LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCIe 12Gb/s HBA Card Review

By Olin Coles

Manufacturer: LSI Corporation
Product Name: PCI-Express 12Gbps HBA Card
Model Number: 9300-4i4e (SKU LSI00349)
UPC: 830343007134
Price As Tested: $395 (Amazon | Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by LSI.

The LSI 9300-4i4e is a PCI-Express to Serial Attached SCSI (PCIe-to-SAS) host bus adapter (HBA) card fits server and high-performance workstation computers to deliver internal and external storage connectivity. Also called the LSI 12GB/s SAS HBA card, the 9300-4i4e model provides eight lanes of 12Gb/s SAS connectivity and is matched with eight lanes of PCIe 3.0 8Gb/s performance. LSI’s 9300-4i4e 12GB/s SAS HBA is based on the proprietary Fusion-MPT architected LSI SAS3008 / Fusion MPT 2.5 controller that fuses 8Gb/s PCIe 3.0 technology to 12Gb/s SAS technology. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the features and functionality for the LSI SAS 9300-4i4e PCIe 12Gbps HBA Card.

Few motherboards offer a faster peripheral interface than the PCI Express bus. With support for eight-lane full-duplex performance, the PCIe bus is capable of performance reaching 64Gb/s in single direction or 128Gb/s with dual-direction. The LSI SAS 3008 controller chip enables the LSI 9300-4i4e to deliver 12Gb/s from the SAS HBA.

• Four internal and four external 12Gb/s SAS +SATA ports
• 8 lanes, PCI Express 3.0
• Low-profile form-factor design
• One (x4) internal mini-SAS (SFF8643) HD connector, One (x4) external mini-SAS (SFF8644) HD connector
• LSI SAS3008 12Gb/s SAS+SATA Controller
• Support for up to 1024 SAS or SATA end devices
• Fusion-MPT 2.5 architecture
• Supports major operating systems
• RoHS compliant
• Three-year standard warranty

• Designed to provide state of the art connectivity for servers and appliances with internal storage and the ability to add external storage
• 8 lanes of PCI Express 3.0 provides faster signaling for high-bandwidth applications
• High performance with 12Gb/s data transfer rates

The LSI 9300-4i4e 12GB/s SAS HBA card, SKU LSI00349, is high-performance PCI-Express to Serial Attached SCSI adapter card that provides eight lanes of 12Gb/s SAS connectivity. Available online for $395 (Amazon | Newegg), the The LSI 9300-4i4e supports all major Operating Systems: Windows 7/8, Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, Oracle Solaris 10, and VMware.

Occupying a single-slot PCI Express slot with its low-profile design, the LSI 9300-4i4e PCI-Express SAS 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter measure 6.0-inches long and 2.7-inches wide. Both versions of the LSI 9300-4i4e kit (LSI00348 and LSI00349) come with full-length (shown above) and low-profile brackets, which enable the LSI 12GB/s SAS HBA card to fit 1U and 2U server/workstation units.

A low-profile aluminum heatsink conceals the LSI SAS3008 / Fusion MPT 2.5 controller positioned below it. Under normal operation the LSI 9300-4i4e generates only a small amount of heat, which is easily dissipated by the heatsink. No additional cooling or active cooling fans are necessary. Normally the LSI 9300 draws approximately 14.25 Watts of power from the PCIe bus, which is capable of 12.0 Volts at 1.97 Amps. At maximum power consumption, the HBA could draw as much as 26 Watts.

An external SFF-8664 mini-SAS HD connection port is located at the head of the LSI 12GB/s SAS HBA card, which supports cables using passive copper with active optical construction. Up to four external 12Gb/s SATA+SAS devices share dedicated lanes for either narrow- or wide-port configuration. In narrow-port using only one data lane, half-duplex bandwidth is limited to 1200 MB/s while full-duplex bandwidth can reach 2400 MB/s. Using all four lanes in wide-port, half-duplex bandwidth reaches 4800 MB/s while full-duplex bandwidth climbs to 9600 MB/s.

At the tail-end of the LSI 12GB/s SAS HBA card is an internal SFF-8643 mini-SAS HD connector port, which also supports another four dedicated 12Gb/s SATA+SAS device lanes for either narrow- or wide-port configuration just like the external SFF-8664 mini-SAS HD port. Up to four more devices can utilize full- or half-duplex bandwidth in either wide- or narrow-port configuration. All connections support 3, 6, and 12Gb/s SAS link rates, and 3 or 6Gb/s SATA link rates.

The LSI 9300-4i4e SAS HBA card features an Everspin MR256D08B 256Kb magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) and Intel 64MB DRAM module (064M29EWL), which is used to store the BIOS firmware. BIOS data is automatically protected on power loss by low-voltage inhibit circuitry to prevent writes with voltage out of specification, so faulty firmware updates are thereby reduced.

LSI offers free firmware updates directly from their website (www.lsi.com/products/storagecomponents/Pages/LSISAS9300-4i4e.aspx), as well as free technical assistance. The LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCI-Express 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter receives three years of warranty support.

Enterprise technology demands more from computer hardware than the retail consumer segment, and companies are thinking outside the box to deliver performance. In the case of LSI’s 12GB/s SAS HBA card, it’s also what’s in the box that matters: either the Serial Attached SCSI enclosure, or the computer case. Good for up to 12Gb/s of bandwidth for up to eight attached SAS devices (four internal and four external), the LSI 9300-4i4e provides support for up to 1024 SATA or SAS end devices. The LSI 9300 SAS HBA also offers support for integrated RAID-0, RAID-1, and RAID-10 arrays.

You’ll notice that this article is absent the usual benchmark performance tests that accompany our reviews. That’s because the LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCI-Express 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter can be configured with up to 1024 separate SATA end devices, and even if only one end-device were connected to each of the four internal and four external channels the results would only reflect performance for that particular set of components. When looked at objectively, offering 12Gb/s of bandwidth from a PCIe device is already a noteworthy accomplishment.

In terms of appearance the LSI 9300-4i4e is designed to as a pure work horse, and not a show pony. Personally, I really like the honeycomb ventilation on the header bracket. The heatsink will stand out when seen from the inside, but adapter cards are rarely the centerpiece of server systems. The enterprise environment is all business, putting function well before fashion.

Construction is a strong point for the LSI SAS HBA. The entire board is made of solid state components, enabling the durable design to endure harsh working environments while maintaining enterprise-critical stability. The heatsink helps ensure the LSI SAS3008 (Fusion MPT 2.5) controller remains cool even in during the harshest operating temperatures (32°-131° F). The vented bracket enables the HBA to exhaust some of the heated air outside the enclosure for added cooling. If something should go wrong, LSI warranties their product for three years.

With up to 12Gb/s bandwidth for as many as 1024 connected end-devices, the LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCI-Express 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter is the epitome of functionality. Available with an array of SFF-8643/8664 mini-SAS HD cable lengths and combinations, the LSI SAS HBA offers a myriad of configuration choices. Additionally, the low-profile design makes it possible to use either the standard full-length bracket or low-profile version for 1U and 2U server installations.

As of August 2013, the LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCI-Express 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter kit (SKU LSI00349 with cables) costs $395 online (Amazon | Newegg). That’s not unreasonable, especially for the environment this hardware will be used in, but the price could still cause some sticker shock for the uninitiated. If you’ve already got mini-SAS HD cables, then the more affordable LSI00348 SKU is going to be your best options.

In summary, the LSI 9300-4i4e SAS PCI-Express 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter offers a scalable approach for connecting many SAS and SATA end-devices with maximum data bandwidth. This is critical for data server installations or high-performance enterprise network storage, which is why the solid-state construction and extended-length warranty play into the purchase price. There are few alternatives that offer anywhere near the same features and functionality, which is why the LSI PCIe SAS HBA earns the Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

+ Three-year product warranty
+ Durable solid-state design
+ Delivers eight lanes of 12Gb/s bandwidth
+ Supports up to 1024 connected end-devices
+ Supports integrated RAID-0/1/10 arrays
+ Includes internal+external mini-SAS HD cables

– High-priced expansion card

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

COMMENT QUESTION: How would you use the LSI SAS HBA?