Mac Pro Onboard Raid...

[David N]

What am I able to do with the mac Pro onboard RAID? Could I do 4x750gb drives in RAID1+0, or would I need the RAID card for that?

Would I be better off with a 64 or 128gb SSD for my boot/apps, 2 750gb drives in RAID1 for storage and a 74gb raptor for a scratch disk? My interests lie in photoshopping 25MP+ images and it's not uncommon to be working with 1gb+ files.


I already have the raptor and 2 750gb drives, so my costs are the same either way... I'd rather not get the RAID card though, that's taking the price a bit too high...

 

[nanofrog]

What am I able to do with the mac Pro onboard RAID? Could I do 4x750gb drives in RAID1+0, or would I need the RAID card for that?

Yes.

Would I be better off with a 64 or 128gb SSD for my boot/apps, 2 750gb drives in RAID1 for storage and a 74gb raptor for a scratch disk? My interests lie in photoshopping 25MP+ images and it's not uncommon to be working with 1gb+ files.

Why SSD? Too expensive, imho. Just get a decent drive for OS/Apps. Maybe a Velociraptor max, and pocket the difference. The savings could buy a RAID controller at least.

I already have the raptor and 2 750gb drives, so my costs are the same either way... I'd rather not get the RAID card though, that's taking the price a bit too high...

If you have the money available, a RAID card would give you better overall performance. Start out with an internal system, and build out from there if needed. There are a few cards that could be had for ~$300 (internal only) and go up. Depends on exactly what you need.

There's a few threads on the forum, hopefully it could help.

Nanofrog.

 

[brand]

What am I able to do with the mac Pro onboard RAID?

The Mac Pro does not have an onboard RAID controller. You are able to perform RAID through OS X that is called a software RAID. At its current state, OS X supports RAID 0 and 1. I am not sure if a software RAID through OS X can support nested RAID 0+1 or 1+0.

 

[matt321]

You can do a Soft Raid 1+0 but I suggest you setup it via terminal off the OS X Install disk, Disk Utility doesn't work half the time. Then reboot. Then install OS X.