Adaptec RAID 2405 SAS / SATA Controller
Packaging & Appearance
With Adaptec products being squarely aimed at professionals and enterprises more than home users and enthusiasts, it’s no surprise that the 2405 controller is presented in a pale blue box with minimalistic appearance. This is quite a refreshing change from some of the overdressed products we often receive, that would more than likely have a camouflage background with fighter jets spelling out the SAS name.
Contained within the box is a 4-way SAS/SATA cable, low profile blanking plate, driver disk, software disk (containing Adaptec’s Windows based configuration utility) and a worryingly large printed user manual. The controller card itself is kept separate from the rest of the accessories by means of a moulded clear blister style packet that should ensure safe delivery of the card, even at the hands of the most brutal couriers.
Going in for a closer look at the card, we can see that passive cooling is required to keep the 800MHz processor cool during operation. As previously mentioned, the 2405 is a low-profile card and thus the two 64MB memory IC’s that make up the cards 128MB of on-board ram have been located on the rear of the PCB to make way for the rest of the components.
This particular version of the 2405 is fitted with a single SAS connector allowing for the connection of four SAS/SATA devices without the need for any SAS expanders. It is also worth mentioning at this point that the SAS connector interface is far, far more robust than standard SATA and gives a reassuringly sturdy click when the connector is pushed into place.
