May build a new server & have a question

[all4dom 80]

Im thinking of building a new server for emby & was looking to gonyhe new intel arrow lake route. Some new motherboards are being released & my question is if I use an m2 slot, does that disable the sata port? I've read in some cases yes & from reading the description it doesn't say it does disable it. Thanks

Dom

 

[RanmaCanada 422]

It all depends on how few lanes the board has. The manual will usually specify if using x causes y to not work and the tech specs page should as well (if it does not then that's false advertising). As most boards these days only come with 2-4 sata ports, you really should not run into this issue. If you do, an HBA flashed into IT mode will solve the problem easily, and is the preferred way to have your drives hooked up.

[justinrh 206]

3 hours ago, RanmaCanada said:

HBA flashed into IT mode

HBA = ?
IT mode = ?

[arrbee99 1661]

That would, I believe, be something like this -

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133060224439

Plug into you mother board and you gain 8 connectors for 8 hdd's. They'll need power as well of course.

They come in different modes, and for it to work the board needs to be in IT mode.

[Neminem 699]

@arrbee99The 1 you linked to will need a fan zip tied on to it.

These buggers run hot

[yocker 89]

1 hour ago, Neminem said:

@arrbee99The 1 you linked to will need a fan zip tied on to it.

These buggers run hot

Huge understatement! I actually burned my finger once on one.

[arrbee99 1661]

Thanks for the info. Interesting how many Reddit etc threads there are about it...

[RanmaCanada 422]

10 hours ago, yocker said:

Huge understatement! I actually burned my finger once on one.

I've done the same haha. I have one and an expander in my array, but the amount of air pushing through it keeps them cool enough. My drives alone don't even get over 40C when doing a parity check, so the cards should be fine. Wish there was a way to see the temps of the cards just to make sure ha. I picked up a set of 3 Arctic S12038-4K

[yocker 89]

4 hours ago, RanmaCanada said:

I've done the same haha. I have one and an expander in my array, but the amount of air pushing through it keeps them cool enough. My drives alone don't even get over 40C when doing a parity check, so the cards should be fine. Wish there was a way to see the temps of the cards just to make sure ha. I picked up a set of 3 Arctic S12038-4K

I used one of those small thermometer that sometimes come with motherboards. Worked a treat.
Take the heat sink off and put one next to the chip, careful not to put in it on top of the chip as the heat sink won't lie flush any more, then put heat sink back on in a way that holds the thermometer on.
Might not get a precise measurement but close enough to know if somethings wrong.
 

[all4dom 80]

Hey guys, thanks for your input. This is the board I'm thinking of getting.......ASRock B860M-X WiFi LGA 1851 Intel B860 SATA 6Gb/s Intel Core Ultra DDR5 Micro ATX Motherboard.

I don't see any mention of an m2 slot killing a sata port if in use but wanted to make sure. Thanks again. Dom

[RanmaCanada 422]

Should be sufficient. I personally do not like the lack of pci-e slots, but that's just me being me. It has 4 SATA ports, and 3 pci-e slots, 16x, 4x and 1x, which are more than enough for an HBA and an expander if you need them further down the line. The HBA that was linked would be ideal, but yes needs active cooling for best performance. As for an expander further down the road, I personally use this one. It can function in a 1x slot perfectly fine, or can be out of the slot as it only uses the slot for power, so it could be off to the side and have the molex plugged in.

I went through the whole manual and there is no mention of losing sata ports or expansion slots.

Best of luck to you on this build. Enjoy the journey.

[all4dom 80]

Thank you @RanmaCanada

[OwnWebServers 0]

Utilizing an M.2 slot on Intel Arrow Lake motherboards usually does not disable SATA ports. Most motherboards are designed to support both M.2 SSDs and SATA drives simultaneously. However, always check the specific motherboard manual to ensure compatibility and confirm the configuration for your setup.