LSI MegaRAID 9240-4i Questions

H

havokator

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
197
I have been using my onboard Intel Raid Storage Technology RAID controller on my motherboard, and I want to upgrade to a real hardware raid card.

I am looking at the LSI MegaRAID 9240-4i to run a RAID5 with 4x2TB drives. Is this a good solution? I don't care that much about speed. I just want something stable that will protect my data. I have heard people say to get a Battery Backup Unit for hardware raid cards. Is this something I would need for the LSI MegaRAID 9240-4i? Any other tips you guys can give me? Thank you.
 
Yes that is an excellent card for the money. And yes a BBU is absolutely necessary for any hardware RAID card.
 
No, you wouldn't want to use this card for raid5, it will work, it will be very slow.
It has no onboard memory, and no bbu option.

You need to use atleast a 9260 card, to get onboard memory, that I feel is a must for any raid5/6, and to be able to use a bbu unit, a must if you care about latency.
 
A BBU is a good addition for a hardware raid controller, it preserves the controller cache in case of a power failure. The 9240-4i/8i is however not a true hardware raid card as it does not include onboard RAM, and thus dos not have the option for a BBU. It also relies on the host CPU and RAM to do parity calculations. So from implementation point of view it is not much different from the Intel raid. You should go 9260-4i at least as it is a real hardware raid controller.

EDIT: Gah, a minute too slow.
 
I just want something stable that will protect my data.
Click to expand...

Remember that whatever RAID you get you will need a backup (or several) to fully protect your data. All raid systems hardware or software have a chance of wiping out your entire array (controller failure, virus, power issue, accidental or malicious deletion ... ).
 
Last edited:
This is a real raid card, and doesn't depend on the host cpu/memory.

It is not a raid card to depend on for raid5, it can do raid5, but it's performance will be very horrible.

If you use it for backups only, it can be fine to use, or other non-performance usage.
 
patrickdk said:
This is a real raid card, and doesn't depend on the host cpu/memory.

It is not a raid card to depend on for raid5, it can do raid5, but it's performance will be very horrible.

If you use it for backups only, it can be fine to use, or other non-performance usage.
Click to expand...

Which card are you referring to here? Do you mean the IBM is a real raid card, and the lsi 9240-4i is no good for raid5?

Now that I know that the lsi 9240-4i is basically the same as my onboard Intel raid controller, it doesn't seem like as good of an idea. Would there be any benefit in upgrading to the 9240-4i from my current onboard controller?

Also, performance is not that important for me. I care much more about stability and reliability. What is the best deal for a "real" raid card? I only need 4 drives in raid5. I was really hoping to spend around $200.
 
Last edited:
the lsi 9240 is a crapload better than the onboard intel raid, it is a real raid card.

the lsi 9240 is a seriously LACKING raid card, but a real one. It should not be confused with onboard motherboard bios raid things.

It's performance is only lacking in cache memory and bbu ability, not cause it's not a real raid card.
 
The ibm m5014 and m5015 are just rebranded lsi 9260 cards, they are also real raid cards, but have cache memory and support bbu units.
 
Ok, I have been looking at the IBM ServeRAID M5014 cards. They seem to be a really good deal. The poster above mentioned flashing the IBM ServeRAID with the LSI MegaRAID BIOS. What is the advantage of this?

Also, can someone tell me what the difference between these 2 cards is? I can't tell:

IBM Serveraid M5014 PCI Express X8 SAS SATA Raid Controller. Part Number: 46M0916
IBM Serveraid M5014 PCI Express X8 SAS/SATA Raid Controller. Part Number: 46M0918

The picture of each card looks different too even though they appear to be almost the same card except for the Part Number. Do both of these cards support 8 drives?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
First one is low profile, second is the normal full height bracket, I believe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top