Announcement

**RichL** · 3 July 2002, 02:44

The RocketRaid uses the HPT372 chip, which I beleive is a ATA133 version of the old and frequently loathed HPT370, as found on many a motherboard with onboard RAID.
I've had quite a few problems with my mobo's HPT370 RAID and have gone back to non-raid disks. There are many people around here that will curse Highpoint until they're blue in the face.

My advice? Try a Promise controller. You dont hear so many complaints about them.

**Paulr** · 3 July 2002, 06:00

I've had no experience with the latest Highpoint controllers so cannot really comment on those.
However past experience has told me to stick with Promise.

I purchased a cheap & chearful HPT370 based RAID controller and had nothing but problems.
I then purchased a Promise Fasttrak 100 (Currently using a Fasttrak TX2) and they have been beautiful pieces of kit.
Certainly more expensive, but not by a major amount and I strongly agree that you get what you pay for as far as RAID controller are concerned.

**Gurm** · 3 July 2002, 06:20

The latest HPT controllers are less terrible than the earlier ones.

Kind of like Neo-Nazis are less terrible than the real Nazis were.

- Gurm

**Technoid** · 3 July 2002, 12:19

Originally posted by Gurm
The latest HPT controllers are less terrible than the earlier ones.

Kind of like Neo-Nazis are less terrible than the real Nazis were.

- Gurm

LMAO!!

**mungu** · 3 July 2002, 12:42

highpoint

I had a highpoint controller for all of 12 hours. I used it, realized it was horrible, and now im running an Adaptec 2400A with 4 120s in a RAID 0. Works like a charm....

the highpoints are cheap in price, but their quality and performance reflects that.

**Dr Mordrid** · 3 July 2002, 13:12

I totally agree with mungu's evaluation of Highpoint products.

YECCHHHH....

Dr. Mordrid

**xortam** · 3 July 2002, 13:34

I guess that Highpoint only calls it RAID because you need to spray the stuff to get the bugs out.

**Greebe** · 3 July 2002, 13:37

eYup and instead of spraying they beat on it with the can!

**Dr Mordrid** · 3 July 2002, 19:27

Don't worry, when the drives are available Promise will be there

Dr. Mordrid

**High_Jumbllama** · 3 July 2002, 20:16

Promise has never failed to bring cards out when needed. I just wonder if their add-on card will be able to handle CD-ROMs? THey might not be out for a while though.

**Marshmallowman** · 3 July 2002, 21:20

the latest low end promise cards have been causeing some problems....mainly with via chipsets mainly.

As for me I am quite happy with my highpoint HPT370...the one integrated on an epox 8kta3+. Initialy I had problems, but epox released an updated bios which has it hummingly quite nicely.

I think performance and price wise it compares very well to the low end promise raid controllers.

I am basing my opinion of simple RAID 0 striping, which is not really RAID anyway, I would quite happily buy another higpoint for personal use(striping and extra IDE channels), But I would never consider it for a server

Asbestos suit on....

**LvR** · 3 July 2002, 21:34

Marshmallowman

I agree with you there. Had the oportunity to drive both the HPT370/372 PCI jobs (Iwill flavour) and compare them with the Fastrack100/TX2, and could find no reason not to use the Highpoints. I have about 40 out in the field on customers boxes doing video editing - not a single failure yet, not a complaint yet.

I will suit up now as well I suppose

**Dr Mordrid** · 3 July 2002, 23:36

Whatever issues are brought on by Promise cards in VIA systems is just a case of the messenger being blamed for the contents of the envelope

The problem is that RAID's are high PCI bandwidth devices and VIA chipsets are notorious for not having a lot of PCI bandwidth to spare.

BTW Marshmallowman: The definition of RAID you're basing your statement that RAID0 striping isn't really RAID is outdated.

By most all accounts RAID0 is now considered by manufacturers and the computing press to be a member of the RAID family and for use when maximum performance is the desired modus operendi, expansion of the acrynym not withstanding.

Striping is a fundamental characteristic of RAID and was defined as such in the original work done by IBM and Berkley. Check the definitions in this history of RAID under "Data Striping" and "Standard Levels of RAID";

http://www.robdata.com/data_files/raidintr.htm

All RAID modes are based drive concatenation, AKA: striping. The only distinctions between types are a matter of if the writes are interleaved or not (JBOD vs. RAID0 etc) and if the mode has data redundency (RAID0 doesn't; RAID 1, 3 & 5 do, but by differing methods).

Some newer RAID modes are actually arrays consisting of other arrays, but that's beside the point.

Dr. Mordrid

**Marshmallowman** · 4 July 2002, 00:52

yeah, I know Dr M

but as the RAID acronym =redundant array of inexpensive disks
I find a bit disconcerting, because RAID0 ain't redundant...but point taken all the same

as a via user(ex-user soon), its an issue....but apparently its been fixed anyways..

but I still think the higpoint 370's and above are good inexpensive RAID controllers.

and I don't like the way promise use the same card for a RAID controller and Ultra dma card, but use differnt firmware and charge twice the amount for it.

PS does the resistor and firmware trick still work for the 133 cards like it used to work for the 66 and 100 cards?

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