Best solution for RAID

[nemesis2004]

Hi,
I am interested in creating a RAID array of two SATA-II hard drives. My motherboard at the moment has support for RAID however I am intending to upgrade my motherboard in the next 6-12 months and I am looking for a solution that will allow me to maintain my RAID with my new system. I have been told that if I change the brand of motherboard and the chipset, It is highly unlikely that my existing configuration will work on the new board, so I believe I should be looking for a PCI or PCI-E controller. I'm not particularly interested in a software solution at the moment; I'd much rather have hardware.

I suppose therefore my questions are: If I get a PCI or PCI-E SATA RAID Controller, will I be able to move this to my new motherboard and maintain the data and structure? If this is the case, does PCI / PCI-E have the bandwidth and other such requirements to to sustain a SATA-II RAID array? Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should be looking for - preferably a card that's available in the UK.

Thanks in advance,
Alan

 

[saint19]

Hi newcomer and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

If you install the RAID now, you can't maintain this with your new rig. Your current mobo and the new mobo have diferent drivers and components, including the RAID driver.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

What performance improvement are you expecting from your RAID array ?

 

[nemesis2004]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Hi newcomer and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

If you install the RAID now, you can't maintain this with your new rig. Your current mobo and the new mobo have diferent drivers and components, including the RAID driver.

Right, so that's why I'd want a PCI / PCI-E solution and just carry it over to my new rig.

What performance improvement are you expecting from your RAID array ?

Similar to the RAID array I've got setup on my motherboard at the moment if possible - I'm not too sure if the limitations of PCI/PCI-E would allow that - I'm not familiar with the specifications of either.