help with very basic RAID setup

[Mike Dominic]

I am looking to set up a PC system for editing RED footage in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6. I have already purchased the computer with all the bells and whistles. My question now is what sort of storage to get for editing the footage smoothly. I have read through these forums on the subject, but it is like reading a different language. (I am not a professional editor and I don't need anything fancy... I just need something that works for simple one-layer editing with very few effects.) I understand that multiple drives in a RAID 0 array will be a lot faster (with added risk), but I still have questions.

What is the difference between internal RAID 0 (using the bays in the tower connected directly to the motherboard) and external RAID 0 (connected via eSATA)? Does one setup have a faster read/write speed than the other (the drives themselves being equal)?

What is the purpose of a separate RAID controller card, if the motherboard already supports RAID to begin with?

What data read speed is ideal to work with RED footage with no hiccups? What is the data rate of a 4K Scarlet r3D file at 6:1 compression? I read that inexpensive G-RAID drives are 200MB/s via 3GB/s eSATA. Is this enough?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, I just don't want to buy the wrong equipment and find out it doesn't work. I know these questions are kind of vague and the answers probably depend on a lot of factors, but it's a good place to start. Any help would be appreciated!

[Mike Dominic]

follow up:

after a bit more research i think i understand a little better. maximum speed for a single 7200rpm HDD is roughly 100MB/s. theoretical maximum for 4 HDDs in a RAID 0 array is 400MB/s, but if you use SATA2 drives or a SATA2 controller, you will only get about 200MB/s due to the 3Gbps limitation of SATA2. To get 400MB/s from the array you would need to use SATA3 HDDs connected to a SAS/SATA3 controller.

can anyone confirm this is correct? or correct me if i am wrong?

i am hoping to put 5 SATA3 1TB HDDs inside my tower in a RAID5 array, then connect them to a SAS/SATA3 RAID controller. if i understand correctly, this should give me 4TB of useable space, 400MB/s of read/write speed, and tolerance for one drive failing. yes? no? maybe so? any recommendations for a good internal HDD that supports SAS/SATA3 and a good RAID controller? (it seems a lot of people like WD black caviar drives and areca controllers)

thanks for any advice!

[Richard Tran]

No you don't hit that limit with Sata2, at 200MB/s, on RAID 0.

Lots of people use their mobos, to hit 500MB/s with two SSD, on SATA2.

[Mike Dominic]

i was thinking if you ran the RAID array into a single 3Gps connection on a RAID controller, the speed would be capped.

i guess my question is this... if i have 4 SATA2 ports free on my motherboard, could i attach a spinning HDD to each one (assume each one is 100MB/s) and get a total RAID 0 speed of 400MB/s? or would the fact that the board is SATA2 limit the overall speed of the array, even though each drive by itself is not limited? (i hope that question makes sense!) if this works, would there be any reason to get a dedicated RAID controller?

thanks for your input.

[Richard Tran]

Google is your friend.
No on that particular limit. Each port has a 3G limit.
Raid controller, if you want Raid 5.

[Brian Merlen]

is it an internal raid or external? because if its external your port choice affects the situation in addition to the raid set up...

you can throw some 3tb drives in your internal bays and do it that way, use an ssd for apps, that works well...

or use SAS, USB3, or Esata for external. whatever you do keep stuff fast... and if you raid-0 it back it up both on site and off site...

[Mike Dominic]

thanks brian. i am looking at an internal raid 0 array using 4 drives. (data will be backed up on an external) my mobo has 4 SATA2 ports free for this, but im not sure if i should get a RAID card instead?? will i get quadruple the speed as compared to a single drive?

i will be using a fast SSD plugged into a SATA3 port for OS and programs.

does anyone know what the data rate is of a single r3d epic/scarlet file is at 6:1?

thanks for helping me out. i know google is my friend, but sometimes i can't find the answers i am looking for so i come here.