Question About Twin RAID 0 Using My Asus MB

[dabesq]

My original question is posted here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265856-30-dual-raid-deluxe-possible

It is one of those that seems to belong in more than one area of the forum. Rather than repeat it here, however, I would appreciate RAID 0 experts to have a quick look and see if you can help me out.

Thanks!

 

[sub mesa]

Questions about RAID clearly belong to the Storage forum, quoting what you said:

I have two smaller fast hard drives and two larger slower hard drives that I would like to install in my new build using the Asus MB. I didn't have trouble putting the fast OS drives together in a RAID 0, but will the MB permit me to have the second pair of larger hard drives in a second RAID 0 array (not using a RAID card or anything)? If so, can someone briefly explain what I need to do? I haven't been to figure this out from the manual. And since I could still return the second larger drive, I don't want to open it up and just play around to see if I can make it work. Thanks for any info!

You forgot to mention what kind of RAID controller you are using, but virtually all support multiple arrays which is what you question is if i understand correctly. So you create the second array the same way as you created the first array: via the RAID setup. Since you install Windows on the first RAID array, and its the same controller, you don't need additional drivers. Once you boot in windows you can see the second array in Disk Management and format it with NTFS, etc.

 

[dabesq]

Thanks for responding. I'm using the Asus motherboard RAID controller, not a separate card. I cannot determine if it will let me have twin RAID 0s. I can't test out whether a second RAID 0 can be set up without opening a HDD I would otherwise return, thus any information would help. Thank again!

 

[sub mesa]

There are all kinds of onboard RAID, and some motherboards have multiple RAID. You should have listed what kind of motherboard you were using and what kind of RAID controller, for example: Intel ICHxR, AMD/ATi, nVidia MediaShield, JMicron, Promise, Silicon Image, etc.

Saying you have an asus motherboard is like saying you drive a mercedes, but that doesn't say if it runs on gasoline or diesel or biofuels or electric, etc.

And can't you just try to create the second RAID array, have you tried? As you didn't tell what kind of RAID controller you use, i cannot look up the key combination you need to use to enter the RAID BIOS setup, but if you done this before just do the same thing and setup the second RAID array just like you setup the first.

 

[dabesq]

My apologies. I specified in the post that I linked to that I'm using the Asus P6T Deluxe v2 motherboard. I just posted the link rather than repeating all the info is because the last time I did that, someone complained that I was double posting. (But it is hard when a question bleeds over two categories.)

The controller, btw, is Intel ICHxR.

That other thread also mentions that I didn't want to open the second hard drive for the second RAID 0 to try it out, because if it isn't possible to do it, I plan on returning the other hard drive. That's why I was asking before trying. Again, sorry I didn't explain that in this thread, and I appreciate your help.

 

[sub mesa]

Ah yes, you specified it in the topic title. I would recommend including all information in the post as well, as some people (like me ) might miss this important data.

The key combination for Intel onboard RAID is Control + I, that's what you press just before the operating system is loaded to get in the MatrixRAID setup utility.

I don't really understand your last paragraph though, do you have data on this second array that you wish to keep? If so, was it created with Intel RAID as well? If so, it should be detected automatically without further configuration. If it was created by a different RAID engine, you would need to backup + re-create the array and then restore this data. When you create a RAID array, all data still on the drives should be considered lost.

 

[dabesq]

Thanks for all the help! Control+I looks like it will do it. I had the first RAID 0 and then a single 1 TB data drive. But it is a brand new build, so there really wasn't much on it. Anyway, I bought a second 1 TB hard drive and wanted to put them in a second RAID 0. If I couldn't be done, then I'd return the second drive. But it looks like it will work. Thanks again.