
The 9000 series from 3Ware stands out mostly because of its consistently good performance, and because it came in just below the even more flexible BC4000 from Broadcom/Raidcore in our test comparison . 3Ware relies on its own XOR unit, 128 MB cache memory, optional battery backup unit and numerous software features. The overall result is a product that comes in only slightly behind more expensive SCSI models, if at all.

As early as about a year ago, we received the first RAIDCore controller. Even then, it made a splash with functionality as yet unseen. Today, RAIDCore belongs to Broadcom, and offers a number of PCI-X devices that all function based on software. They do not have their own caches; however, up to four 8 channel controllers can be used simultaneously , and arrays can be generated as desired.
Comparison Table
| 3Ware 9500 | Areca ARC-1120 | Broadcom/Raidcore BC4000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | 64 Bit PCI 2.2 | PCI-X 133 MHz | PCI-X 133 MHz |
| Architechture | Hardware-based | Hardware-based | Software-based |
| XOR-Unit | 3Ware | i80332 | From System Processor |
| Cache | 128 MB ECC | 128 MB ECC | None |
| Ports | 4, 8, 12x SATA | 8, 12, 16x SATA II | 4, 8x SATA |
| Format | Full Structure Height | Half (8 Ports), Full Structure Height (12, 16 Ports) | Half Structure Height |
| RAID-Modes | 0, 1, 1+0, 5, 50, JBOD | 0, 1, 0+1, 3, 5, 6, JBOD | 0, 1, 1+N, 10, 10+N, 5, 50, JBOD |
| RAID Level Migration | Downgrading only | Downgrading only | Yes |
| Batterie-Backup | optional | optional | Optional |
| Background Init | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Adapter | Yes | Yes | Yes, inclusive Adapter Spanning |
| Online Capacity Expansion | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple RAID Arrays | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drive Roaming | No | No | Yes |
| Spare Drive | Dedicated | Dedicated | Dedicated/Global/Distributed |
| Time Delayed drive starts | Yes | No | Yes |
| Website | www.3ware.com | www.areca.com.tw | www.raidcore.com |