Broadcom 9300‑8i 12Gb/s SAS/SATA Host Bus Adapter

The Broadcom 9300‑8i is a high‑performance internal Host Bus Adapter (HBA) designed for servers, workstations and enterprise‑class storage systems. It offers eight internal SAS/SATA ports, PCI Express 3.0 x8 interface, and support for up to 12 Gb/s per port for SAS, making it ideal for connecting large arrays of drives or high‑density storage enclosures. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Key Features

• 8 internal ports: 8 × 12 Gb/s SAS/SATA data channels. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
• Connectors: Two Mini‑SAS HD (SFF‑8643) connectors (each x4) for internal connectivity. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Host interface: PCI Express 3.0 x8 lane for high throughput. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
• Form factor: Low‑profile card, includes full‑height and low‑profile brackets. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Wide device support: Supports up to 1,024 connected SAS/SATA devices. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• High reliability: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) > 2,800,000 hours. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Specifications (Selected)

• Controller chip: SAS 3008 (Fusion MPT 2.5) architecture. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
• Max data transfer rate: SAS 12 Gb/s per port; PCIe 3.0 yields ~8000 MB/s burst. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
• Power consumption: Nominal ~13 W. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
• Operating temperature: 0 °C to 55 °C. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
• Dimensions: Approx. 2.6″ × 6.6″ (66 mm × 167 mm). :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
• Supported OS: Windows, Linux (RHEL/SuSE/Ubuntu), VMware, FreeBSD, Solaris. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}

Use Cases

• Building a high‑density storage server: connect multiple SAS/SATA drives to host via this single adapter.
• Upgrading internal storage connectivity on workstations requiring many drives or large arrays of SSDs/HDDs.
• Deploying in enterprise servers or 1U/2U rack systems where low profile design and high throughput are important.

Compatibility & Considerations

• For best performance use in a PCIe 3.0 x8 slot (or compatible equivalent) on the motherboard. The lane count and slot speed affect throughput.
• Although SAS supports up to 12 Gb/s per port, actual speeds will depend on connected drives and system architecture (SATA drives may be limited to 6 Gb/s). :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
• Ensure your cabling and backplane support SAS3 (12 Gb/s) where required — e.g., Mini‑SAS HD SFF‑8643 internal cables/backplanes. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
• Firmware may need updating (for features like “IT mode” or updating to latest Broadcom firmware) especially in DIY/home‑lab uses. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

Keywords

Broadcom 9300‑8i, SAS3 12Gb/s HBA, PCIe 3.0 x8 host bus adapter, 8 port internal SAS/SATA, server storage adapter, low‑profile HBA