U.3 NVMe SSDs

Key takeaways

  • 492 listings match this collection right now.
  • A tri-mode backplane needs a tri-mode HBA or RAID controller behind it too, since the backplane alone cannot present SAS, SATA and NVMe drives without matching controller support.
  • U.3 drives can rely on NVMe-MI enclosure signaling rather than the SES protocol a SAS drive uses, so bay LEDs and management tools depend on the backplane matching that protocol.
  • A U.3 bay auto-detects whether the inserted drive is SAS, SATA or NVMe through the backplane's side-band signaling, so the same physical bay can host any of the three without rewiring.

U.3 is the successor to U.2, built for tri-mode backplanes that accept SAS, SATA and NVMe drives in the same bay. A U.3 drive works in a U.2 bay, but a U.2 drive does not work in a U.3 bay wired for tri-mode, which is the ordering mistake to avoid.

492 listings in this collection, filtered from Solid State Drives. The part number and manufacturer are stated on every listing, and the condition wherever the catalogue records one. For quantity, request a volume quote.

How to choose solid state drives

Interface first: SATA drives work on a SAS backplane, SAS drives do not work on a SATA-only controller, and NVMe connects over PCIe lanes in U.2, U.3, M.2, E1.S or add-in-card form factors that are not interchangeable with each other. Then the endurance class the workload needs, stated as drive writes per day. Then whether the listing includes the hot-swap tray, which every listing name states.

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