I am really hocked on the Nforce but what about RAID 0 (NOT ATA RAID)

[SnoopyDog]

As the topic says.

Dont we see any Nforce boards with RAID 0/1 options ??

If so, why not??


Cheers in advance.

SnoopyDog

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: SnoopyDog
As the topic says.

Dont we see any Nforce boards with RAID 0/1 options ??

If so, why not??


Cheers in advance.

SnoopyDog

I think you are confused. I don't know where to start with this one, but all boards with an onboard RAID controller offer RAID 0, 1 and 0+1. Maybe you have Serial ATA and Parallel ATA confused?

Chiz

 

[Hazer]

Ive searched for an Nforce board with RAID built-in. I havent found anything yet.

 

[GRIFFIN1]

You can use RAID 0. You just have to use it wth the SATA ports.

 

[SnoopyDog]

Well maybe my question was a bit confusing.

Right now I am using the onboard RAID controller from Highpoint who offers RAID 0 and 1 stripe.

As what I have read the SATA RAID is NOT the same??

 

[KidChaos]

Abit NF7-S, Asus A7N8X deluxe and a few others have SATA RAID.

 

[Platoface]

Can I use my IDE drives with SATA? I would take it that you can get IDE to SATA cables. I take it that SATA is better.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: SnoopyDog
Well maybe my question was a bit confusing.

Right now I am using the onboard RAID controller from Highpoint who offers RAID 0 and 1 stripe.

As what I have read the SATA RAID is NOT the same??

I don't think the onboard nForce2 controllers are made by Highpoint, I believe they are all made by Silicon Image (at least it is on my A7N8XD) and I believe on the NF7-S as well. You can use standard Parallel ATA (IDE) drives with your Serial ATA controllers, but you need to buy adapters, as the interface is different. The adapters range from $25-$30. Personally, I wouldn't bother with them; I would look into a PCI card that suits your needs. The Highpoint Rocket RAID 133 will fit the bill, as it uses either the same or upgraded version of the RAID controller, so it should let you transfer your array over intact. I highly doubt you would be able to move the array from a HPT controller to a Sil680 controller w/out losing the data on the array.

Chiz

 

[Platoface]

Thanks for the info chizow.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Platoface
Thanks for the info chizow.

Np, keep in mind that an SATA controller paired with PATA drives probably yields no tangible benefit, as you will still be limited by the PATA drive. What you will have is some useless adapters when SATA goes mainstream (in a year or two???) and they also require a floppy power header for each, as they can't draw enough power from the IDE cable to operate.

Chiz

 

[Platoface]

Stupid question possibly, but are SATA HD's different from IDE HD's. If so where do I buy those at? I am confused here...

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Platoface
Stupid question possibly, but are SATA HD's different from IDE HD's. If so where do I buy those at? I am confused here...

They have a higher theoretical max transfer rate (150MBps compared to 133MBps) and an interface that is closer to SCSI than PATA, but again, the currently available SATA drives don't perform to that level, but actually perform worse than current PATA drives. Others may be able to comment more about the specs of the interface, but current SATA drives/adapters don't offer much other than the ability to use thinner/longer cables. Future boards will be able to take advantage of the higher throughput once they implement SATA controllers directly into the South Bridge, but the drive itself probably won't be able to sustain 150MBps transfers until the 10K rpm drives WD recently announced (but the availability is still unknown).

Chiz

 

[Platoface]

I just read a review of the Heatsink Factory IDE to SATA converter and their conclusion is no major differnce other than a big drop in CPU usage in the SATA controller. It further concludes that is why most users see a significant jump in performance of their system.

http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/drives/sata_converter/

I just ordered a couple for my Asus Deluxe... will let you know my opnion in a few days.