raid config??

[Jayson]

I have just got another WD 80 gig 8mb, so now i have 2 and was wondering if i should put them in raid 0, so that they would be very fast, (but if anything went wrong!)
Do both drives have to be empty when setting up the raid?
or shall i just leave em?

[Austin]

Leave them. Speed gains are over-inflated anyway and seriously not worth the risk nor hassle to normal users. If you want to experiment go ahead as it must be tempting but I'd leave RAID well alone personally. AFAIK you'd have to wipe your current drive too.

[TiG]

See I disagree here, I love my stripped array, I find disk accesses a lot smoother than i used to. I've been running them since Feb 2003 like this with 0 problems so far.

You have to re-install if you are going to use raid tho. Windows will need F6 pressing when you install and the floppy disk containing the raid controller drivers adding.

Not much more of a better reason for an install if you ask me

TiG

[Jayson]

hmmm, i still dont know if the speed will be fast enough to justfy the hassell and risk! was it very noticable (the speed?)

[TiG]

Well i noticed the difference, I could quote you all the benchmarks to show you % increase, but sadly i don't believe in that, what i can say however is that I won't be going back to non raided drives from now on.

Things copy and install quicker than they used to. Games load slightly faster.

The processor doesn't get as bogged down doing the HD access as the raid controller is helping do it.

TiG

[Austin]

I think more people would agree with you TiG rather than me on this one. There's a lot to factor in so be 100% certain RAID0 is for you before you go ahead with it. I'll jot a few points down ...

* Choose the stripe size very carefully as a poor choice for your partic HDs can easily result in slower perf than a single HD.

* If 1 HD fails you're totally stuffed and having 2 HDs doubles the risk of a failure, still WD are well known for reliability.

* Upgrading is harder (esp if/when you upgrade mobo if using integrated RAID) but then 2x80GB=160GB which should have a good deal of lastability.

* Things such as corrupted data, viruses, driver and/or BIOS updates can cause you more problems but I think it's VERY unlikely.

* Expense, but if you already have 2 suitable HDs and a RAID controller it deosn't matter at all.

* Compared to a single larger (and/or faster) HD there's more heat, noise, power consumption and constricted space inside your PC (physical space of 2 HDs and their cables).

* Setting up and installing OS is a little more complex but not much and comparable to a SATA HD.

So it's whether or not you think the speed gain is worth it, you do have 2 HDs and a RAID controller so you could always give it a try for a couple of days?

[Butuz]

Well i would say, if it just a boot/program/games drive then go for raid0, it does make some difference depending on what your doing.

If it is for work files, data, anything that you dont want to lose, then no way, Raid0 as Austin said means your twice as likeley to lose all your data with 2 drives, three times as likley to lose your data with 3 drives, and 4 times as likeley to lose your data with 4 drives.

I had raid 0 a long long time ago (when it was actually cool and unusual and made people jealous hehe). A drive failed, i lost all my data. Never used raid 0 again (only raid 5 now if at all)

Butuz

[Jayson]

hmm, i dont know! i will have to think about it, but atm i dont think there will be a big enough impovment to do it.

[TooNice]

http://www.storagereview.com/php/tik...leDriveVsRaid0
(Sorry, lookls like I am spamming this link all over, but it contains relevant information for people seeking to go RAID-0).

I've got nothing *against* RAID-0. But appart from the boot time, and benchmarks measuring transfer rate, I am not that excited about Raid-0.

EDIT: Video editing might be another area you might benefit (significantly) from RAID-0.. Not sure, just guessing here.

[ACiD303]

Well i would say, if it just a boot/program/games drive then go for raid0, it does make some difference depending on what your doing.

Im planning on running a RAID 0 with 2 drives - and a larger single HD on the IDE controller for data usage - that way, if it goes tits up I only lose the time put in to install everything and their settings (which alone is a hassle!)

Maybe ghosting the RAID will be a good idea?