# ICH10R vs. Sil5723: which one to use?



## DMF (Feb 1, 2010)

Adding a pair of 1TB drives for RAID 1 storage.  I'm on Vista so software RAID is unavailable.

The ICH10R is currently set to AHCI.  I can change it to RAID but then I'd have to re-install the OS to get the drivers required for the current system to boot.  (Jeez, isn't there a way to install them without a reload?)

On the other hand, the Sil5723 is available.  All I'd need to do is run Drive Xpert and set up EZ Backup.  Unfortunately I know nothing about this mode.  Is it true RAID 1, or some kind of periodic backup?  If it really is a mirror, what happens when I break the mirror?  Are the drives usable separately?  How does performance compare to using a "real" RAID controller?

TIA


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## Helper (Feb 1, 2010)

Hey, I would choose ICH10 over Silicon Image RAID controller. It's the southbridge itself, meaning better latency and I/Os unless you compare it to an external RAID adapter. And both of them have to do hardware RAID just like every other RAID controller, there is no need to combine them on software level. You should always do proper RAID mate. Your data needs to be your first importance on your PC. 

You can change from one drive mode to another without doing a Windows reinstall. Just plug-in the harddisks to SIL controller in IDE mode, switch Intel RAID to RAID mode then go into the Windows and install ITAXXXXX.exe, Intel's RAID drivers. You can then put your drives into Intel's SATA ports and combine your drives together with RAID1 in Windows or in Intel RAID's BIOS.


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## DMF (Feb 1, 2010)

Helper said:


> Just plug-in the harddisks to SIL controller in IDE mode,


Does the Storage Configuration BIOS option also set the Sil controller?  I tried moving the boot drive to the SiL controller but left it in AHCI mode.  It wouldn't boot.  

Are you suggesting that if I switch it to IDE I should be able to boot off a Sil controller port?  If not, how do I set the Sil controller mode?  I don't see a separate BIOS option.


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## DMF (Feb 17, 2010)

Helper said:


> You can change from one drive mode to another without doing a Windows reinstall. Just plug-in the harddisks to SIL controller in IDE mode, switch Intel RAID to RAID mode then go into the Windows and install ITAXXXXX.exe, Intel's RAID drivers.





DMF said:


> Are you suggesting that if I switch it to IDE I should be able to boot off a Sil controller port?



Apparently not.  Moving the system disk to the Sil controller won't boot.  Perhaps it could if I were to edit BOOTDISK.INI (or whatever), but I'm not going there with a system drive that isn't backed up (which is what the RAID drives are for). 

So.  Anyone else?


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## DMF (Feb 17, 2010)

I was able to find a review that showed that the Intel controller is much faster on some operations than the Silicon Images controller.

So the question is, how to get the RAID drivers onto the system disk without reloading?


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## TIGR (Feb 17, 2010)

Question for you DMF, do you have any use for RAID 0? ICH10R supports Matrix RAID which would allow you to creat _both_ a RAID 0 _and_ a RAID 1 array, all on the same two drives. ICH10R is the best-performing motherboard-integrated RAID controller I know of, and the Matrix RAID feature is invaluable if you have need for a couple different RAID levels and a limited number of drives.


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## Clement (Feb 17, 2010)

DMF said:


> I was able to find a review that showed that the Intel controller is much faster on some operations than the Intel controller.
> 
> So the question is, how to get the RAID drivers onto the system disk without reloading?



Which controller is faster on some operations?


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## DMF (Feb 17, 2010)

Fixed.


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## DMF (Feb 18, 2010)

Okay, this is getting annoying.  

I installed the latest Intel Storage Matrix Manager, which did something to the drivers.  Whatever it was, the system wouldn't boot in either mode due to a "corrupt boot image", but that did not not seem final because Intel's directions say to use the F6 driver load option.  (Though they also _seem_ to say that you don't need to do that in Vista and W7.  Can't anyone write in plain Engrish?)

So using the Vista install DVD, I go into System Repair and Load Driver.  I tried Intel's drivers and the original Asus drivers, from both diskette and HD, in both AHCI and RAID modes - *eight* permutations.  ALL result in "Installation Failed".  

With the original (Asus) driver in AHCI mode, I was able to get it to boot off the system drive.  Now I suppose I should try ignoring the error on the other seven permutations...


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## semiferger (Feb 20, 2010)

I always use the ICHxR/force controller chipset dependant of course over a Silicon Image or JMicron as i always found the ICHxR/force to be quick


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## DMF (Feb 24, 2010)

Update:  This boot is not using the original drivers; it's using the _new_ Intel driver which seems to work in both modes.  (Previously there were two different drivers.)  Further, when I formed an array in the BIOS management screen, the system was able to recognize it.  So now I have a RAID 1 drive that I can use. 

There's still a problem, but I'll address that in another thread with a more apt title.


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