Add Drives to Convert RAID 0 into RAID 10

Cavalry Canuck · November 18, 2020

Good Day,

My gaming rig has 3 drives arranged in RAID 0 using the Intel RAID controller. I originally chose this arrangement because I wanted (and achieved) faster load times. Now, I would like to make the system less vulnerable to drive failure than it currently is, with the possible benefit of faster load times.

With Black Friday coming up, I’d like to take advantage of any discounts on storage devices that may arise. If I buy 3 more drives with the same specs as the current 3, is it possible within the Intel Controller to mirror each disk in a RAID 10 arrangement?

I understand there are better software solutions out there, which I will implement with my NAS, if I ever finish building the damned thing. However, for the gaming rig, I’d like to stick with the Intel Hardware Controller, and work within it’s limitations.

Thank you for your time.

Matt

Electronics Wizardy · November 18, 2020

I setup a good backup soltuion, like to your nas if drive failure is a issue, as it protects you from other failures aswell much better.

Intel raid isn't very flexable, and won't let you do this.

Id probalby switch to storage spaces, which is much more flexable, and then get a few bigger drives. What sisze are you current drievs?

Cavalry Canuck · November 18, 2020

Currently I have one older (4 years old) WD Blue 500GB SSD, and two newer (1 year old) Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs, 1.5TB in total.

Are there any downsides to swapping to Windows Storage Spaces? What are the benefits above the Intel Controller?

Electronics Wizardy · November 18, 2020

6 minutes ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

Currently I have one older (4 years old) WD Blue 500GB SSD, and two newer (1 year old) Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs, 1.5TB in total.

Are there any downsides to swapping to Windows Storage Spaces? What are the benefits above the Intel Controller?

With ssds id worry much less about failure as the failure rates are much lower on ssds.

Storages spaces is much more flexable, allows mixed drive sizes, ssd caching, easily move between system, and generally more reliable. Big disadvantage for you is you have to remake the array and copy all files.

If your getting new drives, id get much bigger ssds, like 4 and 8 tb ssds, I wouldn't get more 500gb ssds.

Cavalry Canuck · November 18, 2020

35 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

With ssds id worry much less about failure as the failure rates are much lower on ssds.

Storages spaces is much more flexable, allows mixed drive sizes, ssd caching, easily move between system, and generally more reliable. Big disadvantage for you is you have to remake the array and copy all files.

If your getting new drives, id get much bigger ssds, like 4 and 8 tb ssds, I wouldn't get more 500gb ssds.

Whether they fail frequently or not, I want the redundancy.

Will RAID through Storage Spaces Boot as quickly as Intel RAID?

I don’t need that much space. As it is, I only use about 600GB out of 1.5TB right now. If I have to reformat the array anyway, I might opt for RAID 5 and get a boost to both output speed and reliability.

Dutch_Master · November 19, 2020

Yes, go for the RAID5 option ASAP. 1TB SSD's aren't that expensive anymore (beware of "deals" on BF as prices are usually artificially raised before ) so 3 of those in RAID5 gives you 2TB redundant solid-state storage. Alternatively, get just a single 1 TB drive and use that to store a copy of your data on if your budget is limited.

Having said that, should your budget be more generous, you can choose to purchase 3 NVMe drives instead of the SATA ones, mount these to a PCIe-to-M.2 adapter card and have really fast access times Your mainboard does need to support 4x4x4x4 bifurcation for this feature!

As for cloud storage, I'd stay well away from that. Yes it's "free" (but it never really is!) and perhaps convenient, but only until the competition is pretty much dead, so they can charge you whatever they want for you to access your data (cynic, me? now what ever gives you that idea )

TargetDron3 · November 19, 2020

If you want to go from 0 to 10 you will have to break the array and rebuild a new array. Redundancy isn't a backup. It allows a system to keep running as a replacement drive is put in.

Based on your description, you want fast load times, but are using SATA 2.5" ssds?

Get a good 1 TB nvme drive ( if your motherboard supports nvme) and abandon the RAID idea. Get another 1TB drive to have Macrium reflect take disk backups too.

Cavalry Canuck · November 21, 2020

On 11/19/2020 at 3:50 PM, TargetDron3 said:

If you want to go from 0 to 10 you will have to break the array and rebuild a new array. Redundancy isn't a backup. It allows a system to keep running as a replacement drive is put in.

Based on your description, you want fast load times, but are using SATA 2.5" ssds?

Get a good 1 TB nvme drive ( if your motherboard supports nvme) and abandon the RAID idea. Get another 1TB drive to have Macrium reflect take disk backups too.

Mobo doesn't support nvme. Yes it's that old, but the 4790k refuses to give up the ghost.

Sprung for 3 more 500GB cards today. They were 30% below what the asking price was 6 months ago. Looks like I will be going for a RAID 5 setup.

Will Windows Storage Spaces (or any of the alternative software solutions) boot as fast as the Intel Raid controller off of a 6 card RAID 5 setup?

Electronics Wizardy · November 21, 2020

9 hours ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

Mobo doesn't support nvme. Yes it's that old, but the 4790k refuses to give up the ghost.

Sprung for 3 more 500GB cards today. They were 30% below what the asking price was 6 months ago. Looks like I will be going for a RAID 5 setup.

Will Windows Storage Spaces (or any of the alternative software solutions) boot as fast as the Intel Raid controller off of a 6 card RAID 5 setup?

Yea it does, as a non boot drive. You can get a pcie to m.2 adapter and use any nvme drive you want.

Yea storage spaces has reasonble speed if setup right, but really don't get a 6 card raid 5, just get a a single large ssd.

Cavalry Canuck · November 21, 2020

1 hour ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Yea it does, as a non boot drive. You can get a pcie to m.2 adapter and use any nvme drive you want.

Yea storage spaces has reasonble speed if setup right, but really don't get a 6 card raid 5, just get a a single large ssd.

I feel like this doesn't really answer my question.

Making use of the 6 SSDs that I now own, will software RAID like Storage Spaces Boot as fast as the Intel RAID controller? If yes, I'll give it a whirl. If not, I'm reformatting my array and sticking with the Intel controller for now.

Electronics Wizardy · November 21, 2020

2 hours ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

I feel like this doesn't really answer my question.

Making use of the 6 SSDs that I now own, will software RAID like Storage Spaces Boot as fast as the Intel RAID controller? If yes, I'll give it a whirl. If not, I'm reformatting my array and sticking with the Intel controller for now.

Storage spaces don't support booting from, but performance is about the same as the intel fake raid on the board.

What sizes of drives do you have?

Unless you need more space, id keep the raid 0, and have a good backup, that would be much better at proctecting your data than switching to a different raid level.

Cavalry Canuck · November 21, 2020

14 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Storage spaces don't support booting from, but performance is about the same as the intel fake raid on the board.

What sizes of drives do you have?

Unless you need more space, id keep the raid 0, and have a good backup, that would be much better at proctecting your data than switching to a different raid level.

I have one WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD and two Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs in the system. I have three more Sansung 860 EVO 500GB drives in the mail, giving me a total of five Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs and one WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD.

Electronics Wizardy · November 21, 2020

5 minutes ago, Cavalry Canuck said:

I have one WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD and two Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs in the system. I have three more Sansung 860 EVO 500GB drives in the mail, giving me a total of five Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SSDs and one WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD.

Can you return those drives you ordered? Id get a single larger drive, but really, just keep the raid 0 array for now, it will work fine.

Is this your boot drive?