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The RocketRAID 404 also ships
with a GUI based utility that gives users the ability to
configure their array from within Windows using a simple
graphical interface. This utility can also be set up
to send e-mail notifications should it detect any issues
with the array, which would be a useful tool to system
administrators in charge of critical data...
The utility can also be used to
create or delete any arrays, and gives a graphical
representation of the drives connected to the controller.
With the exception of the e-mail notifications, most of the
options available with this utility can also be accessed via the
card's BIOS setup. A device like the RocketRAID 404
isn't just about speed and security, it's about features.
Providing you are using the proper enclosure,
like the RockMate seen here, the RocketRAID 404 with
also give you the ability the "hot swap" hard
drives...meaning you can remove and reinstall drive
on-the-fly without having to shut down the machine.
Another cool feature allows users to designate any drive on
the array as a type of "backup", and this drive will be
activated should another on the array be damaged.
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The Hot Hardware Test Systems |
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Top Notch! |
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HARDWARE:
Intel Pentium 4
2.4GHz (2400MHz) with
533MHz FSB
MSI 845E MAX2 BLR (Intel i845E)
256MB Corsair
PC2700 (CAS 2)
NVIDIA GeForce
4 Ti 4600
(29.42 Drivers)
On-Board NIC
On-Board Sound
Creative Labs
52X CD-Rom
Standard Floppy
Drive
Western Digital
20GB 5400RPM x 1
Western Digital
80GB WD800 "Special Edition" 8MB Cache x 2
(Courtesy of Arena Computers!)
DRIVERS
& SOFTWARE:
Windows XP
Professional SP1 (DirectX 8.1)
64K Cluster
Size used (64K was the only setting available
on the Promise Controller)
Intel Chipset
Drivers v4.00.1013
Intel Application Accelerator v2.2
Promise v2.00
Build 21
High-Point
HPT374 v1.22
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Installation and Setup |
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Some good...Some
not-so good... |
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Before we get into the
benchmarks, we want to make an important point. A PCI
device like the RocketRAID 404's actual performance, or any other
PCI device for that matter, is ultimately at the mercy of
the PCI bus itself. If you've got multiple devices
sapping your PCI bandwidth, your actual peak throughput with
the RocketRAID 404 will be nowhere near as high as its
"theoretical" peak. This is why you won't see the
100% performance increases when two drives are connected in
a stripe set, or quadruple the performance with a 4 drive array,
and so on.
With that out of the way, let's move on to some
benchmarks...
INTEL (I845E/ATA100) SINGLE
PROMISE 20276 SINGLE
HIGH-POINT 374 SINGLE
We used SiSoft SANDRA's built-in
file system test, and TCD Labs, Inc.'s HD Tach v2.61 to
benchmark the RocketRAID 404 in three different
configurations (single drive, a 2-drive RAID 0 array and
2-drive RAID 1 array). In the single drive tests, we
compared the RocketRAID 404's performance to an on-board
ATA/100 controller from an Intel i845 based MSI motherboard (the
845E Max2 BLR) and to the Promise 20276 ATA/133 RAID controller
also found on this board. As you can see, when using a
single hard drive the High-Point powered RocketRAID 404 led
the pack across the board. SANDRA showed the overall
drive throughput with the RocketRAID 404 to be higher than
both the Promise and Intel controllers, and HD Tach showed
the best performance with CPU utilization second to only the
Intel controller. The HD Tach chart also showed the
most consistent performance across the span of the drive.
PROMISE 20276 RAID 0
HIGH-POINT 374 RAID 0
PROMISE 20276 RAID 1
HIGH-POINT 374 RAID 1
In both the RAID 0 and RAID 1
tests, we saw similar results, but the HD Tach tests showed
much more inconsistent performance with both RAID
controllers across the span of the drive. With our two
Western Digital drives in a RAID 0 array (striped for
performance), read and write performance with the RocketRAID
404 was slightly better than the Promise controller.
With the drives in a RAID 1 array (mirrored for redundancy),
the High-Point RocketRAID 404 also outperformed the Promise
20276. What we found most interesting in the RAID
tests were the read / write fluctuations with the 2-drive
arrays. Regardless, the performance of the RocketRAID
404 was top notch, besting the Promise controller and all of
the reference numbers in SANDRA's database.
Overall, we were very impressed by the
High-Point RocketRAID 404. It offers a wide array (no
pun intended!) of features and excellent performance, at a
price point well below similar ATA RAID products. At a
street price of about $90, it's hard to fault the RocketRAID
404, especially considering a similar product from Promise,
the SX4000, sells for over $150 (the SX4000 does have a few
more features and an optional on-board cache though).
We think the RocketRAID 404 is a perfect fit for a high-end
workstation, or a small to mid-sized server, but I can't
really see any reason for a general PC user to drop 90 bucks
on one of these controllers, unless they need the extra IDE
connections or want to add RAID to an existing system
without upgrading motherboards. All in all though, the
High-Point RocketRAID 404 is a great product, and if it fits
your needs, we highly recommend it. Based on its
performance, features and competitive price, we're giving
the High-Point RocketRAID 404 an
8
on the HotHardware Heat Meter...
So, You think You
know Your Hardware?
Then Get
Into
The PC Hardware Forum and Strut Your
Stuff!
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