How is this RAID 5 enclosure? at DVinfo.net

Yang Wen · May 20th, 2009, 07:27 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816132015

Anyone using it? It comes with a PCI-e card and it looks like this kit contains everything I need to setup a RAID 5 system other than the hard drives...

Harm Millaard · May 21st, 2009, 02:01 AM

You get what you pay for. I would be paying them a compliment if I say that the raid card is mediocre at best. Silicon Image is usually a bottom performer in raid tests.

Yang Wen · May 21st, 2009, 12:12 PM

What is another popular and better RAID 5 enclosure?

Harm Millaard · May 21st, 2009, 01:24 PM

The problem is not so much the enclosure, there is an abundance of choices there, it is the raid controller and the conncetion to the PC. You have several options, iSCSI, fibre or eSATA for the connection. iSCSI with teamed NIC's is a feasible option if you have two NIC's free in your PC, for instance the Thecus line (NAS) is worth having a look at, fibre requires a dedicated Fibre controller which is never cheap. Look here: ATTO Fibre RAID Controller :
The alternative is a solid SAS raid controller, like an Areca ARC-1680iX 12 port or higher with multi-lane eSATA connectors, which means that you can connect 4 drives with a single cable. Way more expensive than the Silicon Image, but with up to 4 GB of cache and BBM (battery backup module). They are the Rolls Royce amongst raid controllers.
Another source to have a look at is AC&NC - Products - RAID Arrays - NAS - iSCSI - SAS - SCSI Cables - FC Cables

Yang Wen · May 21st, 2009, 07:43 PM

Another thing to keep in mind that I probably don't necessarily need the top of line RAID system with top of the line performance. I'm only editing Cineform 720P and 1080P files, and rarely more than 2 streams simultaneously... My criteria are: Ample space, reliability (RAID 5), decent performance. I'm guessing a Silicon Image controller is sufficient for my needs? Or maybe even a Drobo would be fine as an editing drive?

Jon Shohet · June 26th, 2009, 09:41 AM

Not sure if it's still relevant, but I just noticed 3ware are giving a very large discount on some of their discontinued products. There's a link on their home page. They are more or less comparable to Areca, no?

Harm Millaard · June 27th, 2009, 06:17 AM

Just about as comparable as Fiat versus Ferrari. The first one is far more economical in fuel comsumption and price, the second one in performance. It depends on where your needs are.

Jon Shohet · June 27th, 2009, 12:30 PM

I was under the impression that in entry level cards, at least, they are both more or less in the same league. They are also very similarly priced. Does Areca have in your opinion such a performance advantage over 3ware with the ARC-1210/20/30/60 series as well?

Devin Termini · June 27th, 2009, 03:56 PM

I'm no expert in RAID or drives, but this one looks nice. It appears to handle all of the RAID stuff onboard so you don't need a RAID controller, only an eSATA port on your machine. Does this sound right? Or am I way off?

OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 eSATA,FireWir... (MEQX2KIT0GB) at OWC

Harm Millaard · June 28th, 2009, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Shohet

I was under the impression that in entry level cards, at least, they are both more or less in the same league. They are also very similarly priced. Does Areca have in your opinion such a performance advantage over 3ware with the ARC-1210/20/30/60 series as well?

This is rather dated info, but judge for yourself. Keep in mind that the Areca 1680 line, based on the IOP341, is even faster.

Jon Shohet · June 28th, 2009, 10:38 AM

thanks Harm

May 20th, 2009, 07:27 PM	#1
Yang Wen Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 991	How is this RAID 5 enclosure? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816132015 Anyone using it? It comes with a PCI-e card and it looks like this kit contains everything I need to setup a RAID 5 system other than the hard drives...

May 21st, 2009, 02:01 AM	#2
Harm Millaard Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Posts: 1,832	You get what you pay for. I would be paying them a compliment if I say that the raid card is mediocre at best. Silicon Image is usually a bottom performer in raid tests.

May 21st, 2009, 12:12 PM	#3
Yang Wen Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 991	What is another popular and better RAID 5 enclosure?

May 21st, 2009, 01:24 PM	#4
Harm Millaard Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Posts: 1,832	The problem is not so much the enclosure, there is an abundance of choices there, it is the raid controller and the conncetion to the PC. You have several options, iSCSI, fibre or eSATA for the connection. iSCSI with teamed NIC's is a feasible option if you have two NIC's free in your PC, for instance the Thecus line (NAS) is worth having a look at, fibre requires a dedicated Fibre controller which is never cheap. Look here: ATTO Fibre RAID Controller : The alternative is a solid SAS raid controller, like an Areca ARC-1680iX 12 port or higher with multi-lane eSATA connectors, which means that you can connect 4 drives with a single cable. Way more expensive than the Silicon Image, but with up to 4 GB of cache and BBM (battery backup module). They are the Rolls Royce amongst raid controllers. Another source to have a look at is AC&NC - Products - RAID Arrays - NAS - iSCSI - SAS - SCSI Cables - FC Cables

May 21st, 2009, 07:43 PM	#5
Yang Wen Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 991	Another thing to keep in mind that I probably don't necessarily need the top of line RAID system with top of the line performance. I'm only editing Cineform 720P and 1080P files, and rarely more than 2 streams simultaneously... My criteria are: Ample space, reliability (RAID 5), decent performance. I'm guessing a Silicon Image controller is sufficient for my needs? Or maybe even a Drobo would be fine as an editing drive?

June 26th, 2009, 09:41 AM	#6
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	Not sure if it's still relevant, but I just noticed 3ware are giving a very large discount on some of their discontinued products. There's a link on their home page. They are more or less comparable to Areca, no?

June 27th, 2009, 06:17 AM	#7
Harm Millaard Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Posts: 1,832	Just about as comparable as Fiat versus Ferrari. The first one is far more economical in fuel comsumption and price, the second one in performance. It depends on where your needs are.

June 27th, 2009, 12:30 PM	#8
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	I was under the impression that in entry level cards, at least, they are both more or less in the same league. They are also very similarly priced. Does Areca have in your opinion such a performance advantage over 3ware with the ARC-1210/20/30/60 series as well?

June 27th, 2009, 03:56 PM	#9
Devin Termini Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mount Pleasant, MI Posts: 177	I'm no expert in RAID or drives, but this one looks nice. It appears to handle all of the RAID stuff onboard so you don't need a RAID controller, only an eSATA port on your machine. Does this sound right? Or am I way off? OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro Qx2 eSATA,FireWir... (MEQX2KIT0GB) at OWC

June 28th, 2009, 10:38 AM	#11
Jon Shohet Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 277	thanks Harm