Controladores de disco, Tarjetas RAID para PCI Express x16

Disk Controllers and RAID Cards for PCI Express x16

RAID controllers give users the power to combine hard disks in a storage array or computer so that they function together as a logical unit. Taking advantage of an available PCI Express x16 slot gives you a substantial amount of bandwidth so that data can be written and retrieved as fast as possible. In this space, there are many options available, many of which are suited to a broad range of configurations for hard drives.

What function does a RAID card perform?

RAID stands for redundant array of inexpensive or independent disks. Without a PCIe RAID card, if you have two disk drives, C and D, then both of those drives operate independently. With a card, both drives can operate in tandem, as just C, for instance. Data is distributed across the combined drives at various schema levels depending on user objectives. Those goals are:

  • Availability
  • Capacity
  • Reliability
  • Performance
What’s x16 and can any PCI Express slot be used?

PCI Express, which is officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a high-speed bus used to transfer data between a motherboard and various computer components. These buses can have one, two, four, eight, sixteen, and so forth data lanes, which are indicated as x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, and so on. A RAID controller that supports PCIe will work with any number of valid lanes, but support for x16 and use of an appropriate x16 slot ensures your disk array the maximum bandwidth available.

Can a RAID be used with both HDDs and SSDs?

Yes. HDD stands for hard disk drive, which is a mechanical drive. SSD stands for solid-state drive, which employs an electronic approach. Arrays work with both drive types; however, with SSDs, the emphasis is on protecting data in the event of equipment failure and not at all about performance gains.

Can you mix and match HDDs and SSDs in a PCIe RAID?

You can, in theory, if your particular PCIe card supports it. However, it’s generally not recommended since the disk array is limited by the slowest drive, so you’d sacrifice SSD performance.

What’s the difference between PCI Express versions?

Each PCI Express version is a revision on the specification that came before it. Your motherboard and your RAID controller will support a particular revision. Versions are backward-compatible. Newer versions offer better performance, however, so if your mainboard supports 3.0, for instance, then it would behoove you to select a card that supports at least that version as well.

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