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HighPoint 7101A PCIe NVMe RAID card Review

By Karla Vogel
29 November 2018

If there’s one RAID card that has captured the attention of consumers looking for high-performance cards and PC components, it’s the HighPoint 7101A PCIe NVMe RAID card. The proposed capabilities and features of this card far exceed other cards on the market—but how much of its promises does it actually deliver? Let’s take a closer look at the specs and performance with this HighPoint SSD7101 SSD review.

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The Basics

First, let’s take a look at the all-important specifications and basic features of this new offering from HighPoint. The HighPoint 7101A card has 4 M.2 slots due to its full length x16 PCIe design; it is designed to be capable of speeds of 11GBps reading and 11 GBps writing. These are SSDs, so installing the M.4 slots is just as relatively easy as installing standard M.2 SSDs. Due to the 4 slot feature, there are 4 types of RAID supported: 1, 0, 5, and 1/0. The SSD can also be installed right into the computer, though it would only function as an M.2 slot.

Performance Review

The primary allure of the HighPoint 7101A is its incredibly fast 11 GBps reading and writing promised speeds. But does the performance match up? The answer is not quite so simple.

In order to reach top speeds, this card needs to be installed to the fullest extent possible. This means installing 4 SSDs in RAID 0 format, which is not always possible depending on what software, drivers, and general PC equipment you are using. On basic PCs, installing the HighPoint 7101A will not result in significant performance increase because most PC software is simply unable to handle the full potential of the card.

In order to reach the top speeds—or as close to the top speeds that modern PCs can get—you will need very high-performance PCs and PC software. Windows, unfortunately, is currently not capable of getting the most out of this card, so Window users will not be able to see the card’s full potential. Professional users who have non-Windows high-performance software, such as CrystalDiskMark, will see the best performance out of this card.

Final Verdict

The good news is that the HighPoint 7101A is absolutely capable of delivering the performance that it promises. The bad news is that most PC software is incapable of actually letting the card deliver that performance, outside of high-performance computer software that is not Windows.

This means that the card is ideal for users who have non-Windows PC software that is already top of the line. Unfortunately, right now, this means that the card does not have much benefit for the average user.

However, the fact that the card is technically capable of providing 11Gps reading and writing speeds means that it shouldn’t be completely discounted. In the future, when more PCs—and hopefully, Windows—are capable of handling it, it will be a top of the line card ideal for anyone who needs a strong, sturdy and incredibly fast SSD.

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HighPoint 7101A PCIe NVMe RAID card Review

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Karla Vogel

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