LSI/Broadcom 9300-8i 12Gb/s SAS HBA (SAS3008)
Eight internal 12Gb/s ports on the SAS3008 controller, on a PCIe 3.0 x8 card that the used market has quietly made almost free: at $16–$23 for a pulled unit, the 9300-8i is the cheapest honest way to attach eight drives to a server. It is a plain host bus adapter — if you want the controller to do RAID for you, that is the 9400-16i's job, not this card's.
Fully Tested & Documented · Hong Kong Warehouse Stock · Worldwide Shipping 3–7 Days · 1-Year Warranty
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The LSI 9300-8i, Up Close
9300-8i — 8 Internal Ports at 12Gb/s
Eight internal 12Gb/s SAS/SATA lanes presented on two SFF-8643 connectors, driven by the SAS3008 controller over a PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface. This is an HBA: it presents drives to the host, it does not present RAID volumes. Plan your storage layout around software RAID, ZFS or your hypervisor's own storage layer.
SAS3008, Brackets and Cable Type
The SAS3008 controller is the identifier to look for, and it distinguishes the 9300-8i from the many near-identical LSI HBAs in this generation. Note the connector type: SFF-8643 is not SFF-8087, so a 9211-8i or 9207-8i cable will not fit. We confirm bracket type per unit and can quote the breakout cables with the card.
8
internal 12Gb/s SAS/SATA ports
SAS3008
LSI/Broadcom host bus adapter controller
PCIe 3.0
x8 host interface
$16
used entry price, Sep 2026
Key Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Adapter | LSI/Broadcom 9300-8i 12Gb/s SAS host bus adapter (HBA) |
| Controller | LSI/Broadcom SAS3008 |
| Ports | 8 internal 12Gb/s SAS/SATA ports |
| Internal Connectors | 2 × SFF-8643 |
| Host Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
| RAID | Host bus adapter — no hardware RAID. Pair with software RAID, ZFS or hypervisor storage |
| Form Factor | PCIe adapter with low-profile and full-height bracket options |
| Condition | Pre-owned / refurbished tested pulls, and new stock available |
The 9300-8i is the default answer to 'I need to attach eight drives to this server', and the used price makes it close to a rounding error on a build. Two things to be clear about before you buy. It is an HBA, not a RAID card — it passes drives through to the host, so your RAID (or ZFS, or vSAN, or Storage Spaces) runs in software or in the hypervisor. And its connectors are SFF-8643, so you need SFF-8643 breakout cables, which is a different cable from the SFF-8087 used by the older 9211-8i and 9207-8i generation. It is the standard fitment in our PowerEdge R740xd and Seagate Exos X18 drive builds — an eight-drive ZFS pool on one 9300-8i is the most common configuration we quote. If you need more ports, or you want the card to handle RAID and NVMe drives itself, see our 9400-16i page.
Transparent Pricing
2026 Reference Pricing by Configuration
Tracked live in the September 2026 collection round — seven asking-price data points, and unusually for this batch they split cleanly into two populations by condition. The used and new markets for this card are effectively separate purchases.
Pre-Owned 9300-8i
$16–$23
Four pre-owned listings: $15.98 ×2, $22.99. Used pulls dominate this card's supply because it shipped by the thousand in decommissioned Dell and HPE rack servers, so a tested pull is the rational buy for a lab, a backup target or a cost-sensitive drive shelf.
New 9300-8i
$39–$41
Brand-new stock tracked at $39.04, $39.88 ×2 and $40.99. Roughly double the used price for a card with a known history and no pull risk. For a production array where an afternoon of downtime costs more than the $20 difference, new is the straightforward choice.
Accessories Sold as 'Cards' — filtered out
not quoted
Two listings at $1.00 and $7.00 were excluded from this index on purpose: they are brackets and accessory parts, not complete adapters. If you see a 9300-8i advertised at a few dollars, check what is actually in the box.
Asking prices, not transaction prices — volume deals typically close 5–15% below asking. Seven data points tracked (four pre-owned, three new). Two listings at $1.00 and $7.00 were excluded as bracket/accessory parts rather than complete cards, per the collection notes. Source channel: eBay, sorted by price+shipping, lowest first (first-screen listings). Collected Sep 20, 2026. This entry corresponds to section 40 (LSI/Broadcom 9300-8i, SAS3008, 12Gb/s HBA) of the HKCHL used-server price index.
Origin
Hong Kong Warehouse
Free port — full export documentation
Transit
3–7 Days Air Freight
Tracked, insured, worldwide
Warranty
1-Year Warranty
Diagnostic report in every box
Quality Process
What We Test Before a 9300-8i Ships
Controller and Model Verification
SAS3008 controller and board model read and recorded. This generation of LSI boards looks near-identical across several model numbers, so the controller ID is the check that matters — not the heatsink shape.
All Eight Ports Populated
Every one of the eight 12Gb/s lanes is brought up with a drive attached and enumerated. On a card at this price the realistic fault is a single dead lane, and a card that shows 8 drives on paper but 7 in practice is worse than no card at all.
Mixed SAS and SATA Drive Test
SAS and SATA drives exercised on the same controller. These cards are routinely used to mix enterprise SAS with SATA spinners, and the negotiation behaviour is worth confirming per unit.
Sustained Transfer and Error Counters
Extended read and write pass with error counters checked for link resets, CRC errors or dropped drives. A lane that passes enumeration but throws errors under load will corrupt an array slowly.
Connector and Bracket Inspection
SFF-8643 connectors checked for bent pins and retaining-clip damage, and bracket type confirmed. Damaged mini-SAS connectors are a common outcome of hasty decommissioning and they are not repairable in the field.
Report in the Box
Every unit ships with its per-machine diagnostic report and warranty. Full process: inspection guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a used LSI 9300-8i in 2026?
Pre-owned units tracked at $16 to $23 across four listings in September 2026 ($15.98 ×2 and $22.99), while brand-new stock sat at $39 to $41. Two further listings at $1.00 and $7.00 were excluded from the index because they are brackets and accessory parts rather than complete cards — worth remembering if you spot a suspiciously cheap '9300-8i' elsewhere. At $16–$23 a tested pull is one of the better value plays in the whole used-server market.
What is the difference between the LSI 9300-8i and the 9400-16i?
Ports, RAID and drive type. Ports: 8 internal 12Gb/s ports on the 9300-8i (2× SFF-8643) versus 16 on the 9400-16i (4× SFF-8643). Controller: SAS3008 versus SAS3416. RAID: the 9300-8i is a pure HBA that passes drives through to the host, while the 9400-16i is a tri-mode controller that can handle RAID in hardware and supports NVMe drives alongside SAS and SATA. Price: $16–$23 used for the 9300-8i against $98–$120 for the 9400-16i — roughly five times. The decision is simple in practice: eight SAS or SATA drives with software RAID or ZFS means the 9300-8i and you keep the money. Sixteen drives, hardware RAID, or NVMe means the 9400-16i, and no amount of saving on the HBA makes up for not having tri-mode support.
Does the 9300-8i do RAID?
Not hardware RAID — it is a host bus adapter. It presents your drives directly to the operating system, and the RAID layer is whatever you run on top: ZFS, mdadm, Storage Spaces, vSAN, or your hypervisor's own storage. That is a feature rather than a limitation for most modern deployments, because software RAID and ZFS give you better visibility and portability than a proprietary hardware volume, and you are not tied to a specific card if it fails. If you specifically need the controller to build and manage RAID volumes, that is what the 9400-16i is for.
What cables do I need for a 9300-8i?
SFF-8643 breakout cables — each SFF-8643 connector breaks out to four drives, so two connectors give you the full eight ports. Be aware this is not the same cable as the older SFF-8087 used by the 9211-8i and 9207-8i: it will not fit, and forcing it damages the connector. Tell us your chassis and backplane and we will quote the correct breakout cables with the card so it arrives as a complete kit.
How many drives can I attach, and can I expand later?
Eight drives directly, on two SFF-8643 connectors carrying four lanes each. Expansion beyond eight means either adding a second HBA, moving to a 16-port card like the 9400-16i, or using a SAS expander backplane in the chassis. If you know you will grow past eight drives, say so when you order — buying one 9400-16i usually costs less than buying a 9300-8i now and a second one later, and it leaves the hardware-RAID and NVMe options open.
Are refurbished HBAs tested before shipping?
Yes, and for an HBA the testing is what separates a working card from a lottery ticket. Every card has its controller and model verified, all eight 12Gb/s lanes brought up with a drive attached and enumerated, mixed SAS and SATA drives exercised on the same controller, an extended transfer pass with error counters checked for link resets and CRC errors, and the SFF-8643 connectors inspected for bent pins. Cards ship with the test result noted and carry a 1-year warranty.
Get a Current LSI 9300-8i Quote
Send us the drive count, the server model and whether you want tested-pull or new stock. We will confirm SAS3008 availability, quote the correct SFF-8643 breakout cables for your chassis, and tell you honestly if the 9400-16i works out cheaper for the configuration you are planning. Ships worldwide from Hong Kong, usually within one business day.
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