Dell 3rd Gen SAS3 Card Model Numbers
A lot of sellers on eBay and other server parts websites label this whole family of cards as “Raid Cards”. Of course, not all of them, but a lot of them seriously mislabel these cards. It’s almost not their fault though, as Dell makes it confusing with all the different part numbers and not a lot of straight guides to each part. However, not every card labelled H330 is a Raid Card! Some are actually HBA330 cards labelled as an H330. This happens a lot with the Mini Mono cards. There is a big difference of course between the two. The HBA330 is a straight HBA card with stock Dell IT firmware. No Raid Bios in the firmware. The 12Gbps HBA cards also sometimes get labelled as H330 Raid cards, when they are not. I decided to write up this short model guide to hopefully help you spot some of these models on eBay or otherwise, and which one to try to get a bargain on if you can, as the cards are best identified by the
model number. Also of note, this short guide is only meant to target specific DELL models. This is by no means the full list of cards/controllers available, and LSI/Avago makes many types of controllers with many branded names based on the same or similar chipsets of the SAS3008 (9300-8i, 9311-8i, 9340-8i, 9341-8i, etc.). I just wanted to write up this guide about some of the Dell models available on eBay.
The Mini Mono and Mini Blade cards are also flashable and work great in all Dell servers.
Please see post #55, 89 and 90.
1.
Dell H330 (4Y5H1) This is a
RAID Card with Dell proprietary firmware that I used to flash. It is a 2 port SFF 8643 SAS3 card capable of 8 ports SAS/SATA (you can do more with proper extenders, of course) with proprietary stock dell raid firmware/bios. I was able to successfully flash this card to a 12Gbps HBA with IT firmware. Other part numbers for this card are
WDJRW,
5H1G0 and
6H1G0.
This is the cheapest of the cards, as it is still unknown that it is now “flashable” to HBA IT firmware. I have found them for as low as $45 bucks, which is a steal. (Not anymore!)
When it becomes more known, I don’t know if the price will go up, or if the “official” more expensive HBA cards will come down, since people won’t need to buy them anymore, I suppose. They can just grab a cheaper stock
4Y5H1 and flash it to HBA IT firmware if they desire a cheap SAS3 8 port internal card with IT firmware!
Pic of the 4Y5H1 (Middle Port Orientation, Facing Inwards)
2.
Dell H330 (TCKPF) This is also a
RAID Card with Dell proprietary firmware rom on it by default. It's also a 2 port SFF 8643 SAS3 card. The difference between this card and model
4Y5H1, is that the 2 SFF ports are facing
UPWARDS on the end of the card as opposed to the orientation of the ports on the
4Y5H1 facing the internal part of your chassis. This is similar to the setup of the Dell H200 or the IBM M1015, where the H200 and M1015 has the ports facing upwards. This card goes for roughly
$75-$80 dollars on eBay recently, so not a good model to get unless you need that specific port orientation. Better to get the
4Y5H1 to flash as its found cheaper.
Pic of the TCKPF: (Upwards facing Port orientation)
3.
Dell H330 (75D1H) This is also a
RAID Card with Dell proprietary firmware RAID rom on it by default. Same as the first 2, it has 2 ports SFF 8643. The difference between this card and the above models
4Y5H1 and
TCKPF is that the 2 SFF ports are facing inwards towards the case, but the ports are located
lower on the end of the card as opposed to the orientation of the ports on the
4Y5H1, where the ports are located on the
middle of the card's edge. This card is basically identical to the
4Y5H1. There are also newer models,
TD2NM and
CG2YM, which share the same port structure as the
75D1H model. All H330 models,
(75D1H, CG2YM, TD2NM, 4Y5H1, 5HG10, 6HG10 and
TCKPF) are all H330 cards capable of flashing to HBA330/IT Mode.
Pic of the 75D1H/CG2YM/TD2NM: (Lower Port orientation, facing inwards)
4.
Dell HBA330/HBA330+/12Gbps HBA (J7TNV) This is a 12Gbps HBA card. This comes with 2 SFF 8643 internal ports. This card comes with stock Dell HBA IT firmware. May be expensive depending on some sellers. Sellers usually know this one and sell it for a decent price. If you find this for around $70 bucks, snatch it up quick. It needs no flashing, as it automatically comes with Dell HBA IT firmware. Looks exactly like a
75D1H, but this is an
HBA card, not RAID, like the 75D1H or similar models. Notice the lack of the small black chip on the top right, next to the serial number label.
Pic of the J7TNV: (HBA Card, Lower Port orientation, facing inwards)
5.
Dell (T93GD) This is a
12Gbps HBA card with stock Dell HBA IT firmware built-in. However, this card only comes as an external port card, with 2 ports
SFF 8644 (external sister to the SFF 8643 port). This card is similar, if not the same as an LSI SAS 9300-8e. It uses the SAS3008 chipset. This card, while not used by many people compared to the 8i variants of the above cards, they still sell this card for well over $100-$150, sometimes approaching $200 bucks. I personally won't have a use for this, as I would rather buy a 2nd gen LSI 9211-8e for cheaper, but I just wanted to list this here in case someone wanted to get this model.
Pic of the T93GD (2 x External SFF 8644 Ports)
6.
Dell (3YDX4) This is the stock
LSI SAS 9311-8i card. Dell uses this part number to sell the card under its own OEM label, but it is simply a 9300-8i or a 9341-8i. You don’t need to flash this, as it comes with stock LSI/Avago IT firmware. It uses the SAS3008 chipset. This card offers no raid, unless you go to IR firmware. Good choice if you don’t like flashing, but want LSI stock IT firmware. It can be a little expensive online. Sellers
definitely know this one. Usually it can go for just under or over $100. Deals can be had though. I’ve seen them. You might find sellers offering it cheaper if you are patient. Well, maybe.
Pic of the 3YDX4 (This is just an
LSI 9311/9341-8i sold under Dell OEM, same as an LSI SAS 9300-8i.)
*While I tried my best to list what I have found through searching online and reading and researching as much as I can, I don’t claim to know everything. Thus, I leave this WHOLE entire write up and everything I said here, up in the air, since I may have made mistakes or errors. Most of the flash steps are already known and current knowledge in the tech community. If you know something different, and I made a mistake and you know what needs to be corrected, please feel free to let me know! I will happily correct it or add the appropriate info. I ain’t trying to claim I’m an expert on these cards or anything. Just trying to do my part and contribute to the tech community! :.)
