MINISFORUM ESP4B PCIe Expansion Card Offers 4 M.2 and 4 SATA Ports for Under $100

PC builders with high storage demands now have a cost-effective way to expand their system's connectivity without breaking the bank. The MINISFORUM ESP4B adds significant storage capacity to a single PCIe slot, offering a practical solution for users who need more drive bays than their motherboard provides. This expansion card targets enthusiasts and professionals who require multiple fast NVMe drives alongside traditional SATA storage for bulk data.

MINISFORUM ESP4B PCIe expansion card adds four M.2 and four SATA ports for under $100

MINISFORUM designed the ESP4B as a PCIe Add-In Card (AIC) that relies on the ASMedia Promontory 21 controller chip to manage its connections. The card connects to the host system via an upstream interface consisting of four PCIe Gen4 lanes. This architecture allows the device to distribute bandwidth efficiently across its various storage ports while maintaining high transfer speeds for connected devices.

Specifications

• Controller Chip: ASMedia Promontory 21
• M.2 Slots: 4x M.2 (PCIe Gen4)
• SATA Interfaces: 4x SATA III
• Upstream Interface: 4x PCIe Gen4
• USB Interface: 1x USB Type-C (20Gbps)

The hardware provides four M.2 slots that support PCIe Gen4 drives in either a 2x 4-lane or 4x 2-lane configuration. It also includes four SATA III interfaces, which are delivered through an OCuLink 4i port using a custom cable. The unit features active cooling to manage heat generation and includes one USB Type-C port that supports 20Gbps data transfer rates.

We previously covered the MINISFORUM PCIE TO 4 Expansion Card in our earlier coverage, which highlights the vendor's focus on storage connectivity solutions. The ESP4B continues this trend by offering a robust set of interfaces in a compact form factor. Users looking to add both high-speed NVMe and standard SATA drives can now do so with a single expansion card.

The ESP4B is available in China for 669 CNY (around $99.63). The product went on sale on October 3, 2024, on major e-commerce platforms. This pricing makes it an accessible option for users who need to expand their storage infrastructure without investing in a new motherboard or expensive RAID controllers.