Difference Between HPT Raid Cards?

[TMothy]

Does anyone know the difference between:

This:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1113LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDI3NA&mco=MTg4ODgyNjk&s=topSellers


And this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115078


Both cards have very similar specs and both also have the "Highpoint 644" label on the cards themselves but there is a $150 difference in price.

Obviously the first one is for mac but would the second work too?
Are they the same cards?

NOTE: It would go into a 2008 8 Core Mac Pro.

 

[FireWire2]

They are the same card
None of these is hardware raid. It's a hardware assist (use host CPU resources and timing)

It's base on marvel 9128, which I think pretty weird design.

It has TWO Marvell 9128 chip set each output to 1x lanes PCI express then go to a multiplex PCI E bridge chipset and comes out as 4x lanes

1st problem:
Two 6Gb SATA ports tight to 1x lanes PCI E V2.0. 12Gb/s capable then you go to 5Gb lanes!
2nd problem:
Signal being mux at PCI E bridge create lots of latency

What kind of the design is that? Like you put a V12 in compact car when you rep it up the darn car is disintegrate.

It is much slower than http://www.sansdigital.com/esata-port-multiplier/ha-dat-4espcie.html

 

[TMothy]

What would you suggest I get?

Like I said it would go in a Mac Pro.

I would be connecting a Rosewill 5 bay enclosure with 5x 1.5TB's in a Raid 5.

I was told to stick with HPT cards because they were Hardware Raid Cards. But according to what you said, that might not be a good idea.

 

[nanofrog]

What would you suggest I get?

Like I said it would go in a Mac Pro.

I would be connecting a Rosewill 5 bay enclosure with 5x 1.5TB's in a Raid 5.

I was told to stick with HPT cards because they were Hardware Raid Cards. But according to what you said, that might not be a good idea.

Generally speaking, Highpoint isn't the best company to go with, especially for true hardware RAID cards, as they don't design or manufacture anything they sell. It's all done by ODM's, and the support is lousy, even if the actual card is any good.

However, a simple SATA controller that supports Port Multipliers will do fine for the Rosewill enclosure you mention (5 bay uses a PM chip = why you need the support).

As per the cards linked, take a look at newegg's feedback on the 644; 67% of purchasers gave it a single egg... Doesn't generate a lot of confidence in it IMO.

Must you have 4x eSATA ports?

If not, there are 2 port alternatives that have a good track record in the MP's. The HPT 622 has a good track record, as does the newertech eSATA RAID version (has PM support).

 

[FireWire2]

Rosewill 5 bay enclosure is a PM enclosure when use with HTP 622
It is a fake raid (linux term) solution

As I mention earlier HTP SATA 6GB suffers architectural problem
12Gb input routes to 5Gb PCIe and it gets worst if you stick it to PCI express V1.0

If you want a high performance RAID5, do like what I did
I use hardware raid eBOX-R5 If you want more host connections then use this T5-R5-eSUF
and use the include eSATA back to convert the TWO SATA port behind the fan of MP to eSATA ports

I got 250MB/s transfer rate

But if you really want to use Rosewill box cuz you already have it
there get Sans digital cards 4 ports or ANY Sil-3132 raid card

 

[nanofrog]

Rosewill 5 bay enclosure is a PM enclosure when use with HTP 622
It is a fake raid (linux term) solution

As I mention earlier HTP SATA 6GB suffers architectural problem
12Gb input routes to 5Gb PCIe and it gets worst if you stick it to PCI express V1.0

If you want a high performance RAID5, do like what I did
I use hardware raid eBOX-R5 If you want more host connections then use this T5-R5-eSUF
and use the include eSATA back to convert the TWO SATA port behind the fan of MP to eSATA ports

I got 250MB/s transfer rate

But if you really want to use Rosewill box cuz you already have it
there get Sans digital cards 4 ports or ANY Sil-3132 raid card

For that kind of money, you can do much better than 250MB/s (more than 2x in fact, even on redundant levels such as RAID 5). For example, an Areca ARC-1880X + Sans Digital TR8X (even includes the cables).

Granted, the system linked would require enterprise grade disks, but it can do additional levels as well as offer a lot more throughput.