Question about using SATA with RocketRAID 2720SGL

[AvataroftheSun]

Hello, I just recently ordered the Highpoint RocketRAID 2720SGL to go in my new Hackintosh build, but I'm struggling to wrap my head around SAS and how it plays with SATA. What I want ti inevitably do is hook up two SATA III SSDs to the card, but it only has two SAS ports. I keep seeing cables online that split one of those SAS connections into 4 SATA connections. For optimum performance, I imagine I'd want one drive in one SAS port and the other drive in the other port, one-to-one. Does it really make any difference in the long run? And does anyone have any particular suggestions for a cable that would let me get the benefit of SATA III speeds from both drives?

EDIT: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10254&cs_id=1025406&p_id=8187&seq=1&format=2 The connections on this are correct, but would they allow the drives to work at full capacity if they were both hooked up to the same port on the RAID card? I'm worried that the shared connection would slow them both down, but I am still really new to SAS.

 

[BitterMelon]

SAS and SATA is physically compatible with the exception that SAS drives can't plug into SATA cables. What you see on your RAID card isn't a normal SAS connector, but rather a SFF-8087, or "mini-SAS", connector. This is essentially four normal connectors in one to save space and cables on larger RAID systems. It also normally supports port expansion to run more than four disks on those four channels. So if a normal SATA connection gives you 6 Gbit/s, the mini-SAS will give you a total of 24 Gbit/s.

Anyway, yes, if you connect both disks to the same mini-SAS cable, you will still get the best performance. You will just be using two of the four available channels. Since you have two mini-SAS connectors, your card will support (at least) 8 drives, and definitely 8 before they start sharing bandwidth (which requires a backplane with a port expander btw).