EXSYS EX-3517 7-Port SATA III PCIe x2 Controller Card - ASMedia ASM1062 + JMicron JMB575S, 6Gbps, Low Profile Bracket Included

In a busy workstation or home server, adding more SATA drives often means juggling cables and limited motherboard ports. The EXSYS EX-3517 solves this by turning a single PCIe x2 slot into seven SATA III ports, each capable of 6 Gbit/s. It's a straightforward way to connect extra hard drives or SSDs for storage expansion, backups, or media libraries.

Key specifications

• Host interface: PCI Express x2 (PCIe 2.0)
• 7 internal SATA III ports, 6 Gbit/s per port
• Dual chipsets: ASMedia ASM1062 host controller + JMicron JMB575S port multiplier
• Supports SATA III, II, and I devices
• Hot-swap and Native Command Queuing (NCQ) support
• Bootable from connected drives
• Standard profile bracket with included low-profile bracket
• Operating temperature: 0–55 °C; storage: -20–70 °C
• Certifications: CE, FCC, RoHS
• Compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS

Why choose it

Unlike basic SATA cards, the EX-3517 uses a port multiplier to deliver seven ports from a single PCIe x2 slot, maximizing drive connectivity without sacrificing performance. The ASMedia controller ensures reliable data transfers, while the JMicron chip handles port expansion efficiently. Hot-swap support means you can replace drives without shutting down—ideal for servers or frequently changed storage.

Ideal use cases

• Building a high-capacity NAS or home server with multiple drives
• Adding extra SATA ports to a workstation for video editing or large datasets
• Creating a bootable RAID array (software RAID) for redundancy
• Upgrading an older system with modern SATA III speeds

Good to know

The card requires a SATA power connector (15-pin) to supply power to connected drives. It does not support hardware RAID; use software RAID if needed. The low-profile bracket makes it suitable for slim cases, and the card is plug-and-play with most operating systems, though driver installation may be required for full functionality on some platforms.