Adding SATA ports - is there really no easy solution?

[-=Antimatter=-]

I've been mulling this for a day or two now. I can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for:

4+ ports
PCI-E
No RAID necessary
WHS friendly
2TB drive friendly
Modern driver support

The only options I see are the Supermicro 8-port PCI-X/PCI-E cards and some Highpoint/Adaptec cards that cost more than my CPU, RAM, and mobo combined. Is there a reliable solution out there that's faster than PCI? AND under the $75 mark?

I'm willing to pay for quality, but spending another $50 on SAS-to-SATA cables is no fun...

 

[hainer36]

Rocketraid 2300 isnt that expensive and it works just fine for me. PCI-E 1x though

 

[-=Antimatter=-]

The 2300 shows as $120 on newegg, which is more than the Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8, which has 8 ports (granted, I'd have to buy the cables as well). I guess my options are pretty limited...

On a related note, what's the best way to cram drives into 4x5.25" bays? I was looking at the Cooler Master 4-in-3 modules but I was thinking of something more like a 5-in-3 bracket or maybe two 3-in-2 modules.

 

[kharan5876]

I really like the super micro 5 in 3's. They are pretty solid and high quality. They are pretty deep though so make sure you have room for them. Also I seem to remember the fan being slightly noisy, not too loud but noticable.

 

[Old Hippie]

I cheaped out and bought one of these for my WHS.

It works fine with 1TB drives but I dunno about 2TB.

Most drives can't do SATA1 and with green drives + storage use, going the PCIE route was overkill.

I'm one of those that has had a less than steller experience with WHS and this add-in card only makes it a little more difficult.

By buying a nicer card you may have better luck if/when it comes time for a repair.