How Should I Implement RAID

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TheFluffyDog

TheFluffyDog

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Oct 22, 2013
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Hey guys,

So I know what RAID does, and I'm aware of what the different RAID types do. My questions is more about the pros/cons to using a RAID controller vs the mobo. I am going to build a new PC probably when the Ryzen refresh lands and I just want everything to be done properly.

My initial opinion from talking with a friend in IT is that i should use a RAID controller just to take stress off the host CPU and to lower the chances of data corruption. HE also mentioned not having to worry about loading up all the SATA on the MOBO and to just ease the integration of the RAID without losing connectivity.

I'm just wondering what others opinions might be when it comes to a RAID for use in a gaming situation. I do some workstation type work in CAD and my slicing programs, but i wont be using the RAID for that. The RAID will just be my Steam library.

Feel free to post links guides etc. I like a good read before bed!

 
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RAID is for mission critical computer setups which a gaming computer is not. using RAID gives you more points of failure especially if you go with a RAID 0 setup where it combines 2 separate drives., mind you RIAD 0 does increace HDD speed a little but with how affordable SSD's have become there is no reason to go with it anymore. with the advantages of using both an SSD and HDD in combination there is no need for using RAID on a consumer/gaming grade computer
 
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Simply put, you shouldn't. Raid is about uptime and availability, Can you really not wait for an hour once every 3-4 years when a drive has failed and you need to restore from a backup? A Backup is far more useful:
File corruption, backup will save you, raid won't.
Accidental deletion, backup will save you, raid won't.
Virus, backup will save you, raid won't.

The only thing that a raid volume might help with (that a backup can't) is in the first couple of hours after a drive failure, assuming you have the right raid level.
 
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A better solution to protect your Steam/game collection would be to invest in the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which is probably the most widely recommended by pros. Keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different mediums, and 1 kept offsite to protect against disaster. A combo like an external backup drive and cloud service could work, or a couple external backup drives, with one you keep at another location aside from your home. There are lots of different ways to mix-and-match, you just have to decide what makes the most sense for you.
 
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I agree with several posts prior - I am not sure you really do understand what various RAID systems can do and cannot, nor their potential failures. One of the MOST common myths is that RAID is much faster. More specifically, RAID0 is much faster than a plain HDD. First of all, that straight comparison is less true today than it was a decade ago or more because HDD's have become faster in several ways. But since then, SSD's are now easily available and affordable. They are VERY much faster than any HDD or any RAID0 array of HDD's. In fact, so fast that even using SSD's in a RAID0 array is only a teeny bit faster than the SSD alone. Meanwhile, RAID0 has TWICE the probability of failure of a non-RAID storage system, and in almost all cases you lose absolutely everything on the array - there is no data recovery tool for them.

If you are thinking RAID1 for automatic backup, you are wrong. It is never a reliable backup system. It is a system to ensure continued operation in the event of failure of one HDD in the array, and is used in places where you cannot tolerate downtime. For example, I use it in a Point-of-Sale application in a retail store we run. We cannot have the system quit in the middle of the day, but I can shut it down at night for repairs. Backups are done separately with a different system.

There are several other types of RAID, all different and suited to particular uses. You should also be aware that there is NO "Standard" for any RAID. Each manufacturer is free to do it as they see best. This has important implications for how you plan to recover from failure of a HDD in an array, or from failure of the RAID equipment and software. Data recovery after a failure is especially important to consider, and thus a good backup system becomes very important. Personally, I consider that the risks of complete data loss in a RAID0 system are so high it should make users of that technology REAL strong believers in GOOD backup systems well maintained.

Those comments aside, let me clarify RAID control systems. There are two major categories - Hardware and Software RAID. BUT there is also a significant "watch out". The mere fact that you have a card plugged into a PCI slot to be your RAID controller does NOT make it Hardware RAID. More details.

1. True Hardware RAID requires additional hardware and software (a device driver that runs the hardware). The hardware on the added card must include HDD controller chips to interface with the HDD units, a microprocessor, PROM and BIOS to execute software programs stored on the PROM, and RAM for processor use and for buffer space. The device driver installed in the computer's OS relays all disk access that uses the RAID array to the card so that the computer's main CPU, RAM and other resources do not have to to the work. The hardware on the card does all the processing required for the RAID operation on the data, stores and retrieves the data and does disk management tasks like monitoring for errors and failure in the background. Cards that can do all this are fairly expensive because of all their hardware. This is the fastest form of RAID both because the software and hardware in the card are narrowly optimized for this one use, and because the mobo resources are used very little for this system, freeing them for other uses.

2. Another kind of RAID done with an add-on card is really a Software RAID. In this system, the card does contain HDD controller chips, a small microprocessor and BIOS and some RAM. The driver in the OS handles movement of data between the computer's main CPU and the card. BUT the actual data processing work needed for RAID is done by the main CPU. The card merely copies its RAID processing software into the main computer's RAM, and all the processing is done by the computer's resources. The only thing the card really does take over is managing the HDD's attached to it. This type of card is much cheaper than a true Hardware RAID system.

3. RAID "Built In" on a mobo is always Software RAID. All of the RAID processing programming is in the mobo's BIOS EPROM and copied into RAM for fast access. All of the processing is done by the mobo and CPU resources, and the interface / control of the HDD's involved is done with the mobo's HDD controllers. This type of system is essentially "free" because it has become so common to include these features in BIOS that virtually all mobos have them.

4. The last type of Software RAID is code included in software you buy and install, rather than in the mobo's BIOS. This might be third-party software, but the most commonly used version of this the the RAID capability built into Windows itself. You can use that, rather than the mobo's system, if you choose. Again, all of the work involved is done by the computer mobos resources with no added hardware.

So, IF you do decide that you need to use a RAID array of whatever type, examine the options carefully. Be especially careful about that type of "Hardware" you get, because not all add-on RAID controller cards really offer Hardware RAID.
 
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Raid will increase your sequential performance and reduce your random. I wouldn't recommend it for gaming, but a raid 0 for steam games is fine because data loss doesn't really matter and you dont have to worry about extra directories for each disk. Mobo raid is specific to sata ports. So if it's all your sata ports then your options are limited. Since you dont need your OS in raid try and software raid. Consumer usage doesn't use all your cores. I don't think you will see any performance difference. raid cards are expensive, try this last.
 
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In your own words, what is the purpose behind this RAID (of unknown type)?

The question is actually not "hardware or software RAID?", but rather "RAID, yes or no?"
The answer is almost certainly "No".
 
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Honestly, the biggest reason for the RAID on the PC is more of a "I just kinda want the novelty." I understand that single fast SSD's serve us better in the gaming/workstation market. I was able to get a hold of an OCZ Revodrive 480gb (not x2) back in the day(i think i bought it in 2013 for only like 230$) and up until late 2016-2017 it really was as fast as anything out there.

I guess thinking about it now, the reason for the RAID is GB/$ in the library. I do 'prefer' single higher end SSD's and i was going to pull the trigger on X-Point (because i like to own a littel bleeding edge tech) and use x-point as the boot/main games then use my revo (480gb) for the secondary and finally the RAID just for those other games.

I knwo the people on the thread that are advising against it are correct, but at least one thing has been echoed throughout and that's get a proper controller if im going to do it.

I'll definitely be rethinking exactly what the cost and hassle is going to be vs something like a 1-2TB NVMe drive. And thinking back, proper RAID controllers are $$$ so it might end up being no cheaper.
 
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