A method for operating a storage controller to write to a group of multi-actuator disk drives includes receiving a data stream, performing RAID mapping to a preselected RAID level, organizing the data stream into at least one data stream, creating at least one parity data stream, organizing each data stream and parity data stream into blocks of data, dividing each data stream and each parity data stream into groups of blocks of data assigned to a logical unit representing a drive and an actuator, blocks of data from a data stream and parity stream assigned to a different drive, sequential groups of blocks of data assigned substantially equally to logical units representing actuators in each drive, providing each group of blocks of data to a target port associated with the drive to which it has been assigned, and sending each group of blocks of data from the target port.