SeriTek 2SE2-E two-port SATA card

I have no desire to repeat the interrupt storm problems I’ve had with the Sonnet Tempo SATA cards, so I purchased three FirmTek SeriTek 2SE2-E two-port external SATA cards, filling up the slots of my Mac Pro.

FirmTek SeriTek/2SE2-E two-port external SATA card

Each diminutive card offers two external SATA ports, so this allows connecting up to 6 external SATA cables. I’ve connected mine to the quiet and extremely well-built SeriTek/2EN2 and SeriTek/2eEN4 enclosures—six cables to six ports. (I particularly like the SeriTek/2EN2 for its quiet operation and compact size). I’m waiting for a few hard drives and then I’ll post some performance figures.

FirmTek also states that the 2SE2-E also support Port Multiplication with a compatible enclosure. Like all my experiences with FirmTek products, these cards are performing very well, except for one erroneous dialog which FirmTek tells me will be rectified with a firmware update due out shortly. Firmtek will have several more storage cards and enclosures available soon.

FirmTek’s web site is a bit out of date. For example, the Mac Pro is not mentioned, making it a bit confusing to decipher all the PCI/X , PCI-Express terminology. You must buy “PCI Express” cards for the most recent PowerMac G5 and Mac Pro machines, not PCI-X.
Also, the “Firmware and Drivers” tab suggests that there are no firmware updates, which isn’t true. Contact FirmTek directly via email—they are responsive.