ML150 G2 SATA raid very slow

[john ruddy_1]

I have an ML150 G2 server. It is the SATA model with the 6-port SATA array controller - Adaptec 2610SA (377597-001).The server is a dual processor 2.8GHz with 4GB ram.

I am finding disk access extremely slow. I found the settings in the setup utility for enabling the drive cache but this only improves things slightly.

The formware for the server and the controller are both at the latest versions from HP.

As a test I installed a standard Maxtor SATA controller in the server and performed an erase using a disk wiping utility. For the standard 80GB disk I am using for testing this took about 25 mins. With the same drive on the HP/Adaptec controller it was 2-3 hours.

I would just leave the Maxtor controller in if I could but, for some reason, when it's left in, the server will not boot or access the CDRom properly.

I can't see any bios settigns which could affect the disk so I don't think there's much else left to try but any suggestions are welcome.

My only other thought is that I am using standard SATA disks and not HP branded ones.

Thanks