Guides · 8 min read
RAID 10, RAID 5 or RAID 6? RAID levels compared
From RAID 0 to RAID 60: what each level gives you in capacity, safety and write speed, why large hard drives need RAID 6 and when an HBA is the better fit.
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RAID Controllers & HBAs
RAID controllers and HBAs connect SAS and SATA drives to the server and determine who takes care of redundancy. A hardware RAID controller such as the Dell PERC H730P or H740P, HPE Smart Array P408i or Broadcom MegaRAID 9361 builds RAID 1, 5, 6 or 10 with its own cache and battery or capacitor module and suits Windows Server, VMware ESXi and Hyper-V. For ZFS, TrueNAS, Unraid or Ceph, on the other hand, you need an HBA or a controller in IT mode, such as a Dell HBA330, Broadcom 9300-8i or 9400-16i, so the operating system sees every disk directly. Check the form factor: Dell mini mono and HPE AROC controllers only fit their respective servers, while PCIe cards work anywhere. NVMe drives require a tri-mode controller. Every controller is tested and shipped with current firmware; warranty is 12 to 36 months.
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Buying a RAID controller: hardware RAID or an HBA in IT mode?
A RAID controller decides who manages drive redundancy in a server: the controller itself or the operating system. The choice depends less on the hardware than on the software you plan to run. The overview below places each controller in our range and shows what to look for when buying used.
RAID controller or HBA: the basic choice
Hardware RAID
e.g. PERC H730P, Smart Array P408i-a
- the OS sees a single logical drive
- write cache speeds up RAID 5/6 on hard drives
- rebuilds run independently of the OS
Questions about RAID Controllers & HBAs
Answers to the questions we hear most often before a first order.
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