Minisforum has released the ESP4B PCIe expansion card, now available on e-commerce platforms for ¥669. The device is built on the ASMedia Promontory 21 controller and features an active cooling system to manage thermal output during operation.
The card utilizes four PCIe Gen4 lanes for the upstream connection. On the downstream side, it provides connectivity for four M.2 slots, which can be configured as two 4-lane or four 2-lane connections. Additionally, the card includes a 20Gbps USB Type-C port.
The ESP4B also supports storage expansion through four SATA III interfaces. These are implemented via an OCuLink 4i connection, which requires the use of specific custom cables to convert the PCIe Gen3 lanes into the necessary SATA ports.
