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Apple RAID Card or Highpoint 2720SGL

GermanyChris

GermanyChris

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 3, 2011
4,185
5
Here
Apple raid card 220 euro used (A1247 820-2348-A)

High point Rocket raid 2720SGL 163 euro new (SATA3).

Both are supposedly bootable in Lion which do you choose? If neither which do you choose for 250ish euro?
 
Areca ARC-1213-4i. Probably a bit more expensive (expect ~300EUR before VAT), but a far more superior card vs. either you're looking at.

The Areca actually works and has proper support as well (can even boot in OSX once you flash the firmware).

Apple's card is crap regarding performance, but has some support (extremely limited). Highpoint buys their products from others, and offers very poor support, if at all (i.e. if you have a problem, especially with getting drivers or firmware, good luck with that, as you're likely on your own under OSX).
 
nanofrog can you tell me how to solve dual booting on Areca if I would like to boot OS X and Windows from RAID array ?

Currently I boot into Windows without any problems using default BIOS on Areca however both Windows and OS X array are visible on OS X too, but there is no way to boot from it (I have to use seperate USB).

Is there a possibility to connect something small into one of built-in SATA ports into My Mac Pro and then just put boot off this drive and be able to select OS X or Windows on default boot screen ?
 
Do you need Bootcamp support?

If you don't, then I'd recommend the Apple RAID card. They're decent units, and support is guaranteed in OS X (since it's official Apple hardware). No such thing is promised with the Areca or any other card, so YMMV.

Of course, if you need Bootcamp support, then you don't have a choice- the Apple RAID card doesn't support Bootcamp at all. I think the Areca card will with the proper firmware, but I'm not sure.

Also, you can't use the Highpoint or Areca cards out of the box. The Apple RAID card you said you're looking at is for the 2009/2010 Mac Pro, so assuming that's the system you have- you will need a set of interposer boards and new carriers before you can hookup your Areca or Highpoint:

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=189&ParentCat=351

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=278&ParentCat=351

Which one depends on the RAID card you go with. You do NOT need this kit if you're using the Apple RAID card, because the Apple RAID card communicates with the disk drives through a proprietary system built into your logic board.

-SC
 
Spacedust said:
nanofrog can you tell me how to solve dual booting on Areca if I would like to boot OS X and Windows from RAID array ?

Currently I boot into Windows without any problems using default BIOS on Areca however both Windows and OS X array are visible on OS X too, but there is no way to boot from it (I have to use separate USB).

Is there a possibility to connect something small into one of built-in SATA ports into My Mac Pro and then just put boot off this drive and be able to select OS X or Windows on default boot screen ?
Click to expand...
If you mean to boot them both from the same array using BootCamp, that's not going to work.

In past attempts, no one has gotten a RAID card to dual boot in a MacPro at all, single disk (pass through), RAID, or otherwise using separate or shared volumes either. Has to do with the RAID card having independent control of the drives (boot manager can't find the Windows installation).

This *might*, and I truly stress might, go differently now using Windows 8 (designed to work with EFI/UEFI systems), and I suspect would involve using a grub loader (or ReFit) to make it work. But you'd be a guinea pig at best (and have to try out all variations to see what does/doesn't work, such as separate volumes, ...), so this experiment is up to you.

The one way I know with certainty that you can create a dual boot MP (OSX + Windows), is to use a separate disk for Windows attached to one of the MP's SATA ports (2nd optical bay). Not exactly what you may have envisioned, but you will have native installations of both Windows and OS X (one on a single volume, the other on the RAID respectively).
 
Good to know. I was thinking about installing two RAID cards in the past, one with EFI and one with normal BIOS, but it's too pricey. The other possibility is to just use Software RAID for OS X and Hardware RAID for BootCamp.
 
My plan was the back plain HDD's on the raid card then use iPass to SATA for 4 more HDD's with the Apple card. With the high point I could in essence add 8 more. Sharkoon makes a 4 and 6 drive bay that will fit in an optical bay slot. then there is potential for 4 more on on of the existing drive sleds..

I just reacquired some hackintosh stuff though and my hacks case can handle twice the drives of my MP.
 
Spacedust said:
Good to know. I was thinking about installing two RAID cards in the past, one with EFI and one with normal BIOS, but it's too pricey. The other possibility is to just use Software RAID for OS X and Hardware RAID for BootCamp.
Click to expand...
Separate volumes for each OS do not require BootCamp (run setup.exe for the driver installation only from the BC disk/download).
 
ScottishCaptain said:
Also, you can't use the Highpoint or Areca cards out of the box. The Apple RAID card you said you're looking at is for the 2009/2010 Mac Pro, so assuming that's the system you have- you will need a set of interposer boards and new carriers before you can hookup your Areca or Highpoint:

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=189&ParentCat=351

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=278&ParentCat=351

Which one depends on the RAID card you go with. You do NOT need this kit if you're using the Apple RAID card, because the Apple RAID card communicates with the disk drives through a proprietary system built into your logic board.

-SC
Click to expand...

Are you shure that to use RocketRaid there is something else needed to buy? (I have Mac Pro 3.1). I read a lot of topics about RR, and never has mentioned about "interposer boards and new carriers"...


I think you are mistaken! There is cable inside MacPro to connect to RAID cards (look at this 2-min video):
 
Last edited:
Why did you resurrect a 4 year old thread?

The MacPro1,1 to 3,1 all have a cable harness that connects each drive bay to a SAS/SATA connector near the front of the logic board. You might need an extension cable (depending on the length of your RAID card) to hook it up, but that's about it.

The 4,1 and 5,1 all connect the disk drives directly to the backplane board. There is no SAS/SATA cable in these systems, therefore you need a set of interposer boards to redirect the SATA connection to a third party RAID controller.

-SC
 
You were asking me why? Because it is actual for my MacPro 3.1 now!

Ohh, really it is too short? OMG... I don't know what king of cables to byu, because they should be connected with Apple logical board/HDDs in some way.
 
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