Mini SAS HD Cable Assemblies
Mini SAS HD is the high-density Mini Multilane connector family behind 12 Gb/s SAS: SFF-8643 is the unshielded internal version and SFF-8644 the shielded external one, each in four- and eight-lane sizes. Inside a server it links SAS and SATA controllers to backplanes and drives; outside, it connects servers to disk enclosures. Many platforms also run PCIe over SFF-8643 to U.2 drives. Mini SAS HD cables are quoted as built to your drawing or sourced by part number.
Where Mini SAS HD assemblies are used
SAS and SATA backplanes
Controller to backplane, or one SFF-8643 port fanned out to four SATA drives.
External storage
SFF-8644 cables between a server's external SAS ports and a JBOD enclosure.
NVMe over SFF-8643
SFF-8643 to U.2 cables on platforms whose NVMe ports are Mini SAS HD.
What you can specify
Each point is confirmed with our manufacturing partner before the quotation. Connectors are the genuine parts your drawing names, and an alternative is used only with your written approval.
- Internal (SFF-8643) or external (SFF-8644) at each end
- Breakouts to SATA or SAS drive connectors, with sideband
- Forward or reverse breakout direction
- The far end: another Mini SAS HD, SlimSAS, MCIO or U.2
- Branch lengths, plug orientation and port labels
Testing and records
Assemblies built to your drawing are continuity tested unit by unit and ship with a test report; sourced cables ship as supplied by their maker. Signal-integrity data such as insertion loss or impedance is never assumed: if your link needs it, say so in the RFQ, and whether and how it can be measured is confirmed before the quotation.
The continuity test follows each breakout leg to its drive connector, sideband included, so drive positions match your drawing.
How testing and records work →How long can the cable be?
Sum the PCIe channel the way the specifications budget it, host package to device, and read the margin a given length, wire gauge and host trace leave at Gen4, Gen5 or Gen6. Every figure is sourced on the page and can be replaced with your own.
Open the MCIO / SlimSAS insertion loss calculator →Common questions
What is the difference between SFF-8643 and SFF-8644?
SFF-8643 is the internal, unshielded plug used inside a server; SFF-8644 is the shielded external plug that mates into a metal cage, used between enclosures. They are not interchangeable, so the drawing names the right one at each end.
Can you make SFF-8643 to SATA breakout cables?
Yes — one SFF-8643 plug to four SATA connectors is a standard breakout, with sideband where the backplane uses it. Forward and reverse breakouts are wired differently, so the drawing must say whether the cable runs from a controller to drives or from motherboard ports to a backplane.
Is Mini SAS HD the same as the older Mini SAS?
No. SFF-8087 and SFF-8088 are the earlier Mini SAS connectors; Mini SAS HD is smaller and denser. Cables with one of each are common where older hardware meets newer.
What should a Mini SAS HD RFQ include?
Both ends with part numbers, internal or external, forward or reverse breakout, the controller and backplane models, branch lengths, sideband and quantities.
Related connectors
Connector and series names on these pages — JST, Molex, Micro-Fit, Mini-Fit, PicoBlade, Pico-Lock, CLIK-Mate, PCIe, MCIO, SlimSAS, OCuLink, HSD, HFM and DEUTSCH among them — may be trademarks of their respective owners. They are used only to identify the connectors an assembly is built with or mates with. Interconnix is not affiliated with, sponsored by or an authorized distributor of any connector maker.