Broadcom MegaRAID 9700W-32i Tri-Mode PCIe 5.0 x16 Low-Profile RAID Controller, 32 Internal Ports, SATA/SAS/NVMe, 8GB Cache

The Broadcom MegaRAID 9700W-32i is a high-performance tri-mode RAID controller engineered for demanding enterprise storage environments, delivering exceptional throughput with PCIe 5.0 x16 host connectivity and support for up to 32 internal drives across SATA, SAS, and NVMe protocols. Its 8GB DDR4 cache with CacheVault flash protection ensures data integrity and rapid rebuilds, making it ideal for mission-critical applications.

Advantages

This controller combines flexibility and speed: tri-mode support allows mixing SAS, SATA, and NVMe drives in a single array, while PCIe 5.0 doubles bandwidth over previous generations. The low-profile form factor fits 2U and smaller servers, and hardware RAID offloads parity calculations, freeing CPU resources. With 8GB cache and optional CacheVault, write performance is accelerated and data is safe during power loss.

Suitable for

• Enterprise servers and storage arrays requiring high IOPS and low latency
• Virtualized environments (VMware, Hyper-V) needing robust RAID protection
• Database and analytics workloads with mixed drive types
• High-capacity storage servers supporting up to 240 SAS/SATA devices
• NVMe-based all-flash arrays for maximum performance

Key specifications

• Host interface: PCIe 5.0 x16
• Internal connectors: 4 x SFF-8654 (SlimSAS x8)
• Internal ports: 32
• Supported protocols: SAS, SATA, NVMe (tri-mode)
• Data transfer rates: SAS up to 24 Gb/s, SATA up to 6 Gb/s, NVMe up to 32 GT/s per lane
• RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60
• Cache memory: 8GB DDR4 with CacheVault flash module support
• Form factor: Low-profile MD2
• Processor: Broadcom RAID-on-Chip (ROC)
• Max drive support: 240 SAS/SATA devices, 32 NVMe devices
• Operating systems: Windows, Linux, VMware, FreeBSD, Solaris
• Management: LSI Storage Authority (LSA), StorCLI, HII
• Compliance: RoHS, WEEE

Recommendations

For maximum performance, pair this controller with enterprise NVMe SSDs and enable write-back cache with CacheVault protection. In mixed drive environments, use separate RAID groups for NVMe and SAS/SATA to optimize latency. Regular firmware updates via StorCLI are recommended to ensure compatibility and security.