Does using a RAID card offload CPU usage?

[hube235]

Lets say I'm using one of these, it's a PNY PCI SATA storage card, will this offload CPU usage compared to integrated SATA solutions?

If storage cards do help, how much of a performance increase should I expect over integrated [Silicon Image] SATA controllers? Will it be noticeable?

 

[Madwand1]

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1030870612&postcount=8

 

[Captante]

That card is a true hardware-based RAID controller, meaning it has a dedicated processer & RAM onboard which will serve to take most of the job of operating the HD's off the CPU... certainly more then an Nvidia or SiL software-based controller, however that most likely won't translate into much of a performance gain in typical desktop use, not only when compared to software RAID but to a single modern HD.

It will however result in a more robust RAID configuration in any kind of computer & in a server which tends to do less transitioning quickly from read to write you would notice a significant performance gain in most cases.