MOBOs, USB 3.0 vs eSATA, video editing (info needed)

[Permutation]

Greetings,

I'll soon build a rig for video editing and had a question or two about USB 3.0 capabilities. In the gaming rig I built I used an ASRock X79 E4 motherboard, but never once has the USB 3.0 worked. I've tried different firmware and driver installs, but if I plug anything into a 3.0 port my system freezes. If I try to boot with anything plugged into a 3.0 port...well, nothing happens. No post or boot. From my research on the subject I gather that I'm not alone in having 3.0 problems.

So, with the preceding as a background, I will be using an external RAID array for a backup solution for this new rig. I realize I have several options such as eSATA or USB 3.0 off the MOBO or buying a controller and doing the same. I suppose the easiest and safest method would be to use the eSATA off the MOBO. Before I decide, however, I wanted to read opinions on what others have done, or would do in my situation. As they say, two (or more) heads are better than one.

Thanks.

PS. And ASRock MOBOs will not be used for this new build.

 

[photonboy]

eSata

Another option which is a lot slower but is quite handy is Western Digital's "My Book Live Duo" http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=620

It hooks up to the NETWORK not the individual PC, but then it's available to your entire network (can access stored movies via a WD TV LIVE device or similar as well).

Notes:
- above WD is 4TB, 6TB or 8TB (the 4TB can be used in a 2xRAID1 setup so 2TB effective)
- *Can achieve very high speed if you use a Gigabit router and Cat6 ethernet cables (between PC and router, and WD My Book Live Duo and router). I believe it's about 120MB/second which should MAX the speed of most hard drives.
- My Book Live Duo has a Standby mode of 5Watts so fan should be very quiet.

SUMMARY:
- eSATA/USB3 doesn't matter that much anymore but eSATA is likely better
- network solution instead?

 

[Permutation]

I haven't thought too much about an NAS device like the one you've linked as I have some drives I can slap into an enclosure. After researching the subject today, I think I'll go with an eSATA setup. It seems to be the more reliable choice, especially with my plans to stay with an X79 board.

 

[photonboy]

I haven't thought too much about an NAS device like the one you've linked as I have some drives I can slap into an enclosure. After researching the subject today, I think I'll go with an eSATA setup. It seems to be the more reliable choice, especially with my plans to stay with an X79 board.

Sure. I agree.
It's difficult finding the right enclosure though. Things to look for:
- Standby power
- Customer reviews/comments
- ease of use
- JBOD/RAID etc (some can mismatch disks, some require all same size etc)
- other features

 

[Permutation]

Yessir...I'm doing research on that right now. I've also discovered quite a price difference in RAID controller cards that are PCIe 2.0 vs 3.0. So, I'm off to post another forum question.

 

[photonboy]

Yessir...I'm doing research on that right now. I've also discovered quite a price difference in RAID controller cards that are PCIe 2.0 vs 3.0. So, I'm off to post another forum question.

If you're using an external NAS/RAID device the controller is part of the device. You'd then connect the device to your PC with a single eSATA cable.

A PCIe controller card is for attaching hard drives inside your case to the card.

There should be no need for a controller card.

 

[Permutation]

If you're using an external NAS/RAID device the controller is part of the device. You'd then connect the device to your PC with a single eSATA cable.

A PCIe controller card is for attaching hard drives inside your case to the card.

There should be no need for a controller card.

I should clarify...The controller card is not for the external enclosure. My D drive will be a RAID 5 array and will need a card. I have a habit of thinking out loud...

 

[photonboy]

I should clarify...The controller card is not for the external enclosure. My D drive will be a RAID 5 array and will need a card. I have a habit of thinking out loud...

I'm not certain as to how you will use your RAID5 and external eSATA box, however I thought I'd add something to the discussion:

Acronis True Image 2013:
(A free, manual-only version exists for Seagate or WD owners. Works for internal or external drives. Seagate name isn't as obvious. WD for WD; Seagate for Seagate.)

I use this software to make AUTOMATED backups of my Windows (C-drive). Backup size varies but is usually between 40 and 60% of the C-drive used space.

I have Windows on an SSD (applications only) and games on a 3TB Seagate hard drive. I have Acronis TI do a backup every week from my SSD to the hard drive's "Backup" folder (which also has a "STEAM" games folder, "Downloads", and "Media" folders). There are several options, however I chose what's called a CHAIN. It does a FULL backup one week then a much smaller, incremental backup each week for four weeks, then this repeats.

Just FYI. A very handy and space-saving method of backing up the main drive.

SYNCBACKSE Free version:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html

I use this tool to do an automated, daily backup of my "Documents" folder. It simply checks every day for any changes and copies/pastes only those changes. Very handy for critical files like pictures and documents.

SUMMARY:
- Acronis True Image
- Syncbackse free
- small learning curve for both (especially for Acronis TI, paid version which is TRICKY at first)

CHEERS.