3Ware or Adaptec for RAID

[Handruin]

A buddy of mine at work wants to go IDE RAID so that he can mirror his drives (RAID1). I mentioned 3Ware had a good name from all I've read here and SR, but I wanted to hear the opinions from you guys.

He was looking at an Adaptec RAID controller, which is close to the same price as the 3ware.

So my question is, how is the 3ware 7000-2 card in general terms? Is it a solid, reliable performer? Also, how does it compare to the Adaptec 1200A? The specs are close for features, but the Adaptec is about $35 less. I remember reading in the past that the 3ware cards can improve read performance when mirroring drives, is this true?

He only needs the 2 channels, and will be using the card in windows XP Pro. I believe he plans to be using the card with 2 newer WD 120GB drives.

Does anyone know of any problems with 3ware cards, or think that the Adaptec would be a better choice?

Here are the card details:

3Ware 7000-2 2 ATA drive support Entry-level RAID


For Intel PC or equivalent]
3WARE Escalade 7000-2, two channel Ultra ATA, DiskSwitch/AccelerATA chipset, Half-length, low-profile 64-bit PCI PnP, busmastering transfer protocol, up to 2 targets.
RAID levels 0, 1, 10, JBOD, hot-swap, hot-spare and remote management
internal connectors: two IDC 40(M) ATA 33/66/100/133


White box kit includes: two 3-position 80 conductor Ultra ATA PVC insulated flat ribbon cables, Y-split power extension cable, manual, drivers & management software on CD, 3-year warranty.
$135.00 (hypermicro.com)


Adaptec 1200A

2-channel support up to 4 drives
RAID 0, 1, 0/1, JBOD
bootable array support
Hot spare

Supported Operating Systems
Detailed List of Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Server
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

$99.99 (micro center in Boston)

 

[Buck]

I have not used an Adaptec RAID card. I have used 3ware, and am quite happy with it. I'm presently running and Escalade card 24/7 in a NT Server (it has been runing for 2 years). It was even detected under RedHat 7.1.

 

[Cliptin]

I have not used an Adaptec RAID card. I have used 3ware, and am quite happy with it. I'm presently running and Escalade card 24/7 in a NT Server (it has been runing for 2 years). It was even detected under RedHat 7.1.

I am also using a 3ware card in a server 24/7. It has suffered several incidences of rebuilding without a hitch. I was the instigator of the rebuilds. The last review SR did on RAID cards left the Adaptec controller wanting. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I remember the model number correctly (2400).

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I really liked the new Escalade 8500 series by 3ware (supporting SATA as well) but it's pretty expensive. Even the 4-drive model is costs a lot...

 

[CougTek]

I wouldn't touch the 1200A if I were you Doug. It's a low-end RAID card with low performances, nothing comparable with the much better 2400A. Go with the 3Ware.

 

[Mercutio]

3ware doesn't joke around. Their hardware does all the same things as enterprise-class SCSI RAID controllers, like enhancing read performance on RAID1. I've not bothered with Adaptec.

Honestly, I'm not sure your friend would notice for his personal machine, but if he wants a high caliber piece of equipment, I think he's better off with 3Ware.

 

[Handruin]

Thanks for the info, I've passed this along to him so he can make the decision.