StarTech.com SATA PCIe Card - 2 Port PCIe SATA Expansion Card - 6Gbps - Full/Low Profile - PCI Express to SATA Adapter/Controller - ASM1061 Non-Raid - PCIe to SATA Converter

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £25.69 ex-VAT, this is a very “budget worker” kind of PCIe-to-SATA add-on. You’re basically buying reliability and convenience rather than performance or features—ASM1061 is common, it just does the job, and for tasks like adding a couple of SATA drives to an older desktop/small server it’s typically a cost-effective route. If you’ve got a machine that doesn’t have enough SATA ports (or you want to repurpose an older system for storage, backups, a lab box, or light NAS-style use), this will usually feel like a no-drama upgrade: plug it in, attach SATA power/cables, and you’re off.

That said, I wouldn’t buy it if you expect it to behave like a “real” RAID controller or if you care about long-term heavy-duty throughput/consistency under constant load. It’s non-RAID, so you’re responsible for redundancy in software/other hardware, and cheap SATA expansion cards can be a bit more sensitive to compatibility and BIOS quirks depending on the motherboard. Also, make sure your chassis has the right physical clearance and that you’re comfortable with the low/no frills approach—this is great for adding capacity, not for building a serious storage platform.