Seeking Recommendations for Reliable RAID Card for Production-Level Server with M.2 SSDs

[CaptainPax]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently on the hunt for a dependable RAID card that can handle four M.2 SSDs, specifically the Samsung 970 series, for my production-level server. I've had some less-than-ideal experiences with RAID cards in the past, opting for budget options under $80, only to encounter failures, driver issues, and limited drive detection capacity. As my server operates in a production environment, stability and reliability are paramount.

I've been using UnRaid for my server setup, and while I don't mind a bit of initial setup, I'm looking for a solution that's nearly plug-and-play compatible with UnRaid to streamline the process. My budget has increased to around $200 USD, understanding that investing in a more robust solution is necessary for the smooth operation of my server.

I'd love to hear about your experiences and recommendations with RAID cards, particularly in production environments. How do you ensure stability and reliability in your server setups? Are there any specific brands or models you swear by? And if you're using M.2 SSDs in your setup, how has your experience been with compatibility and performance?

Looking forward to hearing your insights and suggestions!
 

[itsabearcannon]

Why do you need a RAID card specifically? Software RAID through a standard HBA is generally preferred over a RAID card unless you're using enterprise-class hardware like the HPE SmartArray cards or Dell PERCs.

 

Just get an tri-mode NVMe HBA like a used 9500-8i and run the drives off daughterboards.

[Blue4130]

2 hours ago, CaptainPax said:

Hey everyone,

I'm currently on the hunt for a dependable RAID card that can handle four M.2 SSDs, specifically the Samsung 970 series, for my production-level server. I've had some less-than-ideal experiences with RAID cards in the past, opting for budget options under $80, only to encounter failures, driver issues, and limited drive detection capacity. As my server operates in a production environment, stability and reliability are paramount.

I've been using UnRaid for my server setup, and while I don't mind a bit of initial setup, I'm looking for a solution that's nearly plug-and-play compatible with UnRaid to streamline the process. My budget has increased to around $200 USD, understanding that investing in a more robust solution is necessary for the smooth operation of my server.

I'd love to hear about your experiences and recommendations with RAID cards, particularly in production environments. How do you ensure stability and reliability in your server setups? Are there any specific brands or models you swear by? And if you're using M.2 SSDs in your setup, how has your experience been with compatibility and performance?

Looking forward to hearing your insights and suggestions!
 

Uhhhh.... Unraid should be handling your storage pool, not a raid card then unraid... Choose one or the other. Do you want hardware raid or unraid?

[CaptainPax]

i have missed used the word raid card, really tired atm , I just need more m.2 lots but not cheap hardware. in my setup unraid handles the raid

[Blue4130]

2 hours ago, CaptainPax said:

i have missed used the word raid card, really tired atm , I just need more m.2 lots but not cheap hardware. in my setup unraid handles the raid

How many pcie lanes do you have? What is your PCIE slot layout? What board and CPU are you using? If you have the lanes and a free slot, a simple pcie carrier board should be fine, they literally just split the pcie slot into 4 sets of 4 lanes if your motherboard supports bifurcation.