RAID 0 (4 x SSD) MAX Speed?

Hi all,

If I install FOUR SSDs in my Mac Pro and configure them in RAID, what's the theoretical max throughput I could expect?

I understand the 300MB/sec limit of SATA-II - so does that mean 4 disks will each theoretically have 300MB/sec, with a combined theoretical total of 1200MB/sec?

I'm considering installing an OWC Accelsior 240GB PCI SSD Card as my boot drive, then running 4 x 120GB SATA-II SSD's as my main projects/work volume raided together.

Anyone else done a 4-way SSD RAID 0 internally here?

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It appears I should have searched first, looks like 650MB/sec is the max speed I can get.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1400474/

I already have 2 x Vertex 2 120GB in a RAID 0 stripe, and I only get about 300MB/sec from that. So I assume 4 drives will get close to saturation?

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Considering the above, it may be better to simply buy two OWC Eccelsior PCI SSD cards.

One for OS/Apps, and another, 480GB one for data storage/files.

800MB/sec on both.

PS I do everything from Video Editing, Audio Engineering, Web Development, Graphic Design etc.

Specs of my machine in my sig.

nanofrog said:

If they're being used on the MP's SATA ports, the SATA controller tops out at ~660MB/s.

To get past this, you'll have to use a suitable PCIe card (8x lane card for a single model so the data isn't throttled, so not cheap <most of these are actually RAID cards>).

BTW, using RAID 0 is more dangerous to your data than a single disk. This is still the case with an SSD stripe set vs. a single SSD.

Click to expand...

I think 660MB a sec is fine for what I need - and I have no issues with the 400% increase in failure potential as it will all be backed up via Time Machine and also regular cloned copies.

At this stage it's either 4 x 120GB SSDs in a 480GB RAID 0 stripe for ~660MB/sec.....

or..

1 x 480GB PCIe OWC Accelsior for about the same speed.

Price difference is $480 vs $750.

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Loa said:

Hello,

4 SSDs in the bays will pretty much saturate the bandwidth.

As for the 2 Accelsior, you may have to put one of them in the lower slots, because the top 2 slots share the same bandwidth.

Loa

Click to expand...

Hmm. OK so I have 4 slots total, obviously. GPU in bottom slot. Boot Accelsior in 2nd slot. Files Accelsior in 3rd slot, and my USB3 card in the top slot?

Spacedust said:

I've acheived almost 900 MB/s with Areca ARC-1231ML and a Mac Pro 2009

It was about 150 MB/s less on a Mac Pro 2008.

Click to expand...

Seems that card is no longer available? Also how did you attach the SSD's? You need to clearly bypass the internal SATA connectors right?