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Dell KKFKC Perc H810 RAID Controller with Battery

★★★★★5.0 (1 reviews)

The Dell PERC H810 delivers enterprise-grade RAID acceleration with battery-backed write cache for external SAS storage expansion.

$51.24*$69.00Save 25%
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Overview

The Dell PERC H810 is an external SAS RAID controller designed for enterprise server environments where storage expansion via dedicated SAS enclosures is required. Its defining characteristic is the battery-backed write cache: the controller maintains a write buffer that absorbs I/O bursts from the host system and commits them to disk asynchronously, dramatically improving write performance in transactional workloads — databases, virtualized environments, and file services all benefit from this architecture. The BBU ensures that if power is interrupted before the cache is flushed, data is retained until the system recovers. Without battery backup, this level of write caching would represent an unacceptable data-loss risk; with it, the H810 can operate at full write-cache aggressiveness as a safe production configuration.

The H810 connects to external SAS enclosures — most commonly Dell PowerVault MD-series arrays — via its external SAS port, keeping internal server bays entirely separate. This architecture suits deployments where storage capacity must scale independently of compute, such as backup targets, large media storage, or tiered storage pools behind a virtualization host. It supports RAID levels from simple striping through dual-parity RAID 6 and nested RAID 50/60 configurations, giving storage administrators the full toolkit for capacity and redundancy trade-off decisions. Management integrates with Dell's OpenManage stack for GUI-based administration or CLI tools for scripted management in Linux environments. As a generation-proven controller on the Dell HCL, it is a practical choice for operators building or expanding Dell-standardized storage infrastructure.

Specifications

Product Type
RAID Controller
Model
Perc H810
Includes
Battery
Brand
Dell

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Battery-backed write cache enables aggressive write caching without data-loss exposure, delivering measurably higher sustained write throughput under I/O bursts
  • RAID 6 and RAID 60 support provides dual-parity protection, allowing two simultaneous drive failures without data loss — critical for large-capacity SAS enclosures
  • External SAS connector architecture offloads storage expansion to dedicated enclosures, keeping the host server's internal bay count available for OS and primary workloads
  • Broad RAID level support (0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60) covers the full spectrum of capacity-versus-redundancy trade-offs without requiring a second controller
  • Dell's mature PERC firmware and OpenManage integration provide stable, well-documented management tooling in Windows Server environments

👎 Cons

  • External-only SAS connectivity means the H810 cannot manage internal server drives — a second controller is required for mixed internal/external RAID configurations
  • BBU battery degrades over time and requires periodic replacement — a recurring maintenance and procurement cost that is often overlooked in initial deployment planning
  • As a refurbished/older-generation controller, firmware update paths and Dell support coverage may be limited depending on the server's service contract status
  • MegaRAID-family CLI tooling (MegaCLI) has a steep learning curve and non-intuitive syntax — StorCLI is an improvement but availability depends on the firmware generation

Frequently Asked Questions

The PERC H810 supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60. For mixed read/write enterprise workloads — databases, virtualization, file services — RAID 10 provides the most practical balance of redundancy and write performance, leveraging the battery-backed cache to absorb write bursts without the write penalty inherent to parity-based RAID 5 or 6.
The BBU protects the onboard write cache during unplanned power loss events. Without battery backup, a controller must either flush write cache immediately (reducing write performance) or risk data loss on power failure. The H810's BBU maintains cache data for typically 24–72 hours depending on cache size and battery state — long enough to survive most maintenance windows and power events.
The H810 is designed primarily for Dell's PowerVault external SAS enclosures via a SAS external connector. While the controller communicates over standard SAS protocol, Dell's firmware on the H810 may restrict or limit functionality with non-Dell certified drives and enclosures. Drive compatibility lists should be verified against Dell's HCL before deployment.
The H810 supports up to 32 physical drives across connected SAS enclosures. Maximum addressable capacity scales with drive density — at current large-capacity SAS drive sizes, the controller can manage hundreds of terabytes of raw storage, though practical limits are governed by the connected enclosure's bay count.
Dell PERC controllers are managed through Dell OpenManage Storage Manager (OMSM) under Windows Server environments, or via the BIOS-level CTRL+R utility during POST. In Linux environments, MegaCLI and StorCLI tools provide command-line management. The controller does not require additional licensing for core RAID management functionality.

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