Cheap NVMe performance from HP - 9,000MB/s for $900 or so?

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

larryexchange

Active Member
Dec 27, 2016
86
128
33
48
Not sure if this is too late for the people who has interest for the DELL Quad M.2 PCIe adapter.

Recently I bought one from local market. Obviously it's an used one.
DELL Quad M.2 PCIe.jpg

Fortunately I have a T7810. According to DELL official website below, T7810 also support "actively cooled Dell Precision Ultra-Speed Drive Duo and Quad PCIe NVMe SSD storage solutions".
http://www.dell.com/in/business/p/precision-t7810-workstation/pd?sc_err=noocs

I also tried putting different types of M.2 NVMe drives in the adapter.
IMG_0222 (Custom).JPG

The good is all of the three NVMe were recognized correctly. (For some reason, my Intel NVMe Backplane cannot support HGST and Intel U.2 drives at same time.)

Here is what I got from device manager.
T7810-System-1.png
T7810-System-2.png
 

larryexchange

Active Member
Dec 27, 2016
86
128
33
48
how loud does the fan get?

is this locked down to DELL systems only?
It's pretty quiet.

I didn't get a chance to test it on other system yet. I remember someone commented before and said even DELL T7610 can only recognize one drive.
 

Scott Laird

Active Member
Aug 30, 2014
312
144
43
Odds are any system with a PLX switch and a full-capacity x16 slot would work, but I'm not aware of anyone actually testing that out.

I have a Z170WS motherboard with a PLX chip, but my only free slot is x8-in-x16, so I'd have at most 2 working SSDs.
 

workingnonstop

Active Member
Feb 24, 2016
233
63
28
38
Just as a FYI - I do have a 4x U.2 PCIe x16 card I am testing this week.
A non-Dell card that can be readily purchased? Not trying to steal the thunder for when you test, but any idea what MSRP is and when it will be available? Debating whether I should pick up the Dell card as a toy, or wait for non-OEM alternative. Really no need for any of them... :p

edit: the board I have in mind doesn't have PLX after all, so all is moot. But looking forward to seeing another one of these bad boys tested!
 

Rand__

Well-Known Member
Mar 6, 2014
6,626
1,767
113
So without PLX chip onboard this will not work? Bummer.
Still looking for a way to expand the Xeon-D's single pci-e slot:p
But interesting nevertheless, looking forward to the test:)
 
Jun 24, 2015
140
13
18
75
HighPoint SSD7101A - HighPoint Global Website

http://www.highpoint-tech.com/PDF/NVMe/SSD7101A/Datasheet_SSD7101A_17_04_04.pdf


SSD7101A-010T
Preconfigured 4x Samsung 960 EVO 250G

SSD7101A-500G
Preconfigured 2x Samsung 960 EVO 250G, 2x Open Ports



This Manual shows a Samsung 960 Pro being installed ...

SSD7101A User Manual:
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/PDF/SSD7101A/SSD7101A_Manual_v1.00.pdf



latter Manual illustrates assembly w/ Samsung 960 Pro (see Page 7)

See Page 6 for what looks like a PLX chip, right next to the cooling fan,
and the traces are also quite visible on Page 6.

Also, from what I am reading today, looks like the only "compatible"
chipset is the X99, but in certain places the documentation also claims
that this AIC will work in any PCIe 3.0 x16 slot.

Only RAID mode is RAID-0, but TRIM is supported (according to the specs).

And, I predict that WRITEs will go faster than the 960 EVO specs
if/when 4 x Samsung 960 Pro are installed instead.


p.s. My "rant" at hardforum.com is here:

Highpoint SSD7101A-010T
 
Jun 24, 2015
140
13
18
75
Patrick,

Back on January 9, 2017, you wrote:

"I do have a 4x U.2 PCIe x16 card I am testing this week."

Can you tell us more about that card, please?
 

Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
12,511
5,792
113
Sure, it was the Dell PCIe card from the PowerEdge R930. So far I am 0 for 4 with non-Dell systems it works with.
 
Jun 24, 2015
140
13
18
75
Thanks, Patrick!

Also several weeks ago, I seem to recall that you spoke with someone
at Highpoint's tradeshow booth, and they were looking to OEM their RocketRAID 3840A
NVMe RAID controller. But, after looking often for reviews, I never did find a single
independent review of the RocketRAID model 3840A.

Maybe Highpoint will have more success with this newer model SSD7101A?
 

Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
12,511
5,792
113
That someone was their CEO at flash memory summit upstairs. I just happened to be sitting next to him and started a conversation.
 
Jun 24, 2015
140
13
18
75
I may have missed these details in the latest documentation I read this past week:

Highpoint's SSD7101A needs to be bootable,
needs to support more RAID modes, and
needs to work in newer PCIe 3.0 chipsets.

If the SSD7101A does not already do all these things, perhaps with time Highpoint will add them.

This AIC is a superior option to the model 3840A, which also requires U.2 cabling
and 2.5" enclosures with U.2 connectors.

Meanwhile, I would LUV to read empirical confirmation that 2 x SSD7101A
do support a single RAID-0 array that spans both cards.

I also recall that a Newegg customer of the RocketRAID model 2720SGL
did confirm success with 2 such AICs installed in a single motherboard:
working around the INT13 setting can be very tricky!

Keep up the good work, Patrick. I wish I had more time to explore
progress with this exciting technology.
 
Jun 24, 2015
140
13
18
75
FYI: Broadcom's "Tri-Mode" RAID controller with x8 edge connector
appears to support 4 x U.2 cables, like this one at Newegg:

Mini SAS HD (SFF-8643) to U.2 (SFF-8639) Cable-Newegg.com

Mini SAS HD (SFF-8643) to U.2 (SFF-8639) Cable

(I would like to have seen an x16 edge connector on this "Tri-Mode" controller.)

See the red colored areas in the following graphic in Broadcom's .pdf document:

Connectors: Four (x4) SFF-8643

MegaRAID 9460-16i

broadcom.tri-mode.jpg