Description
The Galileo PES340A is a robust PCI-Express expansion card designed to scale internal storage capacity without compromising on speed. Built on the PCI-Express 2.0 specification and compatible with 3.0 or higher slots, this card delivers four dedicated SATA III ports, each supporting data transfer rates up to 6.0Gbps. It is fully compliant with AHCI 1.3 and SATA Revision 3.0 standards, ensuring seamless integration with modern high-speed solid-state drives and high-capacity hard disks while maintaining backward compatibility with SATA I and II devices.
This product is for:
- Home Lab Enthusiasts: An essential component for building DIY NAS systems or media servers that require multiple drive bays.
- Legacy System Upgraders: Perfect for users looking to add modern SATA III speeds to older motherboards that only feature SATA II or limited port counts.
- IT Professionals and System Integrators: A reliable, bootable solution for workstation builds requiring redundant storage or dedicated scratch disks.
- Content Creators: Provides the necessary bandwidth to manage large video and photo libraries across multiple internal drives.
- Small Form Factor (SFF) Builders: Includes a low-profile bracket, making it compatible with slim desktop cases and compact office workstations.
Detailed specifications:
- Interface: PCI-Express x1 (Compatible with x2, x4, x8, x16 slots)
- Standards: PCI-E v2.0, SATA AHCI Rev 1.3, SATA Revision 3.0 (6.0Gbps)
- Port Count: 4 x SATA III Ports
- Advanced Features: Bootable drive support, Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Port Multiplier support
- OS Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000; Windows Server 2003/2008 (32/64-bit)
- Hardware Note: Z790 series motherboards require a firmware update for optimal compatibility.
Integrating the PES340A into a system is a straightforward process that immediately expands the utility of a desktop. The card's support for Native Command Queuing (NCQ) optimizes the order in which received read and write commands are executed, significantly improving performance for multi-threaded workloads. Because the card supports bootable drives, users can offload their primary operating system to a drive connected to this controller, freeing up motherboard resources. The inclusion of both standard and short brackets ensures a physical fit in virtually any chassis environment.
Compared to standard 2-port expansion cards, the Galileo PES340A offers double the connectivity in the same PCI-E x1 footprint. While many motherboard SATA ports are disabled when an M.2 NVMe drive is installed, this dedicated controller provides four independent channels that do not compete for chipset lanes. Unlike external USB-to-SATA solutions, this internal PCI-E card offers lower latency, higher sustained throughput, and a more secure physical connection for permanent storage arrays.
Q&A:
- Can I boot my Windows operating system from a drive connected to this card? Yes, the PES340A supports bootable SATA devices, allowing it to function as a primary storage controller.
- Is this card compatible with the latest Windows 11? Yes, it features broad driver support for Windows 11, 10, and legacy versions including Windows XP and Server editions.
- What should I do if I am using a Z790 motherboard? For Z790 series motherboards, please ensure you update to the latest firmware to ensure the card is recognized correctly by the BIOS.
- Does this card support Port Multipliers? Yes, the PES340A supports Port Multiplier functionality, which allows for further expansion when used with compatible hardware enclosures.
- Will this fit in a small, slim-line desktop case? Yes, the package includes a low-profile (short) bracket specifically for installation in small form factor and slim chassis.
