{"product_id":"lsi-logic-sas9200-8e-2-x-sff-8088-ports-hba-external-6gb-s","title":"LSI Logic SAS9200-8E 2 x SFF-8088 Ports HBA - External 6Gb\/s","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review the LSI Logic SAS9200-8E is evaluated as a high-capacity external HBA for servers and storage enclosures. It is aimed at system builders and datacenter technicians who need reliable, cost-effective connectivity to external 6Gb\/s SATA and SAS drives. The single biggest reason to buy is the card's support for two external SFF-8088 connectors and up to 512 physical devices, which makes it a sensible choice when expanding external RAID or JBOD storage without moving to a full controller-based RAID solution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDual SFF-8088 ports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Provides two external mini-SAS x4 connectors so multiple enclosures can be attached for large external storage pools.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e6Gb\/s transfer support:\u003c\/strong\u003e Handles both 6Gb\/s and 3Gb\/s SATA and SAS drives, allowing use with contemporary SSDs and hard drives at the interface's maximum throughput.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHigh device scalability:\u003c\/strong\u003e Supports up to 512 physical SATA and SAS devices, enabling extensive expansion in rack and tower environments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePCIe 2.0 x8 host interface:\u003c\/strong\u003e Uses a PCI Express 2.0 x8 link to provide sufficient host bandwidth for aggregated external enclosures.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompatibility with tape and drives:\u003c\/strong\u003e Works with tape drives as well as HDDs and SSDs, making it versatile for backup and archival gateways.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe SAS9200-8E is best for IT professionals and system integrators who need to add external storage enclosures to servers without replacing existing host systems. It fits well where external RAID or non-RAID enclosures are used for capacity scaling, backup libraries, or cold storage systems.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThose who should look elsewhere include users who require an internal drive focus only, or who need a controller with on-board RAID features and battery-backed cache; this HBA is designed as a host bus adapter rather than a full-featured RAID controller with integrated caching.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReliable external connectivity via two SFF-8088 mini-SAS x4 ports for multi-enclosure setups.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSupports both 6Gb\/s and 3Gb\/s SATA and SAS devices, offering flexibility for mixed-drive environments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHigh scalability to up to 512 physical devices, useful for large storage arrays and tape libraries.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eDoes not include an internal RAID engine; users wanting integrated RAID and cache should choose a different model.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eModel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLSI Logic SAS9200-8E\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExternal Ports\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 x SFF-8088 (mini-SAS x4)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHost Interface\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePCI Express 2.0 x8\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSupported Speeds\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6Gb\/s and 3Gb\/s SATA and SAS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMax Devices\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUp to 512 physical devices\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDrive Types\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSATA, SAS, SSD, tape drives\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe LSI Logic SAS9200-8E is a practical, no-frills HBA for adding robust external storage connectivity to servers. It delivers broad device support and strong scalability at a reasonable cost for datacenter and backup use cases. Choose it when you need reliable external mini-SAS links and device density; look to a controller with integrated RAID if you require on-card caching or advanced RAID features.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan this card connect multiple external enclosures?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, the two SFF-8088 ports allow connection of multiple external enclosures depending on enclosure topology and expanders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it support both SATA and SAS drives?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes, it supports 6Gb\/s and 3Gb\/s SATA and SAS hard drives, SSDs, and compatible tape devices.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a RAID controller with onboard cache?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, this is an HBA designed for host connectivity; it does not provide on-board RAID processing or battery-backed cache.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LSI Logic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48235479171291,"sku":"B013YPQ3A8","price":59.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/21yDkS_ZfJL._AC.jpg?v=1770841131","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/lsi-logic-sas9200-8e-2-x-sff-8088-ports-hba-external-6gb-s","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}