Best RAID card

[RealWarlock]

Ship it to me.

 

[bgeh]

apparently, the SATA RAID problem has been fixed with the 17 bios(Rev 1.0-1.2) and i forgot the bios number already for the Rev 2.0 and the 1.00.28 drivers but with a big hit on performance. the 1.00.29 should fix that
my friend is experiencing the SATA problem, but with only one drive
he has the exact same mobo as me because i bought them at the same time

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: Pariah

didn't realize that the entry level raid cards used up such a large portion of the cpu...

They don't. Not in a 2 drive RAID 0 array. RAID 0 requires basically zero calculations and doesn't tax the CPU. If all you want is a 2 drive RAID 0 setup any cheap software card will do just fine. It would be a complete waste of money to spend over $100 on a card for something like that.

Or you could setup software raid 0 with XP or 2k

 

[Shimmishim]

Originally posted by: bgeh
apparently, the SATA RAID problem has been fixed with the 17 bios(Rev 1.0-1.2) and i forgot the bios number already for the Rev 2.0 and the 1.00.28 drivers but with a big hit on performance. the 1.00.29 should fix that
my friend is experiencing the SATA problem, but with only one drive
he has the exact same mobo as me because i bought them at the same time

you sure it's been fixed? i heard that there's supposed to be a driver update soon that fixes it...

anyway... we'll wait and see...

my windows got corrupted last night when we had a power surge so i'm glad i have this second hard drive to install windows on AGAIN...

but still... what do i do with a 60 gig maxtor ata 133 hard drive that's practically brand new????

should i just use crappy raid 0?

 

[Pariah]

Or you could setup software raid 0 with XP or 2k

It's not bootable.

 

[bgeh]

Originally posted by: Shimmishim

Originally posted by: bgeh
apparently, the SATA RAID problem has been fixed with the 17 bios(Rev 1.0-1.2) and i forgot the bios number already for the Rev 2.0 and the 1.00.28 drivers but with a big hit on performance. the 1.00.29 should fix that
my friend is experiencing the SATA problem, but with only one drive
he has the exact same mobo as me because i bought them at the same time

you sure it's been fixed? i heard that there's supposed to be a driver update soon that fixes it...

anyway... we'll wait and see...

my windows got corrupted last night when we had a power surge so i'm glad i have this second hard drive to install windows on AGAIN...

but still... what do i do with a 60 gig maxtor ata 133 hard drive that's practically brand new????

should i just use crappy raid 0?

i've been searching frantically for a fix for his computer.......he's reinstalled windows 5 times in 2 weeks
i have been more lucky however..............once i found out about the problem, i swictched to IDE and did CHKDSK
turns out i got tons of errors

 

[thehire]

I am looking into getting IDE RAID 5, but I'm not liking the cards I'm finding much. Neither the 3ware nor the Promise cards allow you to non-destructively expand the array to another disk without destroying the existing data.

I want IDE RAID 5 because I have a huge amount of data that I'd like to have safeguarded without having to buy expensive backup hardware and media.

So, I guess I'm looking for advice - a good IDE RAID card that's capable of RAID 5, and has firmware that allows non-destructively expanding an array.

Anybody know if such a device exists?

Thanks!

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: thehire
I am looking into getting IDE RAID 5, but I'm not liking the cards I'm finding much. Neither the 3ware nor the Promise cards allow you to non-destructively expand the array to another disk without destroying the existing data.

I want IDE RAID 5 because I have a huge amount of data that I'd like to have safeguarded without having to buy expensive backup hardware and media.

So, I guess I'm looking for advice - a good IDE RAID card that's capable of RAID 5, and has firmware that allows non-destructively expanding an array.

Anybody know if such a device exists?

Thanks!

If all you want to do is store it, why not use DVD-Rs? They are permanent and store about 4.7GBs of info each.

If you have "THAT MUCH" data, buy a bunch of 200GB, 5400 rpm drives. Cheap. Load'em up. Put drives in anti-static bags, then seal inside watertight box, put that box into Safe Deposit box at bank. Last forever.

 

[BentValve]

So what are the raid possibilties for 2 drives? Also can someone tell me what sort of performance gain one could expect from a 2 drive raid set-up?

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: BentValve
So what are the raid possibilties for 2 drives? Also can someone tell me what sort of performance gain one could expect from a 2 drive raid set-up?

Two drives only? You can do RAID0 which stripes the data evenly across both drives...typically results in about 2x the performance of a single drive. If one drive fails, you lose everything. Not a big deal to someone like myself that owns (or has...) the CDs for all my proggys.

Or, you do RAID 1 which is mirroring. Data is duplicated across both drives simultaneously. If one drive fails, you lose nothing.

 

[thehire]

If all you want to do is store it, why not use DVD-Rs? They are permanent and store about 4.7GBs of info each.

If you have "THAT MUCH" data, buy a bunch of 200GB, 5400 rpm drives. Cheap. Load'em up. Put drives in anti-static bags, then seal inside watertight box, put that box into Safe Deposit box at bank. Last forever.

I'd need to buy about 80 DVD-Rs, plus a DVD writer.

I suppose I could copy the data to hard drives and store them away, but the data continues to grow and it would be mighty convenient to have redundancy where the data is being used.

It sounds like IDE RAID just isn't quite ready yet.

Anybody heard anything about the external arrays of IDE drives that connect to the computer via SCSI or Firewire or USB2? I've seen a few while doing some searching, but didn't see any prices or data about how they perform.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: thehire

If all you want to do is store it, why not use DVD-Rs? They are permanent and store about 4.7GBs of info each.

If you have "THAT MUCH" data, buy a bunch of 200GB, 5400 rpm drives. Cheap. Load'em up. Put drives in anti-static bags, then seal inside watertight box, put that box into Safe Deposit box at bank. Last forever.

I'd need to buy about 80 DVD-Rs, plus a DVD writer.

I suppose I could copy the data to hard drives and store them away, but the data continues to grow and it would be mighty convenient to have redundancy where the data is being used.

It sounds like IDE RAID just isn't quite ready yet.

Anybody heard anything about the external arrays of IDE drives that connect to the computer via SCSI or Firewire or USB2? I've seen a few while doing some searching, but didn't see any prices or data about how they perform.

You're looking at big money. Big money. :Q You'd need an external SCSI card (a PCI card that has it's connection on the outside of the expansion slot cover) then you 'd need the drive tower which has the PS in it...plus the drives.

I'm taking a slightly educated guess here. The kind of card you'd need, $500, easy. The tower w/PS, another $500. Drives are about $250 each. Plus cables, terminator, other stuff...Big money...well, "big money" is entirely subjective, now isn't it?

 

[BentValve]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: BentValve
So what are the raid possibilties for 2 drives? Also can someone tell me what sort of performance gain one could expect from a 2 drive raid set-up?

Two drives only? You can do RAID0 which stripes the data evenly across both drives...typically results in about 2x the performance of a single drive. If one drive fails, you lose everything. Not a big deal to someone like myself that owns (or has...) the CDs for all my proggys.

Or, you do RAID 1 which is mirroring. Data is duplicated across both drives simultaneously. If one drive fails, you lose nothing.

Thanks Mike, sounds like raid 0 would work well for me then since my PC is just a toy. What card(s) would you recommend? <$100 would be nice.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: BentValve

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: BentValve
So what are the raid possibilties for 2 drives? Also can someone tell me what sort of performance gain one could expect from a 2 drive raid set-up?

Two drives only? You can do RAID0 which stripes the data evenly across both drives...typically results in about 2x the performance of a single drive. If one drive fails, you lose everything. Not a big deal to someone like myself that owns (or has...) the CDs for all my proggys.

Or, you do RAID 1 which is mirroring. Data is duplicated across both drives simultaneously. If one drive fails, you lose nothing.

Thanks Mike, sounds like raid 0 would work well for me then since my PC is just a toy. What card(s) would you recommend? <$100 would be nice.

Under $100? That's easy.



3Ware Escalade 7000-2 *warning BIG PDF*

or

Highpoint 404.

Differences are about $30 (3Ware more $$)

3Ware is a true HARDWARE raid card. It has it's own processor onboard. BUT it only supports TWO drives.
Highpoint is a SOFTWARE card. It uses your system's CPU to do the math. It supports up to EIGHT drives.

You most probably will not have eight IDE drives in your system though. Plus the math involved would involve your CPU so much that it would kill any performance you gained from having the card in the first place.

The HP card is exactly what is integrated onto mobos when they have onboard RAID. The 3Ware is a "real" RAID card.

I will be buying one of these in the next few days.

Pros and cons:

The 3Ware will have very good resale value...it's fast as hell, but kind of limited...if you didn't want to RAID the drives, it still only supports TWO drives.

The HP will have next to no resale value...it's decently fast but if you didn't want to RAID the drives, you could use it as a regular IDE controller that supports up to EIGHT drives.


The decision is not easy...but, I already own a Promise TX100 card, which is a PCI IDE card that adds two ATA100 channels...perfect for CDRoms or ATA100 drives.

I will most probably be getting the 3Ware...most probably.

 

[Pariah]

I'm taking a slightly educated guess here. The kind of card you'd need, $500, easy. The tower w/PS, another $500. Drives are about $250 each. Plus cables, terminator, other stuff...Big money...well, "big money" is entirely subjective, now isn't it?

Basically any decent SCSI card has an external connector. A whitebox LSI U160 card is $90 at Hypermicro. The place Hire will get burned is the IDE RAID enclosure. Promise is the only one I know that makes one, and the lowend one is $1300 without SCSI card or drives.

So, I guess I'm looking for advice - a good IDE RAID card that's capable of RAID 5, and has firmware that allows non-destructively expanding an array.

Doesn't exist. You have to go SCSI for something like that.

 

[Slammy1]

I'd recommend checking out EBay for some ideas, they seem the cheapest place for SCSI set ups at least. I'd be reluctant to recommend a IDE RAID arrangement, but that's probably just a hold back to the days when they first started appearing. SCSI is a preferrred system due to data integrity and general sturdiness. You have to remember, you're kinda pushing your HDs when you RAID them, and IDEs aren't really known for their great stability in the first place. I'd check out EBay to see what sorts of deals you can get.

 

[Shimmishim]

bump for good info!

 

[bdobbins]

> I'd need to buy about 80 DVD-Rs, plus a DVD writer.

So you've got about 380GB of data, right? I have 360GB on an IDE-RAID system using 3ware 7850 8-port card, and it's been running reliably and happily for over a year now, I believe. One time I had a problem with a drive, but the hot-spare took over, it rebuilt itself (RAID-5 configuration), I popped out the bad drive while it was running, put a new one in, and configured it as the new hot-spare, just in case. Without ever shutting down, which is obviously nice.

This certainly isn't 'cheap' either, since I have 8 drives connected, but if you want constant, easy access to your data, the 3ware solutions ARE ready, and are quite good. I have a new one coming in soon, in fact, which should be even nicer.

> It sounds like IDE RAID just isn't quite ready yet.

Like everything, it depends on what you need, and how much you're going to spend. The system I described above is a server for some research people, and we got a reliable, redundant, high-capacity and high-througput system for less than the cost we'd have had to spend on one single SCSI disk of half that capacity. I forget what the tally was, but maybe $1.5K a year ago for 360GB of reliable storage? Not bad. All depends on what you need. But IDE-RAID is quite nice, in my experience.

 

[Jeff7]

I'm also looking for a RAID card - I'm actually considering doing some more upgrading on my secondary system, but most of the nForce2 boards out there don't support RAID, and those that do only have SATA support. Yes, I could use adaptors, but they'd probably be as expensive as a RAID card anyway.

I'm currently using the Highpoint 372 controller on a Shuttle AK35GTR board, and I'm satisfied with it. What cards out there give similar performance, with a regular 2-drive RAID 0 setup? I see some out there that are about $20 - Silicon Image I think they are. Are they even half decent?

Also, if I move the drives to a new controller, is there a pretty good chance I'll lose everything on them? I will of course back up everything I can, but I just want to know how much time might go into it.

 

[Shimmishim]

i think for just entry level raid anything less than 40 will do..

but if you want the good stuff, you'll have to spend a chunk of change...

 

[Jeff7]

I'm looking at this one. The latest drivers at the card's maker's website are from 10/23/2001. So does that mean they gave up on it, or that they actually made good drivers?

 

[Joshaze]

Why not just use the free, built-in RAID-0 (Win2K) or RAID-1 capabilities of the Operating System?

 

[AMDfreak]

Originally posted by: Joshaze
Why not just use the free, built-in RAID-0 (Win2K) or RAID-1 capabilities of the Operating System?

Because at least some of the work is offloaded onto the card even on the low end. And because what happens if you have to reinstall windows? Wouldn't you have to completely rebuild the array, destroying all of your data jsut for an OS reinstall?

 

[lenknermj]

Not much has been said about the Promise line of cards, so I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in regarding the one I'm using for my ATA RAID 5 array.

I have the Promise FastTrak SX4000. It's a 4 channel RAID controller capable of RAID levels 0,1,5, and 10 (or 0+1, whichever you prefer).

It has an onboard DIMM slot accepting up to 256MB of PC100 SDRAM, and an onboard hardware XOR engine for doing the parity calculations for RAID 5 arrays that seem to be the topic of discussion when it comes to buying a cheapo card or a more pricey but better performing one.

I paid about $120 for my card last November. It has served me VERY well, and the array is reliable and movable (assuming you connect the drives to the same channels) into a new PC/Server.

Here's some more info on the card. Link (not on Promise website).

If you act quickly, there's one on Egay for $50 (opening bid, no bidders yet) that ends on May 13th. Ebay Auction Link

Oh yeah, and did I mention it has 66MHz PCI bus support? Good if you have a higher end board in your PC.

Useful and simple CLI and GUI configuration/maintenance interfaces too....easy to schedule synchronizations for your array, and has built-in alerting capabilities which can send email to you if any one of a number of problems occurs, such as drive failure, array failure, bad block detection, voltage problems, overheat, etc. Probably wont use this much, but nice to have anyway. Mine sends an email to my two-way pager to let me know what I can expect when I get home. =)

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Let me know if you jump on the controller deal. =)

-Mark

 

[Davegod75]

Questions about raid 1. How taxing is this on your cpu if you use, lets say the sata raid controller built into the new intel ICHR5 southbridge?

I just need a simple backup/recovery solution. i'll eat the cost of having to buy another 120gb drive