You have all the data, but we're taking it one step further: Here's what you should buy!
At the end of the day, the RAID equation is pretty simple. You’ve seen the numbers and the analysis, so let’s take a big-picture approach before you rush out and plunk down money at your retailer of choice. The two motherboard-based RAID controllers we tested are perfectly acceptable solutions if you want a little speed boost in a RAID 0 environment, especially since it costs you nothing extra. In fact, depending on the motherboard you have, you may very well see a measurable difference between that and an entry-level host-based card.
If you’re planning to run RAID 5, ignore everything we just said. You will want to have an add-in controller because if the two products we tested are any indication, motherboards just up and die when it comes to RAID 5 performance. You can pick up a host-based controller on the cheap and see a performance boost—provided the card supports RAID 5. In this respect, we have only the RocketRAID 2300 to go by, and based on our results, we think this relatively inexpensive host-based controller card earns its keep. But don’t assume that you’ll get comparable performance from a similarly spec’d/priced alternative. As this roundup has shown, RAID-controller performance varies wildly. You might luck out and score a decently performing product, but you might also select a card that just falls to pieces on your configuration of choice.
The surest way to avoid any pitfalls, especially if you’re planning on testing out multiple RAID configurations, is to pick up a good discrete card. Don’t go after the most expensive one you can find. As we’ve learned here, performance does not necessarily scale with price.
That said, we found great success using Adaptec’s 5405 card in a RAID 0 environment. It was the fastest card in all of the benchmarks, and it offers substantial performance benefits over a similarly configured motherboard RAID environment. You can connect a bevy of hard drives to the card, and it comes with the most bountiful RAID options of any device here. If you don’t mind an excruciatingly long initialization period, this card is perfect for those who want to dabble.
If you’re just looking at RAID 5 performance, however, we have to tip our hat to HighPoint’s RocketRAID 3510. It’s less expensive than Adaptec’s 5405, albeit also less feature-packed. But when it comes time to throw down, the card squeaks out the performance win over Adaptec’s 5405. The 5405 beats the RocketRAID 3510 in RAID 5 write speeds. But it’s still not enough to overtake the Rocket Raid’s speedy reads.
The numbers say it all: We saw only a 14-second difference between the two cards in our real-world encoding test. If you can stomach that loss and want a card with a ton of RAID options, get Adaptec’s 5405. If you just want RAID 5 performance and a card that can also hold its own in RAID 0, opt for the cheaper RocketRAID 3510.
But whatever you do, avoid LSI cards. Two out of two failures across two separate motherboards and a flurry of different hard drives does not a happy storage enthusiast make. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Comments are closed on this article
Print
