Released to mass market in late 2020 and fully documented by mid-2021, the is a highly integrated bridge controller that converts USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) to PCI Express (PCIe) Gen 3 x2, specifically designed for NVMe solid-state drives . By 2021, it had become the industry’s leading alternative to the ASMedia ASM2362, prized for its low power consumption, integrated voltage regulators, and support for advanced features like UASP, TRIM, and S.M.A.R.T. passthrough.
For hardware developers, it is important to distinguish between two variants of the chip:
You may see references to the vs RTL9210B .
The 2021 release of this controller emphasized several enhancements over its predecessors: rtl9210b datasheet 2021
USB 3.2 Gen2 (formerly USB 3.1 Gen2), providing theoretical bandwidth up to 10Gbps . Storage Protocols:
: The RTL9210BPD-CG variant specifically supports Power Delivery 3.0 via the Type-C connector.
| Feature | RTL9210B | ASMedia ASM2362 | JMicron JMS583 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Max PCIe Speed | Gen 3 x2 | Gen 3 x2 | Gen 3 x2 | | UASP Support | Full | Full | Partial (no TRIM) | | Operating Temp (max) | 85°C | 70°C | 80°C | | 4Kn Drive Support | Yes (2021 FW) | No | Via beta FW | | Price (2021, 1k units) | $2.85 | $4.20 | $2.60 | Released to mass market in late 2020 and
| Errata # | Description | Workaround (2021) | |----------|-------------|-------------------| | E01 | Occasional USB disconnect on hot-plug of NVMe drive | Add 100k pull-down on PCIE_CLKREQ# | | E04 | PCIe link may fall back to Gen 2 (5 GT/s) with certain drives | Force Gen 3 via firmware config | | E07 | S.M.A.R.T. temperature reading fails on some NVMe drives | Use vendor-specific command passthrough | | E12 | UART debug consumes power in standby | Disable UART in production firmware |
: It is generally cooler than the JMS583 due to its lower energy footprint. However, enclosure design is critical; plastic casings can still lead to overheating and disconnects during sustained high-speed transfers. Compatibility
Thermal characteristics (from datasheet): For hardware developers, it is important to distinguish
A is strongly recommended. A typical stack-up might consist of:
Supports SATA Gen3 host with speeds up to 6Gbps . It remains backward compatible with SATA Gen1 and Gen2.
: USB 3.1 Gen 2, providing up to 10Gbps bandwidth. Drive Protocols :
In real-world testing, the RTL9210B has been noted for its efficiency and speed, often reaching read speeds near in high-performance NVMe scenarios.
Supports SATA Gen3 (6Gbps) and is backward compatible with Gen2 and Gen1. It includes a built-in AHCI driver for seamless communication with SATA drives.