I'm considering setting up a RAID array for a fresh install of Vista (soon to upgraded to '7') and I had a few questions.
The motherboard I am using is a GIGABYTE P35-DS3L. ([url=http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=2629&ProductName=GA-P35-DS3L]Link to manufacturers page)[/url] It appears that it has no on-board RAID support..so what are my options? Are there affordable RAID add-in cards I could use? I remember looking awhile ago and only finding $400+ products.
I'm not looking for speed, I'm looking for redundancy. 2 500GB HDD's is my goal. Hardware level is preferred.
Assuming I can achieve (afford?) the above situation, would the OS see it as a single drive?
Would other features like partitioning still work?
When a drive fails, can I just plug in another and it will automatically back it up? (and will the switch be automatic?)
Is there any significant performance overhead when using a redundant RAID array?
As for the HDD's themselves, are there any good models to choose from? I know Seagate and WD are amongst the best but some of their drives apparently don't work well in a RAID array (Black series I believe). I'd like to keep the cost of the HDD's under $120 total, so nothing too fancy.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Make sure you get a high quality raid controller, or you wont be able to monitor the HDD's health. I have that problem, smart doesn't work with cheap raid controllers.
1. For software Raid, which that mobo most likely uses, the OS will see two drives, unless you use the proper drivers, in that case it will see one drive.
2. Partitioning would sort of have to work.
3. I think that is a rather rare feature.
4. Would be small if any.
I use two WD 640 Blues in Raid 0 on my onboard RAID. I manage about 170-180 read, and 150+ Write. I love it.
If you value your data much, stay away from any cheap raid cards and onboard raid solutions.
Buy a professional raid card if you don't backup on almost daily basis
[B]EDIT[/B]
And just because you've got a decent RAID setup, backups are still a very good idea.
Adaptec and LSI are good RAID card brands.
Take a look at this - [url]http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/359025-perc-5-i-raid-card-tips.html[/url]
It's a Dell PERC 5/i, don't let the name fool you though it's actually a re branded LSI card. I picked one of these up off Ebay for about $150 CAD and it came with two SAS to SATA fanout cables and 512MB of RAM. It supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 50. Normally I wouldn't consider getting computer components off Ebay but most of these are pulled from servers and they're very nice controllers. Bought mine a few months ago and I haven't looked back. Considering you'd probably have to fork over at least $400 for a card with similar performance you should definitely look into getting one of these. The link I posted above has tonnes of info on these cards.
[QUOTE=M2k3;17421479]Take a look at this - [url]http://www.overclock.net/hard-drives-storage/359025-perc-5-i-raid-card-tips.html[/url]
It's a Dell PERC 5/i, don't let the name fool you though it's actually a re branded LSI card. I picked one of these up off Ebay for about $150 CAD and it came with two SAS to SATA fanout cables and 512MB of RAM. It supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 50. Normally I wouldn't consider getting computer components off Ebay but most of these are pulled from servers and they're very nice controllers. Bought mine a few months ago and I haven't looked back. Considering you'd probably have to fork over at least $400 for a card with similar performance you should definitely look into getting one of these. The link I posted above has tonnes of info on these cards.[/QUOTE]
Only problem is, those cards most likely came out of 1U or 2U servers with very high airflow, so you'll need to make sure the RAID cards chipsets get enough airflow.
Also get the battery backup module if you're a lazy fucker like me who always forgets to take backups.
[QUOTE=Van-man;17421531]Only problem is, those cards most likely came out of 1U or 2U servers with very high airflow, so you'll need to make sure the RAID cards chipsets get enough airflow.
Also get the battery backup module if you're a lazy fucker like me who always forgets to take backups.[/QUOTE]
Yeah it's definitely recommended that you have some kind of forced airflow on these, I replaced the heatsink on mine and put a fan on it as soon as I could.
That is a little too pricey. It might be wiser for me to just get an eSATA adapter for the rear I/O panel so I can use my existing external drive. I have some acronis software that allows pre-scheduled backups...I'll just have to configure it correctly.
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