Super Fast 4TB RAID for Under $1,500 (was $2k)

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Updated: October 7, 2008: 6:50PM PDT (added new benchmarks & CalDigit Response)

Updated: December 4, 2008: 2:30PM PDT (added new links, updated title)

Updated: 2009 (Added HD Speed Test benchmark ... take that, @jasondiamond )

Background

If you are a film editor or dealing with large files, especially video, there's always a time when you run out of space and when you need more speed for editing or other work. This has been the problem for a long time and, frankly, decent RAID systems are prohibitively expensive for mortals, without the fat coffers of large company money.

Updated: I will soon have a video podcast which will walk through how to build this system and what you can expect, plus configuration options and a walk-through of setting it up. Stay tuned.

If you, like me, have decided to create a home studio, where you edit HD video and you're looking for a fast, powerful, stable and cheap RAID solution -- you've likely found everything aplenty, save for the cheap part of the solution.

Let's set a few things straight:

1. RAID is not cheap. Not like a lot of things. Good RAID requires hardware and hardware costs money.
2. Pre-packaged RAID solutions are expensive as hell. $6,000 for a fast, 4TB RAID system is pretty much the norm. 
3. Do It Yourself RAID systems suck. And, not just kind of. They are unreliable. They are flimsy and half-baked and, if you're really cheap, they use an inferior RAID card or a software RAID. 
4. RAID systems are notoriously slow for the money you're paying. 
5. Vendors stats are bogus. Their stats are "best case" and are measured when the RAID is empty or 10-20% full, which is the sweet spot for RAID systems. 

Okay, let's look at the other side:

1. You are cheap. You don't want to spend more for RAID than you did for your computer.
2. You want fast, cheap and reliable. 
3. You don't have a Ph.D. in RAID technology and putting together a RAID from scratch is hard, to say the least. 
4. You are editing HD footage and need something that keeps up with 1080p, even on a bad day. 

I've searched everywhere, looking at possibilities, and the solution is a kind of hybrid of a standard, tested RAID chassis, a RAID card, a few cables and some cheap drives. I've been able to put a 4TB RAID system together that achieves 400 MB/s speeds (even when 80% full) for under $2,000.

System

I'm running a Mac Pro PCI Express system with 8GB RAM (basically, the newest Mac Pro). Theoretically, and according to everything I've seen and read, this configuration should work on ANY PCI Express-based computer, from OS X 10.4 through Windows XP and up to Windows Vista.

Considerations

Existing RAID solutions, even the ones with the best reviews and the best prices, are still pitifully underpowered (slow) and woefully expensive (by a lot).

In addition, because I'm doing audio and video editing, it is important for the RAID (or any hard drive system) to be quiet. I've tried a number of enclosures, drives and RAID configurations and the one I finally settled on is - by far - the most quiet and has the least vibration and noise.

I should also point out, for the record, I don't care about redundancy. If I want something backed up, I'll use external drives, or better yet, a Drobo. However, this RAID supports RAID 5 and is still very fast (just not fast enough for me).

Most people consider the CalDigit HDPro RAID to be the gold standard. But, even at 4TB, it comes in around $6,500 and it's too slow (yes, I said "too slow").

May people talk about the CalDigit HDElement because it's modular and you can stack them together. Firstly, it's not that modular (or, more directly, it's no more modular than other RAID systems) and secondly, it's expensive for what you get.

Most people, when they think about cheap, gravitate toward the imported, shoddy, badly made RAID solutions, like those from Directron. Resist the temptation.

Cheap also means, in many cases, Firewire, USB or eSATA. Resist this temptation as well. eSATA sounds fast, at 3Gb/s. But, consider that 3Gb/s is shared across 4-8 drives and each drive is theoretically capable of 3Gb/s. So, you're dividing the high-speed 3Gb/s by 8 drives. In a RAID, you want all drives cranking away at their best speed, without bandwidth limitations.

Other, cheap RAID solutions involve software RAID. This is bad, slow and devours your operating system at higher bandwidth use. Ignore software RAID if you want the highest quality, speed and reliability.

And, don't even think about a LaCie or other "closed system" where you can't add, remove or replace your own drives. If something breaks, you have a brick on your hands... until the RMA happens, assuming you're still under warranty.

What you want in a RAID:

1. Faster than eSATA (fiber, seriously)
2. 8+ Removable, reliable, FAST drives 
3. Dedicated RAID hardware or firmware 
4. A decent RAID chassis 

The Actual RAID

Your setup could be more or less organized, it's really up to you.

PROAvio makes a great RAID chassis. It has removable drives, high-speed interfaces, just about everything you'd want. The problem with it is cost. When you purchase the system as a complete unit, it can run upwards of $4,000 -- even without the cables or the right card.

And, if you want something both Windows and Mac compatible, it's tough to find the right bundle. Worse, all the bundles are labeled MS, ML and several other options.

I'm not sure why there's such a high premium on drives and RAID cards, but the reality is, if you can install four screws onto a simple tray and you can plugin a PCIe card and connect cables, then browse to a web interface; you have the skill to setup your own RAID. There are even detailed instructions.

So, you'll need:

1. 8x fast hard drives (I'm a fan of the quiet, fast Western Digital WD5000AAKS)
2. The PROAvio EditBox 8ML  
3. 2x Infiniband cables 
4. 1x great PCI-Express RAID card (the HighPoint RocketRAID 2322 is a winner)

The RocketRaid 2322 is both fast (two InfiniBand to MiniSAS cables and PCI-Express) and easy to administer and setup. It uses a standard web browser with no additional application hardware to install. It does, unfortunately, require a driver on both Mac OS X (I use 10.5.4) as well as all versions of Windows.

Still, the web interface is simple and functional and allows e-mail warnings for any errors. The RAID can be RAID 0,1,5 or variations like RAID 10. I use RAID 0, because I want speed, but the RAID 5 configuration is still very, very fast. 

Overall Cost

Finding the right place to order parts, or at least a reliable and inexpensive place, is tough. I've done the homework and have found the following to be the best in price plus reliability for all the parts needed:

The Edit Box 8ML is the hardest part to find, without drives attached. DV Warehouse has it for around $550 US, but I ordered through TechnoAvenue, even though they no longer stock the item. The DV Warehouse version is black, for some reason, which might be cool to some people.

 

InfiniBand is sometimes called MultiLane number 8470 and MiniSAS is number 8088. 

You'll be buying the following items, from the following links:

DV Warehouse Edit Box 8ML
B&H Photo Video has the 8MS enclosure for about $650 (which should work, but I haven't tested it).

( if you have ad-blocking enabled, you may not see the next three links )

The breakdown of cost looks like this:

$550 - Edit Box 8ML

$ 75 - 2x InfiniBand to MiniSAS cables

$275 - RocketRaid 2322

$520 - 8x Wester Digital 500GB Drives

------

$1,420  (without tax or shipping)

This leaves plenty of room for upgrading hard drives to 750GB (about $130) or even 1TB (about $200). However, the smaller 500GB drives, because of their size, allow more spindles and the RAID will be faster than a 750GB or 1TB drive.

There's always a size / speed trade-off and I'll leave that to you to decide.

Setup

Follow the directions. Install the drivers for your system, install the RocketRaid 2322 Card. The biggest pain is that hard drives come in wrap and you have to pull each one from a box, unwrap it, then put the drive on rails and insert the drive into the Edit Box.

The RocketRaid 2322 PCI-Express Card

Once everything's installed, reboot and open a browser.

Installation is easy, until you get to the non-obvious web interface.

The web interface requires a login and password, which took me forever to find.

Browse to:  https://localhost:7402

LOGIN:    RAID   (case matters)

PASSWORD: hpt    (case matters)

Once you're logged in, the interface is pretty simple. You have to create an array, then format that array with the operating system. 

Once done, you'll see something like this:

There's even temperature monitoring:

Speed

I've seen various speed benchmarks for many different RAID systems. The CalDigit HDPro boasts the fastest RAID at 325MB/s write and 450MB/s read:

Empty, our RAID really screams:

Even at 60% full, our "Under 2K RAID" is faster (Oct 7; this test has been updated with only a few applications running, rather than a loaded system in the previous test. The spikes are smaller, by the way);

Our RAID at 50% full;

And, for the purpose of comparison, I've included a benchmark of a SOFTWARE RAID 0 setup on the Mac Pro, which includes 4 of the exact same drives as the RAID configuration above (as opposed to 8 drives). Each drive is attached to its own eSATA II connection and is mounted inside the computer (also known as the Mac Pro Poor-Man's RAID).

Notice the significant speed difference with four drives and software RAID.

And, just so you don't think I'm AJA biased, here's a benchmark using the BlackMagic Intensity card and the BlackMagic Speed Test for the latest version (2.1.1):

CalDigit Responds

Jared Picune, from CalDigit, responded with a nice e-mail about this article. He maintains that the RocketRaid 2322 is a software RAID solution. He suggests that's the reason I'm seeing "spikes" in the AJA tests. In the spirit of being fair, I've included his e-mail and tests below.

From his e-mail:

Just read your blog post Super Fast 4TB RAID for Under $2k.  Great read, and very informative.

http://lifezero.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/super-fast-4tb-raid-for-under-2k.html

Since I deal with this technology on a daily basis I wanted to point a few things out that you might find interesting.

The High Point 2322 card is a software RAID card.  It does not have an independent CPU or cache.  This mean that it requires valuable system resources to operate. Also it does not include an environmental monitor.  Our CalDigit RAID Card is 100% hardware RAID, and we are very proud of that.

Also I just wanted to note that our speed tests are not doctored. We use proprietary technology called ASTT (active sustained transfer technology) that was developed by our engineers to make sure throughput stays consistent.  You can see in this test below the actual difference in read and write speeds.  This test was done by one of our distributors in Denmark.  

He sent us these results.

 

You'll note the speed is impressive, given the RAID 5 option. I'd love to see a comparison of the CalDigit and the RocketRaid 2322 I'm using. Hopefully, I'll be able to test this myself rather than rely on independent claims. If I'm wrong, I'm willing to admit it.

Conclusion

The RAID is fast, cheap and is a pleasure to build and use. I've color corrected feature films (at 2k), worked on That Media Show (1080p), edited RED footage and done a lot more. The RAID just keeps going and going and doesn't seem to slow down or have any real issues.

In RAID 5 configuration, expect 300 MB/s writes and 400 MB/s reads on average, ignoring the manufacturers claims (I've tested the system in RAID 5).

If you're still reading, I encourage comments, suggestions or complaints. Just leave a comment or e-mail me.

If I've left anything out of this already long article, please let me know.

Comments

[Doug Daulton]

John - Great article. I wish it was out there before I bought my Sonnet Raid. I definitely took one in the wallet on the price-to-performance ratio with that purchase. Does ProAvio make a 1U or 2U rackmount form factor of this box? - Doug

[Ed. Note: PROAvio makes rackmount systems, but I've never used them and can't vouch for their goodness.]

[Patrick Wilson]

John,

Thanks for the review and tips. I'm just getting ready to rebuild my MacPro and set up a raid or drobo. Still debating which way to go. If I had the money I do both;) What are your thoughts on mixing brands of 500GB drives, say some Maxtors with some WDs both at 7200 RPM, bad idea??

Thanks for the Media Show and keep up the good work on TWIM.

[Ed. Notes:

I'd suggest either RAID 5 or RAID 10 or getting BOTH the Drobo and the RAID system I've outlined. RAID 0 has no redundancy and 4TB is a lot to back up.

I, personally, wouldn't mix drives unless you already have them laying around. New WD drives are $65 each, which is pretty cheap.

Thanks for the kind words about the shows!]

[Jonas Hummelstrand]

Thanks for sharing!
Is it noisy?

[Ed. Note: PROAvio has some "quiet technology" that makes the system very noiseless, but adding quiet drives helps a lot.]

[CareyD]

Hey John, looks like a fine build there. Nice job. As a career video editor/motion graphics designer and hardware geek, I've built my own (and for colleagues) RAID solutions for about 10+ years and have almost always been very happy with the results.

In your opening, you mentioned something:
#3 Do It Yourself RAID systems suck. And, not just kind of. They are unreliable. They are flimsy and half-baked and, if you're really cheap, they use an inferior RAID card or a software RAID.

This is a little troubling, since you then go about and build a do-it-yourself RAID that 'doesn't suck'. So, additional clarification is needed for what you mean by that statement.

[Ed. Note - This RAID isn't a "Do It Yourself" in the traditional sense, it's more of a mash-up where known parts are put together, exactly as the manufacturer would, but for a hell-of-a-lot less money]

How is the noise level on the completed box?

[Ed. Note: The RAID is quiet. Very quiet. Like 30 dB quiet. On the floor, I can't even hear it. The same can't be said for the G-TECH G-RAID sitting 10 inches away from the custom RAID]

Also, I would encourage a little pragmatism on RAID, having been all over the 'spectrum', and that is the "horses for courses" argument. Meaning, the right RAID for the type of work you are doing. Always allow healthy extra margin for both capacity and bandwidth, but for many folks, a 200MB/sec RAID is more than enough. Also, sometimes software RAID is 'just fine'. I have examples of both software and hardware (Highpoint) RAID running in my shop.

[Ed. Note: I disagree. Software RAID is unreliable and uses overhead of the Operating System. 200 MB/s is not enough for HD in my opinion.]

I'm totally with you on the RAID 0 vs. 5 argument for local video storage. RAID 5 is not a panacea and I deem it a bad thing if it causes people to be lazy/false sense of security about keeping proper, separate, distinct backups. I too use RAID 0 locally but always have separate, standalone backups both nearby and off-site. More copies of stuff, in more places, beats parity and redundancy RAID schemes EVERY SINGLE TIME when the sh*t hits the fan. And it will.

[Ed. Note: I believe, strongly, that RAID is where the video goes and the backups go somewhere else. Although, if you wanted to be "safe" during use, this system in RAID 5 is both redundant and seriously faster than 200 MB/s (your benchmark above).]

On costs:
(I'm treading carefully below because I have numerous friends in the storage sales/solution part of the industry, but as an end-user myself and an advocate for users everywhere, I must speak the truth:)

The video storage industry has historically always made really huge margins on RAID storage solutions. Big commissions and 'salesmen' to go with them abound.

I believe the salesmen's single largest leverage to getting these high-margin sales is the 'fear factor'. You know, where technophobic creatives want someone to 'just tell them what to buy' and these users place an inordinate amount of faith in their expensive solutions provider that somehow 'expensive' means 'safer'. This is true on a customer service level, to a point.

[Ed. Note: That is unbelievably insightful and diplomatic. Thank you for saying it.]

But what the user really needs to do is educate themselves on the fundamentals of RAID and realize it really isn't all that complicated or scary. Your post goes a long way towards that. Kudos!

[Ed. Note: Thank you for reading and providing such a thoughtful, well-constructed and considerate response. I (and I'm sure my readers) appreciate it.]

[Scott Simmons]

Great piece John. I'll say it before Stu does .... muy rebel!

[rejeanff]

GREAT article! I always had the feeling the "off the shelf" solutions were price-inflated and not as fast as their manufacturers would have us believe. Thanks very much.

[Shane Ross]

NICE...LOVE to see the cheaper options out there, since many people cannot afford the bigger guys. The bigger guys (Caldigit) offer things that this raid cannot...higher SUSTAINED throughput. Look at your graphs.,.notice how the HD Pro has a very steady range. Your unit has areas where it peaks and DIPS very low...that might cause playback to halt when working with large formats like uncompressed HD 4:2:2 or 4:4:4. Fast, but with issues. The technology that CalDigit offers (I'll try not to sound like I am in the pocket of CalDigit) makes sure that no dipping like that occurs. THAT is what you are paying the extra for. Many people would pay that extra.

Personally, the dipping wouldn't affect many people out there, but if you are working with large formats, it might. But I still like to see these cheap options available out there. I myself build a 5 drive RAID 0 using a computer case and 5 Hitachi drives. So I'm hip.

[Ed. Note: I'd like to agree with you, but CalDigit's benchmark is not accurate. They've edited out the spikes in their graph... the CalDigit card spikes, just like every other RAID card.]

[Dan Rubottom]

Excellent article John!
This is exactly the type of info I've been researching myself. Drobo is good, but would like more performance like this solution.
Thanks

[Brian Potter]

Exceptional post! Thanks for the info!

[Chris]

Awesome Stuff! Thanks for your leg work.
Could you recommend a PCI-X (133) solution as my Avid system is not PCIe compatible?
Best,
-C

[Ed. Note: I'm looking into other options, including the CalDigit, as I've been called out by them about some of the benchmarks and want to test their card. My understanding is the RocketRAID 2224 is a great PCI-X card, but I believe it only has one connection for the RAID. Someone else might better know the answer to this question, as I'm not a PCI-X expert.]

[Julik]

This is wonderful! thanks a bunch for your research. I'm curious how much that will run in Europe, with all the import taxes and VAT and stuff...

[Brandon Thomas]

Anyway to make this into a SAN or integrate it with an existing SAN system?

[Don V. Stephens III]

Hey John,

Great post - I saw it via a link at RedUser. There's a great article from Bob Zelin about turning the CalDigit HDPro into a "poor man's Avid Unity" shared storage - I bet it would work with your config as well. (Not for 2K, however: only uncompressed SD, and ProRes422HQ and DVCProHD across the network.)

Here's the link:
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/228/374

A dedicated MacPro is required, as are some additional pieces of gear. Here's the cost breakdown, in addition to the parts you already listed:

MacPro - refurbs generally available at $1999, or new at $2800
SmallTree managed ethernet switch - $1713
SmallTree 4-port GigE card - $669
MetaLAN Server - $549
MetaLAN Client - $395 per client machine - assume 4 @ $1580

So for another $6510 you've made the whole thing into shared storage for 4 suites.

--Don

[Don V. Stephens III]

Hey John,

Great post - I saw it via a link at RedUser. There's a great article from Bob Zelin about turning the CalDigit HDPro into a "poor man's Avid Unity" shared storage - I bet it would work with your config as well. (Not for 2K, however: only uncompressed SD, and ProRes422HQ and DVCProHD across the network.)

Here's the link:
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/228/374

A dedicated MacPro is required, as are some additional pieces of gear. Here's the cost breakdown, in addition to the parts you already listed:

MacPro - refurbs generally available at $1999, or new at $2800
SmallTree managed ethernet switch - $1713
SmallTree 4-port GigE card - $669
MetaLAN Server - $549
MetaLAN Client - $395 per client machine - assume 4 @ $1580

So for another $6510 you've made the whole thing into shared storage for 4 suites.

--Don

[Ed. Note: Great link and info and it answers other questions about shared RAID. Thanks so much, Don!]

[Jonas Hummelstrand]

I've found the four-disk equivalent EditBox 4MS without disks at B&H Photo (they also have the EditBox 8MS):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=575760&is=REG

However, Amazon.com won't ship the disks and controller over-seas, so that's a bummer.

I also imagine I could get a simpler RAID card if I'm only doing four disks, right? Any thoughts?

[John Mark]

Hey it would be nice if you can review portable raid drives or if there's such DIY?

thanks!

[Ed. Note: Great idea. I've been thinking about a portable RAID solution that's better than Firewire 800 for a while. I'm also thinking about another system for video work. I'll post more when I have more to say.]

[Harry Cack]

I have seen that Proavio now offers Hardware RAID card support as well. The HighPoint RR3522 and Areca 1221x are both Hardware RAID cards that support Mac & PC HD editing and offer great performance according to most of the reviews I have read online. I think this will be my next RAID.

http://www.amug.org/amugweb/html/amug/reviews/articles/highpoint/3522/

http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/areca/1221x/

[Ed. Note: I've never tested the cards you mention, but I am certain the card I'm using is a combination of hardware and software RAID (and software on the computer to help configure the card). I think I'll pick up a 3522 and test it alongside the CalDigit I'm getting.]

[Peter Majtan]

Hi Jon, good work, but You have been misinformed about few things. Have a look here:

http://www.scarletuser.com/showthread.php?t=1296

Take care..

Peter

[Ed. Note: Nothing in the link above causes me to rethink anything I've written.

In your post, you talk about using 4 drives for about the same as my 8 drive system and reference an 8 drive RAID which is considerably more expensive.

There are no benchmarks or any hard evidence in your article to validate your comment above or invalidate anything I've said in my post.

Put another way, calling me out as misinformed is not the same as me being misinformed. And, while I respect your opinion, it is just that, an opinion. I took the time to perform a large number of benchmarks, ignoring most of what vendors say about their products, which - I believe - is what people want to know.

Like you, I have nothing to gain from writing this article, I'm just trying to help people make an informed decision when purchasing a RAID, which is usually a complex and difficult decision because there are not enough facts around cards, drives and systems. ]

[Peter Majtan]

[Ed. Note: This point is argued even more at http://www.scarletuser.com/showthread.php?t=1296 -- so, feel free to read more of Peter's comments there.]

Hi Jon - I meant no disrespect and I am sorry if it came out like that. But here You go:

"In your post, you talk about using 4 drives for about the same as my 8 drive system and reference an 8 drive RAID which is considerably more expensive."

This is not necessarily so - if You adjust Your own calculations with the cost of the 8x $200 1TB drives You will get:

$550 - Edit Box 8ML
$ 75 - 2x InfiniBand to MiniSAS cables
$275 - RocketRaid 2322
$1600 - 8x Wester Digital 1TB Drives
------
$2,500  (without tax or shipping)

Which is only $173,- USD less then the one I have posted. If You also account for the 4x 250GB drives I have left over from the HD Element - this negates to "0" - so definitely NOT "considerably more expensive"...

Also You have mentioned that "each drive is theoretically capable of 3Gb/s" which in fact is true (and I have confirmed this in my post), but given the context it is little misleading. For anyone considering average SATA HDD's which are normally capable to sustain about 75MB/s (some really good ones can handle 100MB/s) - You will need to connect more then 4 drives to reach the limit of eSATA. Again - to Your credit - You did mention this in relation with 8-drive setup and yes - eSATA will limit the drive's bandwidth. But You have "automatically" discounted eSATA as a viable RAID option for DIY folks out there. Many could find 4-drive RAID satisfactory with todays capacities of single drives exceeding 1TB...

And NO - fiber is definitely not the way to go forward for DIY RAID system. Not unless You have really deep pockets. Now I can't seem to find Your recommendation about using fiber...

Lastly You have said:

"Other, cheap RAID solutions involve software RAID. This is bad, slow and devours your operating system at higher bandwidth use. Ignore software RAID if you want the highest quality, speed and reliability."

When in fact the RocketRAID You are using is SW/HW hybrid - and I did use this system myself, so I do know what I am talking about. Feel free to contact RocketRAID for clarification...

In any case - I think You did make a substantial effort to make this post and kudos to You for sharing it with others. I just think than maybe more careful use of words and sentencing could leave more room for alternatives.

Peace

Peter

[Phil Galaura]

Just want to chime in and say thank you for helping me make a decision on making a purchase. It's on it's way as I type. Your research into it along with the facts helped me go for it. Thanks again from an indie editor.

[Ed. Note: Awesome! E-mail or post a comment and tell me how it works out. Mine's humming along at a great speed, even at 70% full.]

[Gregory]

This looks like a purely hardware based card for under $600 - PROAVIO HighPoint RocketRAID 3522 Host Adapter. Can you confirm if this will work just as well or better?

Thanks

Greg

[Ed. Note: I haven't personally tested the RocketRAID 3522 (yet), but I have one on order. My guess is, like the CalDigit RAID card, it will work very well. I'll post more when I've tested both cards.]

[L Stephens]

Hi

So i got my setup up and running!

Thx for the info :)

OK had a few problems to get where i am now... U neglected to really go into the whole initalize devices thing in High Point which after a while of fiddling worked out for myself.

[Ed. Note: Sorry about that, it's pretty simple, but you have to initialize ALL drives for RAID 0. There's a painful moment where you're not sure if you've selected all drives. What's your free space?]

I'm pretty much a newbie at this Is there anyway u can be a bit more precise with exactly what u did?

I made a partition with the RAID (just like in your screen snap) in Disk Utility and my High Point browser display looks exactly like yours.

I installed the AJA Control Panel but the best speeds i'm seeing is
Write: 168.4MB/s
Read: 199.1MB/s

Any ideas where i have gone wrong? I should be double that for both right?

MAcPro 2 2 GHz DualCore Intel Xeon
6GB 667 MHz RAM
4TB RAID (8 x 500GB drives etc)

[Ed. Note: You should be seeing speeds in excess of 300 MB/s at least, depending on your setup. Are you configured for RAID 0, it doesn't sound like it. Also -- try using the AJA Speedtest at the rates I've shared. Also, you're using BOTH fiber connections, right? Feel free to e-mail me and we'll resolve this. Something's wrong.]

[L Stephens]

Problem was I had the RAID card in the 2nd slot works perfect in the top slot.

[Brandon Thomas]

seems that the editbox 8ML has been replaced with the Editbox 8MS.. any insight if the 8MS will be acceptable substitution?

it seems that it is using miniSAS to miniSAS instead of the infiniband connection of the previous box...

is there a downside that makes tracking down an EB8ML a better decision?

Ed. Note: I'm planning a RAID Part I & will try to address this issue at that time. I like miniSAS tho.]

[Jason Bedogne]

I read your article about the RAID set and it sounds perfect for our applications (Editing on a MacPro with FCP, Logic, AE).

I have done some additional reading and the only issue I see is with the Rocket Raid card, not being a true Hardware card.

I came across the CalDigit RAID Card (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/574875-REG/CalDigit_760600_RAID_Card.html) and everyone I read has nothing but good things to say about it. It is more expensive, but I’m willing to shell out the extra coin.

Do you see any issues with using this Card and your enclosure and cables?

I will be running a RAID 5 set.