QNAP PCIe Gen3 x8 Dual-Port SAS Host Bus Adapter Expansion Card for JBOD NAS

Expand Your Storage with QNAP SAS HBA PCIe Cards

The QXP-820S-B3408 SAS HBA PCIe Expansion Card is engineered to extend the capacity of your QNAP NAS by connecting it to TL SAS JBOD storage enclosures and REXP expansion units. Using high-speed Mini SAS HD cables, multiple expansion units can be daisy-chained to scale total disk capacity up to 2.3PB, providing the flexibility to meet the growing storage demands of businesses handling virtualisation, surveillance, Big Data, video editing, and TV broadcast workflows.

High-Performance Connectivity

Equipped with a Broadcom SAS3408 Tri-mode controller, this card supports 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA, and PCIe (NVMe) up to 8.0 GT/s, with two (x4) SFF-8644 connectors providing wide-port links for high-speed data transfer. Low-profile, desktop, and full-height brackets are included to accommodate a variety of system configurations. For reliable operation, only passive cables are supported, including CAB-SAS05M-8644, CAB-SAS10M-8644, CAB-SAS20M-8644, and CAB-SAS30M-8644 (all sold separately).

SATA vs SAS: Why SAS Makes the Difference

SAS drives offer significant advantages over SATA for enterprise storage. While SATA delivers speeds up to 6 Gb/s with limited workloads of 10–20%, SAS doubles the bandwidth to 12 Gb/s and is built to handle full 100% workloads reliably. SAS drives also provide much higher durability, with mean time between failures of 1.2–1.6 million hours under continuous operation at 45 °C, compared to around 700,000 hours at 25 °C for SATA. Additionally, SAS offers lower latency, enabling faster and more responsive data access—making it the preferred choice for mission-critical applications and environments requiring continuous, high-performance storage.

Flexible Expansion and Service Continuity

With the QXP-820S-B3408 installed, a NAS can be daisy-chained with up to eight TL SAS JBOD units, enabling total disk capacities up to 2.3PB. Flexible port configurations allow administrators to implement multipath or link aggregation, effectively balancing data transfer loads to prevent service interruptions and backup failures.

Broadcom SAS3408 Tri-Mode Controller: Supports 12 Gb/s SAS, 6 Gb/s SATA, and PCIe (NVMe) up to 8.0 GT/s for high-performance, reliable connectivity.
Dual x4 SFF-8644 Connectors: Provides wide-port links for high-speed data transfer between NAS and expansion units.
Flexible Bracket Options: Low-profile, desktop, and full-height brackets included to accommodate diverse system configurations.
Supported Cables: Compatible with CAB-SAS05M-8644, CAB-SAS10M-8644, CAB-SAS20M-8644, and CAB-SAS30M-8644 (passive cables sold separately).
Enterprise-Grade Reliability: Designed for continuous operation with multipath and link aggregation support to balance data loads, prevent backup failures, and maintain uninterrupted services.
Enhanced Storage Performance: SAS drives provide double the speed of SATA, lower latency, and higher durability, making them suitable for heavy workloads and 24/7 operation.
Warranty and Compatibility: Comes with a 3-year warranty; requires QTS 4.5.1 or QuTS hero h4.5.1, with QES support from Q1 2021. Always verify compatibility before purchase.