Questions about my first RAID array setup

[tinkeng]

Hello there,

In a new system I'll use hardware RAID for the fist time. The plan is to have a single SSD for OS and apps (Samsung 830 256GB) and two RAID1 HDDs for the bulk of the data (Samsung F4 EG 2TB). The motherboard I'll be using for this is an Asus P8P67 rev 3.1 board. To enable RAID, the P8P67 manual states that I have to enable RAID in BIOS by changing the 'SATA mode' to 'RAID' from 'AHCI'. It goes on to state that "Due to chipset limitations, when set any of SATA ports to RAID mode, all SATA ports run att RAID mode together". Now for my questions:

• Does this mean that I can't choose to make a RAID array of only two disks and leave the third one out? What I want to do is have my SSD as C:\ and the two RAIDed HDDs as D:\.

• Does "RAID mode" mean that the SATA ports wont run as AHCI anymore? I have understood that AHCI is important for maximizing performance.

• The Asus P8P67 has two Intel SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, four Intel SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports and two Marvell SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. Is is possible and/or beneficial to spread out my devices (the SSD, the two HDDs and an optical drive) over these controllers, and keep the RAID on only a single controller, thus enabling me to run the SSD in AHCI mode regardless?

• I have also read that when creating a RAID array, there is a performance benefit in spreading the disks of the array between controllers (duplexing). Is there a tangible benefit to this?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Old Hippie]

Does this mean that I can't choose to make a RAID array of only two disks and leave the third one out?

No. You can add or remove drives from the array to be seen/work as single drives.

Does "RAID mode" mean that the SATA ports wont run as AHCI anymore?

No. AHCI is included with RAID.

The Asus P8P67 has two Intel SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, four Intel SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports and two Marvell SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports

Always stick with the Intel ports when possible.

Good Luck!

 

[tinkeng]

Thanks for the reply! It really helps.

 

[Old Hippie]

Thanks for the reply! It really helps.

I'm just hoping it works.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Hello there,

In a new system I'll use hardware RAID for the fist time. The plan is to have a single SSD for OS and apps (Samsung 830 256GB) and two RAID1 HDDs for the bulk of the data (Samsung F4 EG 2TB). The motherboard I'll be using for this is an Asus P8P67 rev 3.1 board. To enable RAID, the P8P67 manual states that I have to enable RAID in BIOS by changing the 'SATA mode' to 'RAID' from 'AHCI'. It goes on to state that "Due to chipset limitations, when set any of SATA ports to RAID mode, all SATA ports run att RAID mode together". Now for my questions:

• Does this mean that I can't choose to make a RAID array of only two disks and leave the third one out? What I want to do is have my SSD as C:\ and the two RAIDed HDDs as D:\.

• Does "RAID mode" mean that the SATA ports wont run as AHCI anymore? I have understood that AHCI is important for maximizing performance.

• The Asus P8P67 has two Intel SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, four Intel SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports and two Marvell SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports. Is is possible and/or beneficial to spread out my devices (the SSD, the two HDDs and an optical drive) over these controllers, and keep the RAID on only a single controller, thus enabling me to run the SSD in AHCI mode regardless?

• I have also read that when creating a RAID array, there is a performance benefit in spreading the disks of the array between controllers (duplexing). Is there a tangible benefit to this?

Thank you in advance.

Well, that's exactly the setup I have and it works great. OH knows about this stuff, you should have no problems.

One tip: If you set up the array and for some reason it disappears at some point (maybe your system rebooted due to an overclocking mistake) check the BIOS settings. It may have reset to defaults, which are not RAID/AHCI. That's about the only gotcha there is. Once you change the setting back the array will come back perfectly.

 

[tinkeng]

Nice to get input from someone with the same mobo

Okay, next question, which is a bit off-topic but in the correct subforum: The 8GB 1600MHz Corsair XMS3 sticks I've bought are rated for 1.65v, which the chipset (right?) isn't. How much of a "risk" is it to run them upvolted at 1600MHz instead of going 1333MHz @ 1.5v? I suppose it is relevant to know that I will be doing a mild (4.0-4.2GHz) overclock of an i5 2500K.