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There is no single speed for a PCIe SATA controller card. A card’s SATA rating describes the link to each drive, while its PCIe connection carries the combined traffic to the computer. The controller chip, electrical PCIe lanes, negotiated slot link, attached drives and workload determine the throughput you actually see.
What the speed numbers actually describe
The data path is:
Drive → SATA port → controller → PCIe link → host system
A card advertised with SATA Gen3 (6 Gb/s) ports has a 6 Gb/s link rating for each SATA connection. That is an interface specification, not a guaranteed file-copy rate. Protocol overhead, the drive’s own performance and the workload make useful application throughput lower and variable. Also keep units straight: Gb/s means gigabits per second, while GB/s means gigabytes per second.
The card’s upstream PCIe link is a separate limit. Every active SATA port sends data through that shared connection, so several drives can compete for the same PCIe bandwidth.
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- 6-PORT SATA EXPANSION CARD: Adds 6 SATA III (6Gbps) drives to your desktop at once, turning one PCIe x4 slot into a 6-bay storage pool for unRAID, TrueNAS, ZFS, Proxmox or Windows Storage Spaces software RAID. Hardware RAID is not supported.
- 277MB/S ON EVERY PORT: PCIe 3.0 X2 upstream runs at 16GT/s, and each of the 6 SATA ports delivers up to 277MB/s, so large multi-drive transfers, media libraries and backup jobs finish fast with no bottleneck.
- NO DRIVER, WIDE COMPATIBILITY: Plug and play on Windows (except XP), Mac OS, Linux and NAS systems. Set SATA mode to AHCI in BIOS or UEFI before first install. This is a data storage HBA and does not boot an operating system.
- 6 BUILT-IN LED INDICATORS: A steady red LED means the drive is powered, a flashing LED means it is reading or writing, so you can check every SATA drive at a glance without opening the case.
- FITS X4/X8/X16 SLOTS, FULL KIT INCLUDED: Ships with 6 x SATA III cables (350mm/13.5in), a 1:5 SATA power splitter cable, and both a 12cm regular and an 8cm low-profile bracket for any PC or NAS case.
Will all SATA ports run at full speed at once?
Not necessarily. One drive may fit within the controller’s PCIe connection, but multiple busy drives can saturate the upstream link before their individual SATA links are full. Port count alone therefore says little about aggregate speed.
For example, ASMedia’s specifications document these different controller designs:
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- 🚀 4-Port SATA 3.0 Expansion – 💾Add 4 high-speed SATA III (6Gbps) ports to your desktop PC via PCIe x1 slot, perfect for connecting additional SSDs or HDDs. Ideal for gamers, content creators, and professionals needing extra storage.
- 🖥️ Marvell88SE9215 Chipset for Reliable Performance – ⚡Powered by the advanced Marvell 9215 controller, this card ensures stable data transfer and broad compatibility with both modern SSDs and traditional HDDs. Enjoy faster boot times and seamless file access.
- ⚙️Boot as System Disk & Plug and Play – 🔧Use any connected SSD/HDD as a bootable system drive—great for upgrading older PCs without built-in SATA ports. Compatible with Windows XP /2003 / 7 / 8 / 10 / MAC / NAS / Linux OS. (driver-free installation for most systems).
- 💡 Low-Profile Design with Included Bracket – ✔️Includes both full-height and low-profile brackets, fitting most desktop cases (mini-ITX, small form factor, or standard towers). Comes with 4 high-quality 6Gbps SATA data cables for immediate setup—no extra purchases needed!
- ❄️ Cool & Quiet Operation – 🔌Fanless design eliminates noise while advanced heat dissipation ensures reliable performance during long workloads—perfect for home offices or gaming rigs across. Any question please connect us: Ziyituod@evisionde.com
| Controller | Upstream PCIe link | SATA ports | What the specification establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASM1064 | PCIe Gen3 x1 | Four SATA Gen3 ports | Four ports share a Gen3 x1 host connection. |
| ASM1166 | PCIe Gen3 x2 | Six SATA Gen3 ports | Six ports share a wider Gen3 x2 host connection; the page also lists port-multiplier support. |
| ASM1164 | PCIe Gen3 x2 | Four SATA ports | Four ports share a Gen3 x2 host connection. |
These are controller specifications, not apples-to-apples tests of retail expansion cards. A board’s firmware, layout and attached devices still matter.
Does a PCIe x1 slot bottleneck a SATA card?
It can. A card that physically fits an x4 or x16 slot may use only one or two electrical lanes, and a slot can also negotiate fewer lanes or a lower PCIe generation than expected. The negotiated link—not the slot’s physical length—determines the host-side ceiling.
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- 【UNLOCK THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR SSD WITH A PCIE SATA CARD】ACTIMED PCIe Express 3.0 to 8-Ports Adapter opens the possibility to connect Multiple HDD/SSD to your computer at peak performance.
- 【A SIMPLE CONNECTION】 Simply plug and play style setup. Install a hard drive to this component. Massive support of up to 128TB of storage.
- 【POWERFUL CHIPSET & ADVANCE HEATSINK】 Maximize your efficiency, stabilize your performance, and reduce error rate with ASM1064 & JB575 chip. Also, optimized cooling with aluminum heat transfer and maximize the effect of heat dissipation with a Heat-Sink.
- 【EXTENSIVE COMPATIBILITY】 Fully COMPATIBLE with X1/ 4X/ 8X/ 16X Slots on the mainboard and with compatible with both 2.5” SATA HDD/ SSD and 3.5” SATA HDD. Compatible with LINUX, Windows XP, and newer, MAC OS, and others.
- 【THE PERFECT SOLUTION】 Kit includes: 1 x PCI-E to 8-port Adapter (Includes heatsink), 8 x SATA Cables, 1 x Low-Profile Bracket, 1 x 15pin SATA Power Splitter Cable, 1 x Driver CD, and 1 Instruction Manual. (SSD Not Included)
Before installing a card, check both documents:
- The card datasheet: controller model, supported PCIe generation, electrical lane width, SATA generation, port count and any RAID, AHCI or port-multiplier features.
- The motherboard manual: which slots are available, their electrical lane wiring, generation support and any lane sharing with graphics, M.2 or other devices.
Operating-system and firmware support can also affect whether every port is usable and whether features such as booting or RAID work as intended.
What vendor specifications show—and what they do not
ASMedia lists the ASM1064 as PCIe Gen3 x1 and states transfer rates per lane of “2.5Gb(250MB/s), 5Gb(500MB/s) or 8Gb(1GB/s)” according to link generation. Those figures are vendor interface wording, not measured file-transfer results: ASM1064 product specification.
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- ✅Comprehensive compatibility: The ACTIMED PCI-E to 4 SATA port expansion card supports PCIE 3.0 slots and is backward compatible with PCIE 2.0 slots. With SATA 3.0 interface and backward compatible with SATA 2.0 / 1.0 interface.
- ✅Security and stability: Marvell 88SE9215 chipset to improve the stability and security of PCIE SATA cards. A heatsink is included for good temperature control to prevent damage caused by high temperatures.
- ✅Plug and Play: Easy installation, plug and play, hot-swappable support. the fastest speed of PCI-E 3.0 slot is 500-550 M/S. the fastest speed of PCI-E 2.0 slot is 380-450 M/S. when connected to PCI-E 1.0 slot, the speed is only 200-300 M/S. (Please check with your motherboard manufacturer for supported PCI-E versions).
- ✅Compatible slots and systems: SATA controller PCI-E X1 interface compatible with 1X/4X/8X/16 slots (transfer speeds up to SATA III 6 Gbit/s). Supports Windows 7/8/10/XP/2003/2008/Linux.
- ✅Includes all required accessories: a 4-port SATA expansion card, a SATA 15 PIN 1 to 4 power cable, 4 SATA data cables, a low profile bracket, screwdriver and screws, installation CD. Give you a convenient and fast shopping experience.
Its ASM1166 page describes “Six SATA Gen3 (6GBps) ports,” while the ASM1064 page describes “Four SATA Gen3 (6GBps) ports.” The capitalization and units are reproduced from the vendor pages; they should not be read as guaranteed application throughput: ASM1166 specification and ASM1064 specification.
Marvell describes a PCIe 2.0 SATA controller family with up to four SATA 6 Gb/s ports and up to a PCIe 2.0 x2 host interface, saying it can deliver “up to 2GB bandwidth.” That is Marvell’s product-page wording, not a universal speed for every card using the family: Marvell PCIe 2.0 SATA Controllers.
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- 【4 Port SATA PCIE 3.0 Card】The PCIE SATA card allows you to add 4 SATA 3.0 6Gbps devices to your computer. If your motherboard has RAID function, you could make a RAID with this SATA Card. (WARM TIPS: Can not Support Hardware RAID)
- 【Powerful Chipest】This SATA controller card adopts Marvell 88SE9215 chip, making this card more stable and compatible. Port Multiplier FIS-based and Command-based switching supported.
- 【Advance Heatsink】The SATA card uses heat sink technology to disperse heat away from the core components to improve reliability and performance.
- 【Compatibility】with a low profile Bracket System Compatible with Windows XP /2003 / 7 / 8 / 10 / MAC / NAS / Linux OS. Support PCIe X1 / X4 / X8 / X16 slot. It also comes with a low profile bracket to fit different sizes of desktop computers.
- 【Includes All Required Accessories】Kit includes: 1 X 4-port SATA expansion card, 4 X SATA cable(40cm/15.8in), 1 X low-profile bracket, 1 X screwdriver, 2 X screw kit, 1 X anti-static bag.
Marvell’s broader 88SE14xx family is specified as PCIe 3.0 x8, up to sixteen SATA 6 Gb/s ports and up to 8 GB/s bandwidth. Those scale and target applications differ substantially from ordinary consumer expansion cards: Marvell SATA Controllers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare a specific card
- Identify the controller. Find the exact chip number rather than relying only on “SATA III” or a port count in a listing.
- Check PCIe generation and electrical lanes. Confirm whether the card is Gen2 or Gen3 and x1, x2, x4 or another width.
- Check SATA topology. Determine whether ports are directly provided by the controller or expanded through a port multiplier or another bridge.
- Match the workload. A single hard drive, several SSDs copying simultaneously and RAID traffic stress the shared link differently.
- Verify the retail board. Confirm firmware, operating-system support, boot capability and the actual slot wiring on your motherboard.
- Look for relevant tests. A controller data sheet establishes link capabilities; only a benchmark using the same card, drives, host and workload can establish real-world throughput.
What speed should you expect from your card?
Without the card model, negotiated PCIe link, drives and workload, an honest answer cannot be a particular MB/s figure. The useful question is whether the card’s shared PCIe connection is appropriate for the number and type of drives you will use. A one-drive workload may perform well even on a compact card, while simultaneous transfers can expose the host-link bottleneck.
Use the controller and motherboard specifications to establish compatibility and an upper interface envelope, then treat measured application speed as a property of the complete system rather than of the SATA label alone.
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