been used once to try and set up a server before not being needed.

I have been using the intel sata 2 ports on my MB for the SSD's as have found the Marvell ones to be a little erratic (use them for blu-ray drive and old HDD as have no available ports left).

I have thought about upgrading but tbh I am still pretty happy with my setup with the exception of the lack of true SATA 3 support.

I know I mentioned it in my original post but can the card just be used to give me more SATA ports without RAID?

Cheers
 

MEMOFLEX

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I have a spare x16 slot but thinking about it I have an sli config (x16/x8) so would that limit its performance. From my understanding there are x32 lanes on x58 but have read that the Marvell controller takes x1. Will have to have a peek at my manual at I have used the bottom of 3 PCI-E slots for the second card for improved airflow but have a feeling that if I use the middle one as well the bottom slot becomes a x4.

If that is not the case then the LSI card is what I am looking for.

Thanks for your help btw