Matrix RAID

[SA]

Anyone setup a Matrix RAID array yet? I'm shopping for MOBOs and considering an Intel, although I haven't really settled yet. Also looking at the ASUS boards. Anyway, the ICH6R southbridge is required for the Matrix RAID, but not all MOBOs listed on Newegg with this southbridge list Matrix RAID. I checked ABITs page and they don't list it for a ICH6R MOBO, yes on an ASUS board with ICH6R, it seems to support it even though Newegg doesn't list it.

So, what MOBOs have been used to setup a Matrix RAID successfully ?

[Boba_Fett]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a Matrix Array a RAID array spread across SATA and PATA? To be honest, matrix array sounds more gimicky than practical...

[SA]

Matrix RAID allows you to set up a RAID 0 Partition and a RAID 1 Partition using only two drives, usually SATA.

[Ian]

RAID 0 and 1.. using only 2 drives? That sounds kinda retarded..

[Ian]

Did a little research. Here's a good pic of how it works:



Still kinda gimmicky if you ask me.

[SA]

Well I'm going to try the RAID Array. I'm building an AutoCAD machine for a friend and placed the Newegg order today. Here is the setup, I wish it were for my own use.

Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 540 3.2 GHz
ABIT "AA8-DuraMAX" i925X
2 x 512 MB DDR2
NEC 3500AG DVD-RW
ATI FireGL V3100 (PCI-Express)
2 x Western Digital 160GB 7200RPM SATA (He wouldn't pony up for 2 Raptors)

[Boba_Fett]

Well I'm going to try the RAID Array. I'm building an AutoCAD machine for a friend and placed the Newegg order today. Here is the setup, I wish it were for my own use.

Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 540 3.2 GHz
ABIT "AA8-DuraMAX" i925X
2 x 512 MB DDR2
NEC 3500AG DVD-RW
ATI FireGL V3100 (PCI-Express)
2 x Western Digital 160GB 7200RPM SATA (He wouldn't pony up for 2 Raptors)

I would highly urge RAID-1 over 0, you won't notice a difference with CAD drawling with RAID-0 and your chances of data loss goes up 100% (if one drive fails, the data on the other is useless) with RAID-0, not exactly a easy thing to break to a client...

[LoneWolf]

I'd do a RAID 5 array instead using 3 drives, if you wanted performance and redundancy. Bit more capacity than RAID 1 as well.

[SA]

I found out today the guy has a 37GB SCSI Drive he wants to use. I think it'll be best to use it as the boot drive and just set up a RAID 1 on the two SATA drives.

[SA]

So I did end up doing the Matrix RAID array setup. It was easy to do. Two 200GB SATA drives: One partition at RAID 0 (system), one at RAID 1(Data). I went with the ABIT AA8 Duramaxx MOBO and a 3.2 P4. I would recommend this setup to anyone building a new system. Everything was easy and teh "pinless" socket was just as easy as the 478 socket. I burned it in with a stock heat sink and had no heat problems. After 7 hours at 50% CPU usage it was at 54C.

[LoneWolf]

I'm not sure I get it...if one drive fails in this matrix-RAID setup. how is the data saved?

[SA]

Data is lost on the Striped partition, but the Data on the mirrored partition lives on. To combat a lost partition, we schedule a ghost of the striped partition.