Using SSD on PCI-e card

[smargo]

Hi,
I am currently using a Crucial M4 as my OS drive on a basic H55 motherboard with SATA II ports.

I have two connundrums:
1 - my ports are only sata II so im not getting the full performance of the drive
2 - im running short on sata ports for data drives, even 1 more sata port would buy me a lot of time

So I was thinking of getting a cheap 6Gbps 2xSATA PCI-e expansion card, moving the SSD over to it, and that would have the secondary effect of freeing up at least one more SATA port on my mobo for another data drive. Two birds with one stone.

Is this a good/bad idea?

I found some cards in the £20-30 range on Amazon.co.uk, from Startech, Asus and Syba.

Thanks

 

[Dereck47]

You will not get full performance from your Crucial M4 on a cheap PCIe card.

You need at least a PCIe x4 or x8 card. Of course you also need an available x4 or x8 slot on your motherboard to connect the card to. Those cards start around $250.

 

[unksol]

like this $250 card. oh wait. that's 35.99 and capable of 5Gb/s in a 2.0 x1 slot

 

[smargo]

Seems kind of crazy that a good card costs $250. I mean I can get a whole mobo with lots of sata ports for that price.... why are they so expensive and is there any good mid-price ones?

like this $250 card. oh wait. that's 35.99 and capable of 5Gb/s in a 2.0 x1 slot

What card are you referring to?

Thanks for the replies