Is using hardware raid smart?

[aorick]

I was researching ways to backup many large media files. I need to be able to export these files fast. I also need it to be reliable and redundant in case I have to go back and retrieve original work.These files consist of multiple wav files, and converting/exporting video formats through Adobe Premier & AE. My system is running an intel 6850k with a msi x99a gmaing pro carbon mobo and 1tb ssd for OS and stuffs. After reading up on the pros and cons of each raid I decided on a plan to use 8 hdds in raid 50, 2 raid 5 arrays with 4 disks each. I've seen an LSI card that fits my needs I think ( I honestly don't know the difference between that and one priced at $300 more). My question is, is this feasible under $1000 with drives and the storage controller included? Is this even the best way to approach the dilemma? What speeds am I gaining over a software raid? 

 

Here's the link to the card 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16816118217

[Electronics Wizardy]

I'd get a Dell h700 used on eBay. It's about 100 and uses the same lsi  chips. I'd then use some hdds(brand and size is up to you and your budget.) is suggest the wd reds or Segate nas or hgst nas drives. 

 

For raid level, I'd try both road 6 and 50 and see what is faster. 

[manikyath]

that's an HBA, not a raid card, in case you missed that piece of the spec sheet.

(HBA = host bus adapter, essentially does nothing but provide ports.)

 

and in terms of the advantages of hardware raid, my favourite one is that if your OS "cocks up", you dont need to worry about that OS that just went belly up also being in charge of your data. everyone who is as plagued by random software issues as me will understand my reasoning here

 

i'm also defenately backing @Electronics Wizardy's idea here to fish some old gear from datacenters off the net, but i'd rather suggest getting an entire seperate server because i'm weird like that

 

proliant G6's are becoming widely available on the cheap, and they are actually pretty dang powerful still.

 

EDIT: i just checked the price of G5's, what the flip happened to the price of G5's, it's like they're missing numbers

[aorick]

25 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

I'd get a Dell h700 used on eBay. It's about 100 and uses the same lsi  chips. I'd then use some hdds(brand and size is up to you and your budget.) is suggest the wd reds or Segate nas or hgst nas drives. 

 

For raid level, I'd try both road 6 and 50 and see what is faster. 

I appreciate it, definitely taking that option into consideration

[aorick]

17 minutes ago, manikyath said:

that's an HBA, not a raid card, in case you missed that piece of the spec sheet.

(HBA = host bus adapter, essentially does nothing but provide ports.)

 

and in terms of the advantages of hardware raid, my favourite one is that if your OS "cocks up", you dont need to worry about that OS that just went belly up also being in charge of your data. everyone who is as plagued by random software issues as me will understand my reasoning here

 

i'm also defenately backing @Electronics Wizardy's idea here to fish some old gear from datacenters off the net, but i'd rather suggest getting an entire seperate server because i'm weird like that

 

proliant G6's are becoming widely available on the cheap, and they are actually pretty dang powerful still.

I've been browsing so many I didn't even notice. The G6's are attractive considering the all in one solution. That does mean I have to run a sepetrate os(Windows server)? I noticed the hdds they use are only 500mb  are those swappable with 3tb or are those hardware limited? I checked servermonkey and they had the highest limited at 1tb.

[manikyath]

26 minutes ago, aorick said:

I've been browsing so many I didn't even notice. The G6's are attractive considering the all in one solution. That does mean I have to run a sepetrate os(Windows server)? I noticed the hdds they use are only 500mb  are those swappable with 3tb or are those hardware limited? I checked servermonkey and they had the highest limited at 1tb.

i'm not too sure on the hard drive capabilities of the older proliants, i've never had the luck to come around one local and cheap enough to buy it and play around

 

you'd have to look into that before making a decision offcourse, that said, this is probably more something to ask on the level1techs forum than here. as for an OS, *if* you can toss 2.5" sata drives in the front, you could quite literally make a usb stick with freenas, stick it on an internal usb port (as far as i know, all proliants have at least one) and have all 8 front bays for your storage. or offcourse, you could try and source SAS drives as well.

 

from a quick look on the interwebs, anything modern enough to not be a dinosaur yet should have a sata/sas backplane in the front bays. offcourse specificly talking about the -most common- DL380 series, g5 or g6