Areca ARC-1686-8i
Areca ARC-1686-8i
Internal 8-Port PCIe Gen 4 Tri-Mode RAID Adapter With 1 x SFF-8654
Areca ARC-1686-8I is an internal 8-Port PCIe Gen 4 Tri-Mode RAID Adapter With 1 x SFF-8654.
It supports tri-mode drive connectivity for 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) devices.
The adapter uses a Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC and exposes an x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface.
- RAID levels: 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD.
- Max Devices Support: 32.
- Power Consumption: Approximately 10.2 Watts; Operating Voltage: 12V.
- Drive Connector: 1 x SFF-8654 [x8].
Category: Tri-Mode RAID PCIe Cards
Brand: Areca Technology
Original price was: £ 620.24.£ 509.95Current price is: £ 509.95. | £ 611.94 inc VAT
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Areca ARC-1686-8i Product Overview
Areca ARC-1686-8I is an internal 8-Port PCIe Gen 4 Tri-Mode RAID Adapter with 1 x SFF-8654 designed for mixed SAS, SATA and NVMe storage environments. The adapter combines a tri-mode ROC and a Gen 4 host interface to offload RAID processing and support high-density device attachment.
The card targets environments that require hardware RAID offload, flexible drive media support and broad OS compatibility while keeping power draw modest.
Processor and Core Architecture
The adapter uses a Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC to provide hardware RAID processing and tri-mode storage interfaces.
Host And Drive Interfaces
Host connectivity is provided via an x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface and the drive connector is 1 x SFF-8654 [x8].
Drive Media Support
Each drive port is tri-mode and supports 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) devices.
RAID Capabilities
Supported RAID levels are 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD. The adapter supports configurable stripe size up to 1MB, online array roaming, online RAID level/stripe size migration, online capacity expansion and RAID level migration simultaneously, online volume set growth, instant availability and background initialization, and global and dedicated hot spare.
Reliability And Data Management
Features include SED support for hardware encryption capable drives, redundant flash image for adapter availability, support for native 4K and 512 byte sector SAS and SATA devices, Support UNMAP command, S.M.A.R.T., Multiple pairs SSD/HDD disk clone function and SSD automatic monitor clone (AMC).
Management And Monitoring
Management utilities include McRAID Storage Manager, Web-based GUI management utility, Graphical-based management utility, McRAID Utility, Command-line interface, API code support, McBIOS Configuration Utility, Legacy configuration utility, Flashable BIOS support and a firmware built-in EFI Shell to launch configuration utility. Monitors/Notification support includes SNMP, SMTP and enclosure management (UBM, SES-2 and SGPIO) readiness.
Compatibility
Operating system support includes Microsoft Windows; Red Hat Linux, Centos Linux, SUSE Linux, Fedora, Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux; FreeBSD; XenServer; unRAID; and macOS.
Physical And Power
Form factor is LP-MD2 : 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm. The adapter operates from a 12V supply with power consumption Approximately 10.2 Watts and supports up to 32 devices.
Additional Protocol And Error Handling
The adapter supports SAS tape devices and transport layer retries (TLR) for error handling and includes an SFF-9402 compliant connector pin-out.
Documentation And Firmware
Documentation and file versions include ARC-1686-8I/8X Specification Version 1.0 (2022/06/10); ARC-1686-8I/8X User Manual Version 1.2 (2022/11/27); ARC-1686-8I/8X Quick Installation Guide Version 1.0 (2022/07/26); CLI Utility User Manual Version 6.0 (2025/09/02); ArcSAP User Manual Version 4.2 (2020/11/03). Firmware available: ARC-1686-8I/8X firmware Version 1.76 (2026/08/13).
Areca ARC-1686-8i Key Features
- Tri-mode drive ports support 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) devices, providing flexible mixed-media connectivity for storage arrays.
- x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface offers a high-bandwidth connection to the host system.
- Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC delivers hardware RAID offload to reduce host CPU load.
- Drive connector is 1 x SFF-8654 [x8], enabling up to 32 attached devices.
- Supports RAID levels 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD to match a range of protection and performance needs.
- Configurable stripe size up to 1MB and features such as online RAID level/stripe size migration and online capacity expansion support non-disruptive array changes.
- Power design operates at 12V with power consumption Approximately 10.2 Watts, suitable for low-power server slots.
- Compact LP-MD2 form factor with dimensions LP-MD2 : 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm to fit mid-height server slots.
- Management options include McRAID Storage Manager, Web-based GUI, McBIOS Configuration Utility, command-line interface and API code support for integration and automation.
- Enterprise features include SED support for hardware encryption capable drives, redundant flash image for adapter availability and hardware secure boot ready.
- Drive and data protection tools include S.M.A.R.T., Multiple pairs SSD/HDD disk clone function and SSD automatic monitor clone (AMC).
- Enclosure readiness and notifications: SGPIO, SES2 and UBM enclosure management support plus SNMP and SMTP monitoring.
Areca ARC-1686-8i Technical Specifications
| Form Factor | LP-MD2 : 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm |
| I/O Processor | Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC |
| Drive Connector | 1 x SFF-8654 [x8] |
| Drive Support | 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA, Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) |
| Max Devices Support | 32 |
| Host Interface | x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface |
| Tri-mode Drive Ports | Tri-mode interface at each drive ports-12Gb/s SAS/SATA/ Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) |
| Management Port | In-Band: PCIe |
| Enclosure Ready | SGPIO, SES2 and UBM |
| Operating Voltage | 12V |
| Power Consumption | Approximately 10.2 Watts |
| RAID Levels | 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD |
| Configurable Stripe Size | Up to 1MB |
| Online Features | Online array roaming; Online RAID level/stripe size migration; Online capacity expansion and RAID level migration simultaneously; Online volume set growth; Instant availability and background initialization |
| Hot Spare Support | Support global and dedicated hot spare |
| Drive Management | Automatic drive insertion/removal detection and rebuilding; Support HDD firmware update |
| Sector Support | Support for native 4K and 512 byte sector SAS and SATA devices |
| UNMAP | Support UNMAP command |
| S.M.A.R.T. | S.M.A.R.T. support |
| Cloning | Multiple pairs SSD/HDD disk clone function; SSD automatic monitor clone (AMC) |
| Security | SED support for hardware encryption capable drives; Hardware secure boot ready |
| Availability Features | Redundant flash image for adapter availability |
| Error Handling | Support for SAS tape devices and transport layer retries (TLR) for error handling |
| SFF Compliance | SFF-9402 compliant connector pin-out |
| Management Utilities | McRAID Storage Manager; Web-based GUI management utility; Graphical-based management utility; McRAID Utility; Command-line interface; API code support; McBIOS Configuration Utility; Legacy configuration utility; Flashable BIOS support; Firmware built-in EFI Shell to launch configuration utility |
| Monitors / Notification | SNMP; SMTP; enclosure management (UBM, SES-2 and SGPIO) ready |
| Operating Systems | Microsoft Windows; Red Hat Linux, Centos Linux, SUSE Linux, Fedora, Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux; FreeBSD; XenServer; unRAID; macOS |
| Software Package | Same as ARC-1886 Tri-Mode RAID Adapter |
| Specification File | ARC-1686-8I/8X Specification Version 1.0 (2022/06/10) |
| User Manual | ARC-1686-8I/8X User Manual Version 1.2 (2022/11/27) |
| Quick Installation Guide | ARC-1686-8I/8X Quick Installation Guide Version 1.0 (2022/07/26) |
| CLI Utility User Manual | CLI Utility User Manual Version 6.0 (2025/09/02) |
| ArcSAP User Manual | ArcSAP User Manual Version 4.2 (2020/11/03) |
| Firmware | ARC-1686-8I/8X firmware Version 1.76 (2026/08/13) |
Areca Technology Delivery Information
In general, next working day delivery services (UK Mainland) are available on Areca equipment orders placed before 2pm (subject to stock availability).
We kindly advise you let us preconfigure each Areca RAID (as RAID5, RAID6 etc), so they arrive properly setup, ready to “plug’n’play”.
This is a free service, and takes 1-2 days prior to shipping.
Non-timed deliveries should be delivered between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
Orders placed after 2pm on Fridays and on weekends will be processed as normal the following Monday.
Orders placed on Bank Holidays will be processed the next working day.
**If urgent, please call one of our helpful account managers so they may double check everything for you, enabling you to place your order with confidence.**
*Please note: these product details are for guide purposes only, and may contain errors.*
*We always recommend double-checking the product specs and features on the manufacturer website, or contact us if unsure before ordering.*