![]() One question is, how are these chips used today? One interesting application was in the OCZ Technology RevoDrive X2 which used the Silicon Image SI3124 to tie together the SandForce SF-1222 based SSD controllers. I will note that in general, I suggest using passive heatsinks on controllers and ensuring that there is enough (redundant) airflow over that heatsink from the chassis. the Dell PERC 5/i), the PCI-X to PCIe bridge was a common architecture. With some older designs, including those based on the Intel IOP333 RAID processor (e.g. The relatively large heatsink/ fan covers something that I am guessing is a PCI-X to PCIe bridge chip. One will also notice that there is a conspicuous lack of DRAM onboard the PCB, which is a clear indicator that this is a fake-RAID 5 solution. As one can see, the Silicon Image chip is clearly visible between the “Raid 5” sticker (someone apparently forgot that RAID is an acronym) and a heatsink/ fan. The above card is a now discontinued Rosewill RC-224 that I had sitting unused in a box. Silicon Image SiI3124 Controller PCB Shot This low-cost architecture has been something that Silicon Image has been building for years. For about $100 one can purchase a controller and a port multiplier (based on the SiI3726 for example) and provide eight ports of connectivity. One of the biggest draws to the Silicon Image port-multiplier enabled ecosystems is cost. The Silicon Image SiI3124 controller is an inexpensive SATA II controller that runs natively on a PCI-X bus. ![]() ![]() The short story here is that I think they can be valuable and I can see that they have a place in the market. One question I am often asked is what do I think about port multipliers.
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