Adding SATA Ports?

[Xplorer4x4]

As I said a couple of posts back, one option is to just get a cheap non-RAID PCI-E x1 SATA card, and move non-high-performance drives over to that, freeing up SATA ports on your motherboard. Then do the RAID setup using the motherboard's SATA ports.

Technically my PCI card is non-RAID. It comes stock with RAID BIOS but has a utility to flash a non-RAID BIOS to the card. Other then a different bus, how is this different then using my PCI card? Plus I have not seen a single card on Newegg that is not RAID capable to some degree.

That may in fact end up being the best option... and definitely cheaper. I've heard the same advice about RAID cards, namely that only the more expensive ones are worth getting. I heard that advice some years back though, so I honestly don't know if it holds equally true today.

Good to know I am not the only one who has seen this trend and will explore that in more detail.

[HalationEffect]

Technically my PCI card is non-RAID. It comes stock with RAID BIOS but has a utility to flash a non-RAID BIOS to the card. Other then a different bus, how is this different then using my PCI card?

Well, I wasn't counting the PCI card you already have because you'd said that your PC won't boot with it plugged into your motherboard. That pretty much rules it out as a viable option IMO.

Plus I have not seen a single card on Newegg that is not RAID capable to some degree.

How about something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816115072 for $24.99?

[Xplorer4x4]

Well, I wasn't counting the PCI card you already have because you'd said that your PC won't boot with it plugged into your motherboard. That pretty much rules it out as a viable option IMO.

Correct, but what rules that out but what makes you think the card below will work when the PCI card won't? I see some interesting details in the specs such as achi compliant, but of course you can understand why I am cautious on investing in another card.

How about something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816115072 for $24.99?

That seems a bit more reasonable.

Sent from my DROID2 Global

[HalationEffect]

I have to admit that it's a bit of a gamble, although only a $24.95 gamble. I'm working on the assumption that the reason your existing PCI card prevents your system from booting is that the card has (at least partially) failed in some odd way.

[james147]

Why not just use software raid and ignore the motherboard raid option?

Motherboards only tend to have fake raid in them anyway (a software raid with limited hardware support so you can boot off it and do all work on the cpu anyway). So there is little different in using the on board raid and pure Linux software raid with the added benefit of your bios not conflicting with other devices .

You could also get a dedicated (real) raid card, but they are quite expensive and it might be worth looking into software raid first as it will cost you nothing but a little bit of time.