StarTech.com PCI Express Serial Card, PCIe to RS232 (DB9) Serial Interface Card, PC Serial Card w/ 16C1050 UART, Standard or Low Profile Brackets, COM Retention, Windows & Linux

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £39.52 ex‑VAT, this is the kind of no-drama “add a couple of legacy serial ports” card that’s actually worth keeping in the spares cupboard. It’s a sensible fit when you’ve got kit that only speaks RS232—routers, industrial controllers, weigh scales, older POS/automation bits—and you don’t want to pay for a fancy gateway or replace hardware. StarTech tends to be pretty reliable in the UK B2B channel, and the presence of both standard/low-profile mounting plus COM retention is exactly what saves time in the real world when you’re not trying to remap ports every time a server gets rebuilt.

That said, I’d only buy it if RS232 is truly what you need. If the devices are expecting something else (RS422/RS485, or USB serial that’s been swapped in by another installer), you’ll waste time. Also, for “mission critical” serial polling at high throughput, you should sanity-check whether the environment is noisy and whether you need proper grounding/serial cabling practices—serial is often more about installation quality than the card. Otherwise, it’s a good value, straightforward way to add serial capability to a Windows or Linux box, and it’s especially suitable for SMBs and IT teams supporting mixed legacy estates.