RAID Controller

[macca22au]

I intend to install a RAID controller.

I have a qx6850 cpu, and an 8800GTX card, and a Gigabyte mobo.

I have three HDDs, two that I use excluseively for FSX set up in RAID 0.

The other I use for the OS and all other applications.

My massive collection of FSX downloads and photographs I have put on to an external HDD - speed is not a requirement.

In the absence of a RAID controller my array is of course managed by the motherboard.

I do not intend to go beyond three HDDs - if the all purpose drive gets too full, I will install a larger one, but the need is not in sight.

There have been dire warnings issued about El Cheapo RAID controllers.

[NickN]

You are on Vista.. and the unit I use is designed for XP but will work in Vista.

There was another user who tried that unit in Vista but did not have it set up right... and before he did set it up right he switched to XP and we set it up together

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2 ... 1200017427

In the end he got it chugging along correctly but that was in XP

The unit I use is this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6816116042


and it DOES require this to ensure the memory is secure and to ENABLE WRITE CACHE:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6816116051

Now, setting up that type of RAID is best you place the FSX install ON that array and NOT the entire OS and everything else.

UTX (all versions) gets installed INTO FSX, GEX and FEX get installed into the OS drive since they are database programs and only install textures as you select them.

These are the settings for that controller

http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2 ... 80641/15#7


and you must make sure you have the right drivers, control software, etc..

[macca22au]

Gracias Guru:

Once more into the unknown.

[NickN]

Gracias Guru:

Once more into the unknown.

just a follow up

that card goes in the 2nd video PCIe slot.. I assume your motherboard has 2 of them

You may want to have your tech verify the board will indeed support that card. In case the card is not available in your area.. the criteria for a good RAID card is based on that one. Its important the card be a PCIe 4x card so the pipe lines are there, and, its important the card have the onboard 256mb memory... that one is 533MHz DDR2 memory so if your man has to find another one, have him use that one as a guide

[NickN]

One other thing ...

No matter how many drives are in the array, Make SURE your man builds the initial array with a 256K STRIPE
The rest of the settings CAN be made from within the web interface tool

NCQ