Hey folks, I'm on the hunt for a prebuilt desktop PC that can handle RAID1. The main reason is to keep things running smoothly if one drive fails while waiting for a replacement. I'm not looking for high performance or anything beyond basic mirroring. Here are my must-haves:
- RAID1 support (preferably Intel RST)
- Intel Core i5 13th or 14th Generation
- 16 GB RAM
- Windows 11 Pro
- A business-class desktop or tower, ideally from brands like Lenovo, Dell, or HP.
For storage, I'm planning to set up two 1 TB SSDs in RAID1, whether they are NVMe or SATA based on what's supported. I also want to reuse a third SATA SSD from my current setup for additional storage, like file history.
I've been eyeing models from the Lenovo ThinkCentre and Dell Pro Max Tower series, and although having Intel vPro support isn't mandatory, it would be nice for remote management since I'm a sysadmin working remotely. The PC will mainly be for standard office tasks with stability and maintenance as my top priorities. Any recommendations for specific models? So far, I'm considering:
- Dell Pro Max Tower T2 FCT2250
- ThinkCentre M70t Gen 6
5 Answers
You should definitely check out the Z2 SFF G1i or Z2 Tower G1i. They can be customized to have RAID1, and I've been using HP Z series machines for over a decade—they're solid! You might want to get a quote from your VAR for a custom build, just to be safe.
Any workstation from Dell, Lenovo, or HP should meet your requirements. Just take your pick among them—options abound!
The basic Dell Optiplex models support RAID1 along with your other specs like i5 and 16GB RAM. Plus, vPro is available on some configurations. Just a heads up, the Ultra Small Form Factor only supports 2 disks, but the regular desktop chassis should handle 3.
For the most part, Windows can do software RAID on pretty much any setup if you're comfortable with that. You might run into booting issues, but honestly, I find that I can read Windows software RAID on various machines with no hassle.
If you want to set up a RAID1 for your boot drive, consider a normal desktop with an LSI or Adaptec RAID card. For Linux, you could go with mdadm for mirroring. Just be cautious with your SSD choices, as consumer-grade drives don’t always perform well with RAID setups.
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