Why use an HBA in your media server

Ever hit a wall with your media server setup? Maybe you maxed out your motherboard’s SATA ports. Or you want to hand control of your drives to a VM in Proxmox without the host getting in the way. That’s where a Host Bus Adapter (HBA) becomes your best friend. It’s your ticket to smoother storage configuration, more drives, and better performance, especially if you’re running a virtualized environment.

Here’s what you need to know: when to use an HBA, why it works great in virtual storage VMs, what cables you’ll need, and how to buy an HBA that works out of the box.

What’s an HBA and When Should You Use It?

A Host Bus Adapter (HBA) is a PCIe card that gives your server more drive connectivity than your motherboard can. Think of it as a high-performance SATA or SAS controller, just way more capable than those cheap expansion cards that drop drives under load.

You’ll want one if:

  • You’re out of SATA ports. Most motherboards provide you with six. If you’re running a Plex or Jellyfin server, you’ll blow through those fast.

  • You’re using Proxmox or any hypervisor. Want to pass your drives directly to a VM? You need an HBA flashed to IT mode.

  • You care about reliability. HBAs are built to handle a bunch of drives without dropping them randomly like bargain-bin SATA controllers.

When to Use an HBA

Problem HBA Fixes It By…
Not enough SATA ports Expands drive capacity (8+ drives)
Running Proxmox VMs Allows direct passthrough to VM
Cheap SATA cards unreliable Provides stable, enterprise-grade control
Want future expansion Supports SAS expanders (24+ drives)

HBAs in Virtual Storage VMs (This Is Where They Shine)

Running a NAS in a VM? Stop fighting your hypervisor. Pass the HBA straight to the storage VM and let it take over.

1. Direct Passthrough = Better Performance

Instead of juggling drive access through the host, pass the HBA to your VM. That VM gets direct, raw control over the drives. Perfect for ZFS, MergerFS, or SnapRAID.

2. IT Mode: No RAID, No Nonsense

Flashing the HBA to IT mode removes the RAID stuff. The VM sees each drive on its own, just like it should. This avoids weird RAID layers interfering with smart tools or parity calculations.

3. Fewer Headaches, More Stability

Onboard SATA gets weird in VMs. Unreliable, slow, or just flaky. An HBA gives you dedicated hardware built for this job.

4. Room to Grow

Planning for expansion? A single HBA can talk to a SAS expander and let you run 24 or more drives through one PCIe slot.

How to Buy an HBA That Just Works

Get One Already Flashed to IT Mode

Most used enterprise HBAs ship with RAID firmware (IR mode). You want IT mode. This makes each drive show up independently.

Popular models:

  • LSI 9211-8i - Amazon Link - Already Flashed to IT mode.

  • LSI 9300-8i - Amazon Link - Already Flashed to IT mode.

  • Dell H310 (flashed to IT) - Amazon Link - Already Flashed to IT mode.

Look for pre-flashed cards on:

  • eBay (Search for “IT mode HBA”)

  • Server resellers with refurb listings

They usually run $50 to $100. Cheap, considering the performance and stability boost.

Need More Drives? Get a SAS Expander

If 8 ports aren’t enough, plug a SAS expander into your HBA.

What It Does

Think of it like a network switch for hard drives. You plug the HBA into the expander, and the expander gives you dozens of ports.

Why It’s Useful

  • More drives per HBA – Some expanders support 24 or more drives.

  • Fewer PCIe slots used – Leave room for GPUs, NICs, or other gear.

  • Lower cost – Expanders cost less than more HBAs.

  • Intel RES2SV240 - Amazon Link - Compact and solid for home labs.

Cables: Here’s What You Need

HBAs don’t use regular SATA ports. They use SFF connectors.

  • SFF-8087 to 4x SATA - Amazon Link - Used for older HBAs like the LSI 9211-8i.

Looks like this:

sff-8087 connections

  • SFF-8643 to 4x SATA - Amazon Link - For newer HBAs like the LSI 9300-8i.

Looks like this:

sff-8643 connections

If you’re using an expander, you’ll also need:

  • SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 - Amazon Link

  • Or SFF-8643 to SFF-8087 - Amazon Link - depending on card and expander combo.

HBA Port Type Use This Cable
SFF-8087 SFF-8087 to 4x SATA
SFF-8643 SFF-8643 to 4x SATA
Expander Link SFF-8087 ↔ SFF-8087

Wrap-Up: Yes, You Should Use an HBA

Want to scale up? Make your VM manage your drives directly? Avoid janky SATA cards? Then an HBA flashed to IT mode is a must. Pair it with an expander if you’re going big. Use the right cables. And your home media server just leveled up.

Skip the guesswork. Get an HBA Controller.