RAID setups

[Alf]

Does anyone run any kind of RAID setup? I'm thinking of running a RAID 5 or maybe even 0 in my next computer overhaul (due soon!) and i have found some good reads for learning the basics.

Xtreview RAID

Looks tempting, but can get rather expensive. My plan is to have my games and apps set up on the RAID - and have another drive as storage/ backup. This is why RAID 5 looks promising to me.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Plain old RAID 0 with a couple of WD Raptors here.

2 x 74Gb = 148Gb main disk.

It's fast and has been running flawlessly since November 2006 initially with XP then from Jan '08 - Vista.

 

[Alf]

Wow, since 2006? Is there a notable difference in everyday usage? Or even app loading?

 

[Abarbarian]

I'd like to have a raid O with a dual boot of Windows and linux.

Raid O is suposed to be fast er than a normal set up. You do need to keep decent backups though as usual.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Wow, since 2006? Is there a notable difference in everyday usage? Or even app loading?

I'm only talking RAID 0 here but the short answer is yes - but only if you use faster disks - Velicoraptors or Seagate Cheetahs. Or SCISI disks of course.

Using normal disks in RAID setups is desirable and will give you better benchmark figures using the ATTO test but in my experience in real life everyday computer use a RAID 0 setup is not noticeably faster.

RAID 5 is a good thing though, best of both worlds and I would favour it but it gets expensive buying all those disks.

I wouldn't discourage you but be aware that using two disks as one will of course double your chances of disk failure. And not neccessarily from hardware failure but through software corruption. A hard disk consisting of two in a RAID 0 setup is constantly swapping data back and forth and the slightest fault could very easily disrupt the whole thing.

This is another reason why it's worth using the Velicoraptors for the RAID 0 part as they are very reliable and have a five year guarantee.

For the backup part of the setup it is quite safe to use normal 7200rpm disks as they can be replaced if they go faulty without everything crashing.

 

[floppybootstomp]

PS: Before my current Raptors I had two 35Gb Raptors in a RAID 0 for many years, have probably been using RAID for getting on for ten years.

When I install Win 7 this October it's my intention to upgrade this machine from 2 x 74Gb Raptors to a pair of 150Gb Velicoraptors as a 150Gb main disk is a bit small for the amount of games I usually have loaded. 300Gb seems more suitable.

Quite looking forward to that, if not the invoice

 

[Abarbarian]

PS: Before my current Raptors I had two 35Gb Raptors in a RAID 0 for many years, have probably been using RAID for getting on for ten years.

When I install Win 7 this October it's my intention to upgrade this machine from 2 x 74Gb Raptors to a pair of 150Gb Velicoraptors as a 150Gb main disk is a bit small for the amount of games I usually have loaded. 300Gb seems more suitable.

Quite looking forward to that, if not the invoice

How much are them Raptors going to cost ??

Would this be an alternative ???

http://www.hardwarelogic.com/news/138/ARTICLE/6821/2/2009-07-20.html

 

[floppybootstomp]

A pair of 150Gb Raptors inc postage of £8.00 will cost £240.00 from OCUK.

Two of the Patriot Torqx's will cost around £400.00 a pair (E-Bay) - if you can find anybody stocking them.

Here's one of the few links I could find to a stockist: http://www.memoryc.com/products/des...ve-260MB_sec_read-180MB_sec_write_/index.html

The SSD drives are more desirable and certainly quieter but they're still not economical. I did actually consider them when thinking about upgrading.

Maybe in October they will be cheaper.

 

[Abarbarian]

Prices might have come down by the time your ready to buy. I had a sneaky feeling that the Raptors would still be cheaper.

 

[Alf]

I suppose it shouldnt be to much trouble to RAID0 2 HDD and have anouther for mass storage. Right?

 

[Abarbarian]

No trouble at all. I have in mind to try out a raid system and bought this,

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...rt+with+RAID+?productId=30383&page=3&rqcType=

As I keep reading that onboard raid software can cause drop outs. here is a bit more info on the chip used.

http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=32

an a guide,

http://xtreview.com/review213.htm

Happy raiding.

 

[Me__2001]

i have RAID 5 for 3x 500GB Samsungs. Gives me 900 odd GB to use with the piece of mind that it has some sort of redundancy. I plan to expand it to 4 drives but i need a bigger case to fit all of my drives in

 

[floppybootstomp]

I suppose it shouldnt be to much trouble to RAID0 2 HDD and have anouther for mass storage. Right?

Not at all - take a look at the spec in mysignature

On the subject of noise the original Western Digital Raptors were very noisy indeed. The Mk 2 version (which I'm using) were a little quieter but still noiser than your average modern day HDD.

I wonder what the noise level of the newer Velicoraptors is like?

Whatever it is it won't be as quiet as a pair of SSD's

 

[floppybootstomp]

No trouble at all. I have in mind to try out a raid system and bought this,

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...rt+with+RAID+?productId=30383&page=3&rqcType=

As I keep reading that onboard raid software can cause drop outs. here is a bit more info on the chip used.

http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=32

an a guide,

http://xtreview.com/review213.htm

Happy raiding.

I've been using onboard RAID hardware/software since around 1999 and have never experienced or noticed any dropouts.

First board I used for RAID 0 was an Abit KT7.

 

[Abarbarian]

I've been using onboard RAID hardware/software since around 1999 and have never experienced or noticed any dropouts.

First board I used for RAID 0 was an Abit KT7.

Ta