SG-5100 package contents mystery
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OK, probable dumb question. In the box with the 5100 are two small plastic envelopes.
One contains 4 rubber feet and two (different) small screws.
The other contains what appear to be two different size adhesive pads.I think I know what to do with the feet. Can someone advise what the pads and screws are for?
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Here are my thoughts:
Rubber feet: These go on the bottom of the unit to prevent it from scratching tables. [Sorry, I couldn't resist :-]
Small screw #1: This is for the M2. expansion slot.
Smaller screw #2: This is for the Mini-PCIe expansion slot.
I'm guessing that the pads are replacement thermal conductive pads in case the board needs to be separated from the case for some reason.
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Makes sense, thanks. Got the system up and running but haven't bothered to crack the case yet.
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Congrats on the new firewall. Without seeing a picture, my best guess is that dennypage is 100% correct.
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They are indeed thermal pads, but they aren't needed in most cases. If someone adds some hardware they might help with heat dissipation depending on the hardware and its placement and so on.
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@jimp Hey Jim, have you found that SSDs need a thermal pad? I know that some drives like the Kingspec have a reputation for running hot...
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I don't think we have any tests or numbers for that. It likely depends on your ambient temperature and workload.
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A couple of things that were specifically missing from the package (at least the one I got) are the 4 screws to secure the SSD to the mounting tray, and the SATA data/power cable. Luckily I had both of these kicking around, but I imagine a lot of people wouldn't. This should be added as an accessory item on the Netgate store, or better yet, included with the kit.
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@luckman212 said in SG-5100 package contents mystery:
A couple of things that were specifically missing from the package (at least the one I got) are the 4 screws to secure the SSD to the mounting tray, and the SATA data/power cable. Luckily I had both of these kicking around, but I imagine a lot of people wouldn't. This should be added as an accessory item on the Netgate store, or better yet, included with the kit.
Interesting. After I placed my order, I logged a support call in which I asked about the SATA data & power cables, and the response was that the "power cable is there but the data is not".
Does it need a 4 pin molex to SATA power adapter? -
For those that need a lot of storage, I expect M.2 SATA cards will prove much more popular than external drives.
It's a pain to run a supply chain for lots of little parts that people don't use. I was pleased to find the screws for the expansion slots were actually included. FWIW, I would have preferred a bigger head on the screw for the Mini-PCIe slot. All the cards I use will require a washer.
I was kinda bummed that the M.2 connector didn't have PCIe connections. I had an M.2 NVMe card waiting for install in one of my SG-5100s. Had to return it and get a plain old SATA card.
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@immy I think they meant that the external AC/DC power cables are included. Neither of my units had SATA cables of any kind in the box.
My advise is to either wait for your unit to arrive so you can physically see the connections or to reach out to Netgate and ask them what you need to connect a given style of drive.
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I definitely did not receive any SATA cables—power nor data. What is needed is this:
I have no idea what that's exactly called, or where to get it. I had some from some old Lanner FW-7535 kits from years ago. I suppose you could just get separate power+data cables, but that motherboard power connector (mini 4-pin Molex, I believe it's called "SP4" type - 2.54mm pitch) is not so easy to find...
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@dennypage said in SG-5100 package contents mystery:
@immy I think they meant that the external AC/DC power cables are included. Neither of my units had SATA cables of any kind in the box.
My advise is to either wait for your unit to arrive so you can physically see the connections or to reach out to Netgate and ask them what you need to connect a given style of drive.
I find it hard to believe that this question:
"Does it come with the SATA cable (data+power) ?""The power cable is there but the data is not."
Epic fail Netgate
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@luckman212 Thanks.
I guess I will have to go order the Lanner NCA-1510A optional accessory "SATA Cable Serial ATA Power Data Cable for SATA HDD +SATA Power Cable".
Since it is that model it should work. -
The system comes with eMMC storage and can easily be expanded with M.2 disks, which don't require anything extra and take up much less space in the case.
You can add on a bulky SSD, or a spinning rust HDD, if you like using outside parts, but it is disingenuous to imply that it doesn't come with the parts that allow it to use expanded storage. We don't sell those kits as an optional accessory because most people don't want them, they want M.2 disks.
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Jim- I was working back and forth for about a month with Nathan Pintar on your guys' team on this. I was trying to try to track down an M.2 drive that would fit. He told me Netgate only recommends SSDs from "Tier 1" vendors- e.g. Intel, Samsung, etc.
The problem is, the slot is not NVMe, it's the older SATA3 type, and it's not the usual 2280 form factor, it's 2242. I spent weeks scouring the internet looking for a drive that met the criteria:
- Tier1 supplier
- SATA interface
- M.2 2242 NGFF
- 240-256GB
- In stock
I gave up eventually and could not find anything. Maybe you guys as a wholesale buyer have more options, but when I ordered my unit, there weren't any SSD add-ons being offered on the Netgate store.
I settled on a 2.5" Intel D3-S4610. I definitely wanted to skip the fuss of a 2.5" drive but I still can't find anything in that form factor.
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I don't think M.2 drives are too hard to find. Here are a few on Amazon:
Transcend
KingSpec
MyDigital
KingDianI can attest that the Transcend works fine. When queried, Netgate indicated that they had tested the KingSpec cards with the SG-5100, and that the KingSpec cards were what they use with the SG-3100.
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@dennypage yup I found all of those too. The thing is, I shied away because of the warning about only using Tier1. Of those 4, the only one that has much of a reputation is Transcend. If Netgate had tested the KingSpec, I wish I'd known about it, because the email I got from them only mentioned having tested an Intel DC S3510 and a BiWIN C6308. The BiWIN I couldn't find in stock anywhere, and the S3510 seems to be a 2.5"
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -
@dennypage Try in Australia.
Amazon won't ship from the USA anymore.
MyDigitalSSD Super Boot 2 256GB M.2 42mm (2242) is the closest that I could find.
Even that is out of stock locally. -
Got mine today.. Nice to see I wasn't the only one wondering what those things were
