Areca has unveiled the ARC-1689-8N, a highly specialized M.2 NVMe RAID host bus adapter (HBA) set to redefine high-speed storage density and flexibility in PCs and workstations. Typically, PCI-Express x16 add-in cards supporting M.2 Gen 5 SSDs are limited to four slots, as the x16 interface is commonly segmented into four dedicated x4 links for each M.2 slot. However, the ARC-1689-8N overcomes this constraint through the integration of an active bridge chip—specifically, the Broadcom PEX89048, a product of the former PLX Technologies team—which unlocks new levels of parallel connectivity.
The Broadcom PEX89048 bridge chip introduces a 48-lane PCI-Express Gen 5 switching fabric, efficiently funneling 16 input Gen 5 lanes from the motherboard and distributing them as 32 output Gen 5 lanes to M.2 slots. This architecture empowers the HBA to furnish eight M.2-2280 SSD connections, each fully wired with dedicated Gen 5 x4 bandwidth. This approach eliminates typical bottlenecks and enables users to maximize NVMe drive throughput without splitting or downgrading lane allocations.
Thermal management is a significant focus of the ARC-1689-8N, acknowledging that modern Gen 5 SSDs—capable of sequential transfer rates in the 12-14 GB/s range and often equipped with DRAM caches—produce considerable heat. Areca counters this with an active cooling setup: an extruded aluminium heatsink covers the M.2 slots, augmented by thermal pads and a duo of 40 mm lateral fans. Power demands are addressed via a supplemental 6-pin PCIe connector; when combined with the standard slot power, this enables a total power budget of 150 W. The HBA supports various NVMe RAID configurations (including RAID 0, 1, 10, JBOD, and non-RAID), and Areca touts an aggregate sequential transfer rate of up to 60 GB/s for RAID 0 arrays. The board measures 26.2 cm in length and occupies a single slot, prioritizing both density and compatibility for advanced storage solutions.
