DiLinKer 4-Port U.2 NVMe to PCIe x8 Adapter, 4x SFF-8643 MiniSAS HD, PLX8724, LRNV9324-4I

Four U.2 NVMe drives from a PCIe x8 slot, through four SFF-8643 ports and a Broadcom PLX8724 switch. Half the drives and half the slot width of the 8-port card, at a lower price — the right shape for a 1U chassis or a board whose x16 slot is already taken.

When four drives and eight lanes are the right fit

• Four genuine x4 links. The PLX8724 is a 24-lane switch: eight lanes up, four lanes out per port. Every drive gets a full x4 connection, and the host does not need bifurcation.
• Half-height slot, half the price. An x8 slot is far easier to find free than an x16, especially in 1U servers and in boards where the x16 is holding a GPU. This card fits that gap without paying for eight ports you will not populate.
• 8643 keeps your existing cabling. SFF-8643 is the connector most installed U.2 cages and backplanes already use. Four 8643-to-U.2 cables and you are done — cables are not in the box.
• The bandwidth picture. Gen3 x8 to the host is about 7.9 GB/s shared across four drives. That is enough for most real workloads and honest about the rest: four drives reading flat out at once will queue.
• Not just two x4 cables in a slot. A board with two spare x4 slots and two x4-to-U.2 cables reaches four drives already. This card earns its place when the slots are not there — a 1U chassis with one riser, or a board whose second slot is blocked by a cooler — and when you want the four drives presented as one managed group behind one switch rather than four independent host links.
• Fits where an x16 card will not. 148 × 80 mm with both brackets supplied, so it goes into a 1U riser as readily as into a tower. If your only free slot is a physical x16 wired for x8, this card links at x8 width and works — the 8-port version would not.

Specifications

Compatibility

Works with

• A free PCIe x8 slot (x16 slots work too, at x8 width)
• U.2 NVMe drives through four 8643-to-U.2 cables, sold separately
• 1U and 2U chassis with four U.2 bays

Does not work with

• SAS or SATA drives — PCIe only
• More than four drives; there is no second tier of ports
• SlimSAS backplanes without an adapter cable
• Cables are not included

Typical deployments

• 1U server with four NVMe bays. The card is short enough for a riser and does not need the x16 slot.
• Workstation with the x16 taken. Put the storage switch on x8 and leave x16 for the GPU.
• Small all-NVMe nodes. Four drives, one switch, no bifurcation and no backplane re-cabling.

Frequently asked questions

How many cables do I need?

Four — one SFF-8643 to U.2 cable per drive. Not included.

Will it work in an x16 slot?

Yes, it will link at x8 width. The slot just has to be open-ended or physically x16.

Does the board need bifurcation?

No. The switch handles it.

Four drives on eight lanes — is that enough?

It is about 7.9 GB/s shared. Fine for mixed and sequential work; four simultaneous full-speed reads will queue. If that is your workload, take the 8-port x16 card.

Can I mix drive sizes and models?

Yes. Each port is independent, so drives of different capacities and vendors coexist without issue.

What is in the box?

The card with the full-height bracket fitted, plus a low-profile bracket. No cables.

In the box

• 1 × 4-port U.2 NVMe to PCIe x8 switch card (LRNV9324-4I)
• 1 × low-profile bracket (full profile fitted)

Every cable is continuity- and pinout-tested before it ships and carries a 24-month warranty. If a link does not train, send us the controller model and the backplane part number before returning anything — in most cases the cable is the wrong variant for the port, not faulty, and we would rather tell you that up front.

Related

• 8-port version on PCIe x16
• SlimSAS 8x version, 4 ports to 8 drives
• All MiniSAS HD (SFF-8643) cables