Info required on RAID cards

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:03

Wasn't too sure where to post,but quick question using an example

lets say i got myself 4x 1TB drives and attached them to this controller http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CC-022-HP&groupid=701&catid=49&subcat=424 and used the raid set-up for storage of Games. If at some stage i upgraded my computer to an intel from AMD etc etc could you just install OS on my normal boot drive then re-install the raid card, software and drives then just still carry on as normal like it was in a old system or would you need to create the array again and re-download everything.

Hope that all makes sense if not just let me know

cheers

Stelly · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:05

that might not work, you would have all your data but the OS drivers might be different, as well as the cpu driver (I think that AMD and intel use slightly different versions of an x64 driver)... Also different chipsets

You might want to look at Macrium Reflect... search google for 'Macrium Reflect ReDeploy'

Stelly

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:12

Stelly said:
that might not work, you would have all your data but the OS drivers might be different, as well as the cpu driver (I think that AMD and intel use slightly different versions of an x64 driver)... Also different chipsets

You might want to look at Macrium Reflect... search google for 'Macrium Reflect ReDeploy'

Stelly

Cheers for that google only turned up a troubleshooting forum for redeploy, is that what you ment?

Also i thought with only using the raid for storage and steam that there would be no associated files for a AMD system, thought it would just be a case of re-installing steam and doing the folder trick

Stelly · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:14

ok... well Redeploy is a tool for redeploying your operating system onto different hardware... its not as simple as you might think

Stelly

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:21

Stelly said:
ok... well Redeploy is a tool for redeploying your operating system onto different hardware... its not as simple as you might think

Stelly

I'm not sure if your right or we have crossed wires, So you are saying even tho the raid will only be a mass storage device (there will be a seperate boot drive) that there will still be associated files on the mass storage that will still conflict with a different rig/windows install.

It strikes me that it's not different to just keeping stuff on a USB stick will transfer from comp to comp , so i thought that a separate add in raid card would do the same, once the OS is installed i'd just add the controller card and drivers then attach the drives and it would show my mass storage raid.

Am i completely barking up the wrong tree LOL.

Sorry to be a PITA

Stelly · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:35

aaaah.... no your right... that will work

I thought that you were thinking about having the OS on the RAID array as well... but what you need will work ok without any issues

Stelly

Sin_Chase · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:39

As data storage only it will work fine. You are moving the RAID controller also so no embedded controller compatibility issues associated with changing motherboard.

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:41

Stelly said:
aaaah.... no your right... that will work

I thought that you were thinking about having the OS on the RAID array as well... but what you need will work ok without any issues

Stelly

Ah so glad i checked again with you

Was thinking the OS can go on a 128GB SSD then use a raid storage set-up for games. Are there any raids apart from raid zero that will give a performance increase whilst also giving some redundancy as i know zero is a basic if one thing messes up then the whole array has had it. Even tho i've never had a failed HDD it still worries me LOL.

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 12:42

Sin_Chase said:
As data storage only it will work fine. You are moving the RAID controller also so no embedded controller compatibility issues associated with changing motherboard.

Thank you for confirming

Clav · 24 Oct 2011 at 13:39

bigjimmyauk said:
Ah so glad i checked again with you

Was thinking the OS can go on a 128GB SSD then use a raid storage set-up for games. Are there any raids apart from raid zero that will give a performance increase whilst also giving some redundancy as i know zero is a basic if one thing messes up then the whole array has had it. Even tho i've never had a failed HDD it still worries me LOL.

Raid 5 will give you performance and redundancy. Why are you set on a raid array? Just use the cash and get a huge ssd? Or a 2nd ssd?

Sin_Chase · 24 Oct 2011 at 13:45

RAID5 is an acceptable config for good read performance but not the best for write performance. This should not be an issue with games however.

RAID10 (1+0) will have a little better small write performance but overall not worth the cost/GB in a non enterprise environment.

For a data dump I would go with a RAID0 stripe and backup critical data elsewhere.

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 13:50

Clav said:
Raid 5 will give you performance and redundancy. Why are you set on a raid array? Just use the cash and get a huge ssd? Or a 2nd ssd?

No logic there, 4TB for 240 quid vs IF your lucky 256GB of SSD for the same price

Sin_Chase · 24 Oct 2011 at 13:53

I have a 120GB SSD and have a fair few games on it. 7 in Steam and 3 or 4 non Steam games.

Plenty for games I play often, anything else lives on a single disk.

If you want bleeding edge performance for a handful of games it's worth looking into

(great for ninjaing the jets in BF3 on a new map first

)

bigjimmyauk · 24 Oct 2011 at 14:16

Sin_Chase said:
I have a 120GB SSD and have a fair few games on it. 7 in Steam and 3 or 4 non Steam games.

Plenty for games I play often, anything else lives on a single disk.

If you want bleeding edge performance for a handful of games it's worth looking into

(great for ninjaing the jets in BF3 on a new map first )

Was thinking similar line, maybe 120GB/240GB SSD for boot up and handful of games that would really use it like stalker COP and my modded Fallout New vegas (texture mods suck the HDD dry) then use some raid storage to transfer other games to the SSD as and when i require hence why i wanted some performance storage at minimal cost. No point me doing the 120GB ssd route if i'm waiting n age for a 120MB/s Hardrive to write to the SSD.

Would i be right in saying with a crucial M4 256GB with latest firmware and 3x Samsung F3's (120mb/s read /write) i should be able to data transfer to the SSD at around the max of 300MB/s. Or am i talking out of my bottom.

really need to read the forums more often i'm feeling left behind lol

Sin_Chase · 24 Oct 2011 at 14:51

Theoretical Never = Actual

You should have more than sufficient transfer speeds however. Even to/from my single HDD transfer speeds are plenty quick enough.

Clav · 24 Oct 2011 at 16:14

bigjimmyauk said:
No logic there, 4TB for 240 quid vs IF your lucky 256GB of SSD for the same price

My logic is to have less total storage but more fast storage. Another 128Gb SSD and a 2 or 3Tb single drive is a good trade-off to me.

bigjimmyauk said:
Would i be right in saying with a crucial M4 256GB with latest firmware and 3x Samsung F3's (120mb/s read /write) i should be able to data transfer to the SSD at around the max of 300MB/s. Or am i talking out of my bottom.

It depends, if it's 1 big file then yes the throughput will be good and you should get a nice speedy copy. If it's a lot of small files then you are hobbled by access times and it won't be too much quicker than a single drive.