Areca ARC-1689-8N
Areca ARC-1689-8N
PCIe Gen5 X16 8-Bay M.2 NVMe Hardware RAID Adapter
The Areca ARC-1689-8N is a PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 M.2 NVMe hardware RAID adapter that supports up to 8 bays of Gen5 x4 M.2 devices.
It presents hardware RAID volumes natively to the host and uses in-box NVMe drivers for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and VMware.
The adapter includes PLX89048 Gen5 switch technology, redundant flash image, and support for optional power-loss protection via the ARC-1689-CBM module.
- PCIe Gen5 x16 host interface with maximum transfer rate up to 512Gb/s.
- Supports up to 4x 2280 FF and 4x 22110 FF M.2 drives.
- Hardware RAID levels 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOF.
Category: NVMe RAID PCIe Cards
Brand: Areca Technology
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Areca ARC-1689-8N Product Overview
The Areca ARC-1689-8N is a PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 M.2 NVMe hardware RAID adapter designed for high-bandwidth, low-latency storage solutions.
It presents hardware RAID volumes natively to the host and uses in-box NVMe drivers for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and VMware.
PCIe Gen 5.0 Performance
The adapter provides a PCIe Gen5 x16 host interface with a maximum transfer rate up to 512Gb/s and delivers high-speed performance with speeds of 60GB/s.
M.2 Device Support
Supports up to 8 bays PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 device interface with support for up to 4x 2280 FF and 4x 22110 FF form factors.
RAID Modes and AIC Operation
Hardware RAID functionality includes RAID levels 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOF, and the adapter also supports AIC mode.
Power Loss Protection (PLP)
Power Loss Protection is available; PLP requires installation of the ARC-1689-CBM cache backup module to protect unwritten cached data during power fail events.
Security and Encryption
Supports SED-based encryption for hardware NVMe encryption capable drives with support for 128- and 256-bit AES keys or password (variable key size), and provides local key management API access.
Management and Drivers
Uses in-box (native) NVMe drivers and supports Windows (10 or above), Linux (Kernel 3.10 or above), FreeBSD and VMware; management is via the web browser-based McRAID storage manager, ArcSAP quick manager and ArcHTTP in-band method.
Hardware Design and Cooling
The adapter measures 107.2(H) x 262(L) mm and integrates a PLX89048 Gen5 48 lanes PCIe switch chip with a high-performance hardware RAID engine, redundant flash image and hardware secure boot readiness, plus an advanced thermal solution to control fan speed.
Power and Monitoring
Power consumption is Approximately 14 Watts (without M.2 drive) and firmware provides slot control capabilities, slot link status and transaction error count reports for monitoring signal integrity.
Documentation and Firmware
Documentation and firmware for the ARC-1689-8N include: ARC-1689-8N Specification version 1.4 (2025/11/27); ARC-1689-8N Quick Installation Guide version 1.2 (2025/10/20); CLI Utility User Manual version 6.0 (2025/09/02); ArcSAP User Manual version 4.2 (2020/11/03); and ARC-1689-8N firmware version 1.75 (2026/05/27).
Areca ARC-1689-8N Key Features
- Areca ARC-1689-8N supports up to 8 bays PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 device interface, enabling high-density M.2 NVMe configurations.
- The adapter uses a PLX89048 Gen5 PCIe switch chip with a high-performance hardware RAID engine for off-host RAID processing.
- PCIe Gen5 x16 host interface provides a maximum transfer rate up to 512Gb/s for high-bandwidth applications.
- Delivers high-speed performance with speeds of 60GB/s for workloads that require sustained NVMe throughput.
- Supports hardware RAID levels 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOF, plus AIC mode for flexible deployment.
- Power Loss Protection (PLP) is supported; the ARC-1689-CBM cache backup module is required to enable hold-up protection.
- SED support enables hardware NVMe encryption with AES keys of 128- and 256-bit or password (variable key size) for drive-level data protection.
- In-box (native) NVMe device driver support for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and VMware removes the need for special host drivers.
- Redundant flash image and hardware secure boot ready features improve adapter availability and boot-time integrity.
- Advanced, intelligent thermal solution controls fan speed to manage operating temperatures under load.
- Device monitoring includes slot link control capabilities, slot link status and transaction error count reporting for signal integrity diagnostics.
Areca ARC-1689-8N Technical Specifications
| Form Factor | 107.2(H) x 262(L) mm |
| PCIe Switch Chip | PLX89048 Gen5 48 lanes /high-performance H/W RAID engine |
| Host Interface | PCIe Gen5 x16 Lanes |
| Device Connector | 8 x M.2 Connector |
| Device Interface | PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 (NVMe) |
| Supports | Supports up to 8 bays PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 device interface |
| Max NVMe Support | Up to 4x 2280 FF and 4x 22110 FF |
| RAID Level | 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOF |
| Power Loss Protection (PLP) | Yes (need to install ARC-1689-CBM) |
| Device Driver | In-box (Native) NVMe Driver |
| Software Package | Same as ARC-1886 Tri-Mode Adapter |
| Power Consumption | Approximately 14 Watts (without M.2 drive) |
| Maximum Transfer Rate | Up to 512Gb/s |
| Performance | Delivers high-speed performance with speeds of 60GB/s |
| SED Encryption | SED support for hardware NVMe encryption capable drives; supports 128- and 256-bit encryption keys using AES, or password (variable key size) |
| Secure Boot | Hardware secure boot ready; UEFI Secure Boot capability supported |
| OS Compatibility (In-box Drivers) | Windows (10 or above), Linux (Kernel 3.10 or above), FreeBSD, VMware |
| Monitoring | Support slot link control capabilities, link status and error count monitoring |
| Reliability Features | Redundant flash image for adapter availability |
| Cooling | Advanced, intelligent thermal solution to control fan speed |
| Management | Web browser-based McRAID storage manager, ArcSAP quick manager and ArcHTTP in-band method |
| Documentation: Specification | ARC-1689-8N Specification version 1.4 (2025/11/27) |
| Documentation: Quick Install | ARC-1689-8N Quick Installation Guide version 1.2 (2025/10/20) |
| Documentation: CLI Utility | CLI Utility User Manual version 6.0 (2025/09/02) |
| Documentation: ArcSAP | ArcSAP User Manual version 4.2 (2020/11/03) |
| Firmware | ARC-1689-8N firmware version 1.75 (2026/05/27) |
Areca ARC-1689-8N Product Downloads
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 the manufacturer website, or contact us if unsure before ordering.