Adaptec RAID 6805 OR LSI MegaRAID 9260-8i?

[imipenem]

I am building a new server for my small manufacturing business. The server will be my DC and run my ERP software and be my MS SQL 2008 server. I am planning on using a RAID 10 setup. Any reason to chose one over the other? I will be using WD SATA RE drives in the system due to budget issues.

CPU - Xeon E3-1220
MB - Supermicro MBD-X9SCA-F-O
RAM - 16GB DDR3

Thanks

 

[dclive]

I am building a new server for my small manufacturing business. The server will be my DC and run my ERP software and be my MS SQL 2008 server. I am planning on using a RAID 10 setup. Any reason to chose one over the other? I will be using WD SATA RE drives in the system due to budget issues.

CPU - Xeon E3-1220
MB - Supermicro MBD-X9SCA-F-O
RAM - 16GB DDR3

Thanks

Buy a Dell, get a 5-year warranty, and get standard Dell PERC/H700 controllers. You want to be able to get 24x7 support for important servers; don't cheap out with home-made stuff.

 

[groberts101]

I would go LSI for speed and Adaptec for stability. My 5805 isn't the fastest but has never dropped a drive yet in the 2 years I've had it running R0.

My buddies talk smack about their LSI's being faster and show me benchmarks.. but then turn around and bitch about firmware upgrades not going as planned.

 

[imagoon]

Buy a Dell, get a 5-year warranty, and get standard Dell PERC/H700 controllers. You want to be able to get 24x7 support for important servers; don't cheap out with home-made stuff.

This ^, You are not saving any money or doing your company any favors building the machine from scratch/whitebox. Remember when it crashes (and it will) they will be looking at you while ERP is down and the company is basically nonfunctional and you will be looking back at them going "well I need to order a new systemboard from ebay because they are not made any more and it will be at least a week to get it." And this is assuming the replacement works.

 

[imipenem]

Thanks for the replies. I have had more issues with the 5 Dell servers I have purchased over the last 7 years than I have with the 10 servers I built (using dual Xeon CPUs, Tyan/Supermicro boards, and Adaptec controllers). I don't think the 25-30% price premium for a Dell is worth it.

I think I will go with the Adaptec 6805....

 

[Cerb]

I would go LSI for speed and Adaptec for stability. My 5805 isn't the fastest but has never dropped a drive yet in the 2 years I've had it running R0.

My buddies talk smack about their LSI's being faster and show me benchmarks.. but then turn around and bitch about firmware upgrades not going as planned.

If upgrading firmware occurs on a regular basis, something else is very wrong (such as a company policy to always have up-to-date firmware, regardless of whether the firmware changes apply to your system...and if they do, did you not have problems before the firmware update?). The last time I needed to update firmware on a RAID controller was over 5 years ago.

OP: you could try out HP, instead of Dell, too .

 

[imagoon]

Thanks for the replies. I have had more issues with the 5 Dell servers I have purchased over the last 7 years than I have with the 10 servers I built (using dual Xeon CPUs, Tyan/Supermicro boards, and Adaptec controllers). I don't think the 25-30% price premium for a Dell is worth it.

I think I will go with the Adaptec 6805....

Your labor to build it and the OS premiums were the 25%-30% premium over Dell.

 

[groberts101]

If upgrading firmware occurs on a regular basis, something else is very wrong

yeah, I hear ya there.. and "needed" doesn't even apply with those guys. They're always thinking that firmware updates are going to be a magic fix even when no issues are present and make things faster or give better e-PEEN benchmarks scores. I bought mine to actually use for fast storage to pair up against my SSD array. IOW,.. I just use it and never "test" it.

And I too haven't updated my firmware for more than a year now and the only reason I did it then was to test my Vertex drives in an array. I take the attitude that if it ain't broke?.. don't fix it.