RAID nOOb - thinking of getting 2x500gb 7200.12

[Biglunn]

Hello.

Im starting to do a bit of video editing - particularly 1080p AVCHD editing, and I am looking at getting some storage space.

Currently, I have a Samsung F3 500gb as my boot OS drive, and Ive also got an old WD 500KS 500gb hard drive for storage. I want to replace the WD drive for a RAID 0 setup (2x500gb) - I understand the potential risk of a RAID 0 setup failing, but for a cheap way of getting fast performance, I would like to start this way.

Now.. I have a few worries....

• How reliable is a RAID 0 setup?
• Do I setup the RAID array in hardware (BIOS) or Software (Windows)? What are the pros and cons?
• What happens if my Boot OS drive corrupts, and I need to reinstall? Is the data on the raid array safe?
• Is it easy to modify a RAID 0 array to a safer RAID 5 array at a later date keeping the data?
• Are Seagate 7200.12 drives good? They are mighty cheap!

Lots to ask I know, but please help!!!

Kind regards

 

[SMN]

1. RAID 0 is reliable but it is in no way fault tolerant. A single drive dies, your entire data is gone. Gone gone gone. "RAID 0 = Zero redundancy" helps me remember.
2. Set it up in BIOS, not software. Never software (IMHO - used to be in the TAC at a Storage vendor but hey ho).
3. If your Boot OS (Drive) fails, then this wont impact your RAID volume.
4. You cannot modify your RAID volume once you have formatted it. You can add more drives, but if you want to change RAID level, or anything, you will generally (unless you have some $$ high end equipment) have to format the drives/RAID volumes and start again. So best to get it right first time.
5. Cant answer the last one. I've never had a problem with Seagate drives, but at the end of the day they are all pretty much the same TBH.