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Intel RS2BL040 4-Ports SAS RAID Controller — main product image
Intel

Intel RS2BL040 4-Ports SAS RAID Controller

★★★★★5.0 (2 reviews)

Reliable 4-port SAS RAID controller with 512MB cache and support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60 configurations.

$217.00*
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 14, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Intel RAID Controller RS2BL040 is a hardware RAID solution designed to bring data protection and performance improvement to server and workstation storage configurations. Equipped with four SAS ports and 512MB of ECC DDR2 onboard cache, it offloads RAID processing from the host CPU, allowing your system to dedicate its resources to applications rather than storage management. The controller supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, providing a wide range of options for balancing speed, redundancy, and usable capacity depending on your deployment requirements.

Connecting through a PCI Express x8 slot and built on a half-length, low-profile card design, the RS2BL040 fits comfortably in most rack-mount and tower server chassis. Its maximum data transfer rate of 768 MBps makes it well suited for file servers, small database workloads, and backup infrastructure where reliable RAID protection is essential. The ECC memory on the controller helps ensure that cached data remains intact, reducing the risk of silent corruption during write operations. For administrators managing small to medium drive arrays who need proven Intel-backed RAID functionality, the RS2BL040 delivers a solid foundation for protected storage.

Key Features

Controller Type: SAS RAID Controller

Specifications

Brand
Intel
Model
RS2BL040
Controller Type
SAS RAID Controller
Number of Ports
4
Host Interface
PCI Express x8
Data Transfer Rate
768 MBps
RAID Levels
0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60
Onboard Memory
512 MB Embedded ECC DDR2
Form Factor
Half-length Low-profile Plug-in Card

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Supports seven RAID levels including RAID 50 and 60 for advanced nested configurations
  • 512MB ECC DDR2 onboard cache improves I/O performance and protects data integrity
  • Low-profile half-length form factor fits into space-constrained server builds
  • PCI Express x8 interface provides ample bandwidth for demanding storage workloads

👎 Cons

  • Limited to four ports, which may require an additional controller for larger drive arrays
  • 768 MBps maximum throughput is modest compared to newer-generation SAS controllers
  • Does not include a battery backup unit for cache protection during power loss
  • PCIe Gen 2 x8 interface is an older generation that may bottleneck in modern server platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

The RS2BL040 supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, giving you flexibility to balance performance, capacity, and redundancy based on your storage needs.
It includes 512MB of embedded ECC DDR2 memory, which helps accelerate read and write operations and provides data integrity through error-correcting code.
It is a half-length, low-profile plug-in card that connects via a PCI Express x8 slot, making it compatible with most standard server chassis.
The RS2BL040 supports data transfer rates up to 768 MBps across its four SAS ports.
Yes, SAS controllers are backward-compatible with SATA drives, so you can connect either SAS or SATA storage devices to the RS2BL040's four ports.

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