d975XBX2 Raid maytrix or Raid Marvell Help!!

[jptoth]

Hi ,
This board has plugs for both, wich is better, which would you use, if there is a choice?

I am Booting up a new build, I have two WD 320 G HD's I really do not care to use raid at this time, but I read that if I confiqure it now, I can use it somewhat seamlessly in the future. ie (Not have to re-format, re-load everything.)

I plan on dual-boot one drive XP one Vista (I know the horror stories, but I have to see for myself about Vista) If I don't like it I'll stay with XP and maybe try raid ith the future, or visa versa. (or move on to linux)

But for now I just want to install one HD and get this new puppy up and running with raid ready, and then install the 2nd HD and go from there. still not using raid but dual booting.

Do I want to use marvell Sata Plugs or Intel Matrix sata plugs. Or one each and decide later wich is better? Or does it matter?
One more thing, For future use of raid will I have to set up a partition now, and How big being I may never use it. And if I do use it in the future, can I resize it when it do set up for raid 0 , 1 , 5 , or 10 which ever I would decide to use.

I know that is a lot of questions, and I don't mind reading so if someone could point me in the right direction for more Info on this It would help. (I've looked but can't find anything on these simple Questions about seting it up.)
If some one could help straighten me out, I would appreciate it.

Jim

[Sparky]

I used the Intel SATA plugs. I haven't heard too many good things about the Marvell controllers. If you search this forum you will find some good discussions.
Here is a pretty good one on the issues:
http://forums.legitreviews.com/about7153.html

[jptoth]

Thank you for the reply sparky!

I found the post you refered me to just after I posted this one. It helped

The way I understand it is, as of the current Bio's Windows won't run on the marvell connecters. I'm glad I read that post before Installing.
Now I may be a little Slow, and it always seams like for every thing I've done right my whole life, I've done a dozen things wrong.
And I don't mind doing things by trial and error, But should my little installation guide book say something like "Hey Dumbo, Don't Connect your hard drive to the blue Sata connecters if you plan on running Windows on it?"

I thought these Intel guys were really smart that's why I bought an intel Board. I always considered Intel the Best of the Best. Maybe they are, may just me and the other guy that was having trouble with this are the only two that didn't know this.

What about a SATA DVD drive, will they work in the blue connectors?
So is this BX2 board only good for four drives in a Raid Configuration? (which is way more than I need anyway, Just like to know.)

Beyond all that, as I sit here looking at my new dream system I always wanted to build, I feel like a want to be artist standing in front of a brand new canvas, it looks so new and clean and I can picture in my mind all the wonderful things I want to paint on it, but am afraid to start, cause once my brush touched the canvas I'll scew it all up.

So now that I know that the blue connectors are No Nos for Windows that answered most of my questions about Intel Matrix or Marvell.
That leaves only one question left before I start scewing up my dream machine. I've already trialed an errored setting up a volume. When I set up a volume it warns me that all data on the drive will be erased. This tells me that in the future if I want to migrate to a raid system I darn well better already be operating on a raid volume, if not everything will be lost? I havn't had the chance to trial and error from the other end yet. So let me take a guess and I hope somebody will correct me if I'm wrong.
Do I set up a small volume (say 25% of drive) then run non raid on the other 75% ? Then when I decide to go to full raid I can migrate the data to the raid volume and then increase the volume size in the Intel Matrix controller.

The XB2's Intallation guide says to set up raid matix and then start loading windows f6 the driver XP or something Else for vista "That Parts not to clear either" but I'll t and e it . then finish loading windows. But if I do that, somewhere in that raid settup I have to choose a configuration ie 0, or 1. This means when windows load I'll be running on the raid Configuration I chose.
But I don't want to run raid, I just wanr to be ready in case I do.

As I stated before, I am a little slow! So am I missing something here.

Thanks for everybody's time I'm taking up.

Jim

[jptoth]

Ok I apologize for my lack of knowledge, like i said I'm a little slow.

I found the online Intel Manual for Raid Matrix. I assume to be able to be raid ready I need to initially install one HD.
go to bio's and set drive confige to raid. Then load Windows. f6 the drivers and proceed with install. Now I assume my system is raid ready.

Then I can install 2nd HD for daul Boot install second OS on it leave settings as they are, then have daul boot nonraid system.
The system will be raid ready, so if I would decide to go Migrate to Raid 0 or 1, I decide which OS I want to keep and let Raid SetUp wipe the other one clean. Cool!

I apologize to intel guys, The are smarter than the average Genious. "Although I still haven't seen anything on there site about blue plugs being No No's for Windows" I guess they just trial and error like the rest of us.

Or they could do what I do on equipment I have built. Put a Disclaimer On there products "Warning this device is not Idiot proof, You can screw it up" That covers about anything that comes up.

Hope my rambling helps someone else.

Jim

[ubiquityman]

Yes, steer away from putting anything mission critical on the Marvell controller--it's crap.

I'm so frustrated with this thing. It's been 12months and Intel still does not have a solution for this problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odJbxes88ik

So, stick to the Intel controller.
With Intel Matrix Raid, you can split up your drive in multiple ways.
For instance, you should be able to take your 1st physical hard drive and put a single partition on 1/2 the drive (leaving 1/2 of it free).
Later when you add a second drive, you can create a RAID 0 or 1 array between the remaining 1/2 of your 1st physical drive which is free, to your 2nd physical hard drive.

I have 4 drive, the top half of each drive in a RAID10 array, the bottom half in a RAID5 array.
RAID5 is REALLY slow with this controller when writing to the array. I wish it would offload the work to the CPU to make it faster.