Pros: Two connectors, pcie 8 lane support. Product literature states FreeBSD support. Disk transfers through this card are much faster than using the onboard sata ports on my motherboard.

Cons: I discovered after installing the card that the FreeBSD native driver did not recognize the card. Areca's web site did not have a driver for FreeBSD listed despite all of the product literature stating it was supported. However if you are looking at this card the driver was posted to their site as of 1/17/12. Updating the firmware requires DOS.

Overall Review: I contacted support and they responded immediately with a "beta" driver. When I asked what issues to look out for they said there were none. So far the driver has performed flawlessly. The disk attached through the HBA are visible and behaving normally. I was able to update the firmware using FreeDOS and building a bootable CD.

Pros: Sata 3, disk activity lights function, tray less.

Cons: Of the three docks purchased two of them had problems with disks jamming inside. The latch mechanism is plastic and will break if forced.

Overall Review: Don't force the lever or you will break it. I had to shut down the server and physically remove the dock. Once out of the server remove the four screws which hold on the front face plate and you can remove the drive. From the front there are two metal guides which are held in place with screws. On one I had to file down a rough area in the stamped metal with was catching on the side of the hard disk. The other I had to flare the back of the guide out slightly so it would not catch on the drive. I still gave it four eggs because these problem were not major. Annoying yes, but easily fixed. Test the units with a drive you intend to use before installing them. If they jam then modify the guides.