P8Z68 - Quick Newb Question About Marvell Controller

[Pewpz]

Hey there,

I have been eyeing an ASUS P8Z68 V-Pro motherboard for a new build. I have read that there are problems with connecting multiple SATA devices because of the Marvell controller that manages them.

I'm a noob, I have no idea how this works; but does this mean that such a board would have issues if I had a SSD, HDD, DVD-RW, and perhaps another drive (if required)? Does it mean adding additional HDDs in the future is either problematic or not feasible? Is the Marvell issue only related to SATA 3 or both SATA 3 and 2? Is it only RAID related?

I thought I had the motherboard narrowed down but I'm reminded again that I know nothing about computers. Searching for info seems to bring up more questions, so I thought I'd just outright ask.

Thanks in advance!

 

[kami]

You can use 6 SATA devices on the Intel controller before using the Marvell controller for an additional 2 devices (8 total).

 

[Pewpz]

You can use 6 SATA devices on the Intel controller before using the Marvell controller for an additional 2 devices (8 total).

But only the 3.0 SATA runs on Marvell, correct? Or am I even more confused than I think I am?

 

[kami]

No, intel has them too. From the specs on Asus site:

Intel® Z68 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), blue
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Support Intel® Smart Response Technology on 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor family
Marvell® PCIe SATA 6Gb/s controller :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), navy blue

 

[Pewpz]

No, intel has them too. From the specs on Asus site:

Ahhh, so the Intel and Marvell controllers support 6 GB/s.

I'm sure I won't load up 8 SATA slots (I hope) and run into that problem, so I guess this card should do the trick.

Thanks