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| What's Wrong with Intel Matrix RAID |
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Limitations of the Intel Matrix RAID Controllers
ONE of the things that continually strikes me as I navigate the eddies and flows of Internet reviews is that reviews on hardware never seem to investigate the limits of the tools and devices they're playing with.
For example, consider the Intel Matrix RAID controllers, identifiable by the monikers ICH7R, ICH8R, ICH9R and ICH10R (as I write this) on desktop boards, or ESB2 on server boards.
Intel waxes quite lyrical on their RAID controller, as well they might:
For those users who wish to combine the benefits of two RAID levels, matrix RAID is the solution. When using two hard drives, matrix RAID allows RAID 0 and RAID 1 functions to be combined, where critical files can be stored on RAID 1, and RAID 0 can be used for non-critical items such as software. In 2005, the matrix RAID capability was expanded to include RAID 5 and RAID 10. For instance, RAID 5 and RAID 0 can be combined to provide higher performance, capacity, and fault tolerance. A user can edit digital video on a high-performance 4-drive RAID 0 array, then transfer it to RAID 5 for protected storage when completed.
Now that's all well and good, but let's discuss the key limitations that seem never to be mentioned.
