which is faster??

mrh2019 · 18 Apr 2007 at 20:55

Hi,
What would be faster 1x150gig raptor or 2x74gig raptors in raid config, these will be part of a gaming only rig.
Thanks in-advance.

rpstewart · 18 Apr 2007 at 21:11

The sustained transfer rate of the RAIDed pair will be significantly quicker than the 150Gb drive, the average seek time of the 150 will probably be a smidge better but not much. In real world terms the RAIDed pair will probably be faster.

I assume you're aware of the downsides of running a RAID0 array?

mrh2019 · 18 Apr 2007 at 23:32

No what downsides???

sid · 18 Apr 2007 at 23:43

mrh2019 said:
No what downsides???

If one hdd fails you loose all the data.

sid

rpstewart · 19 Apr 2007 at 08:58

It's not just a case of a drive failing and the array breaking. I've had situations in the past where a drive has been slow to spin up and the entire contents of the array has been lost.

RAID0 has it's benefits but you need to understand the risks and take precautions in case of failure - backups are important!

mrh2019 · 19 Apr 2007 at 16:05

So best not to run raid then :eek:

rpstewart · 19 Apr 2007 at 16:13

No I didn't say that, if it was that bad I wouldn't be using it.

You just need to be aware of the risks and make an informed decision as to whether it's the right solution for you. Normally that would be based around knowing how you would recover if the RAID did fail - ie how you'd get stuff back from a backup.

melbourne720 · 19 Apr 2007 at 17:17

In your case if you just put windows and apps on the RAID 0, and it all goes wrong, the worst you have to face is a busy weekend rebuilding and reinstalling. Have a 500GB disk for data, and the RAID for boot/apps.

Not that I am an expert, certainly not compared to the RAID 5 people here

, but that is how I understand it.

rpstewart · 19 Apr 2007 at 17:48

melbourne720 said:
but that is how I understand it.

Your understanding is correct, sir. Use the RAID0 array for what it's good at and use something else for what it isn't good at. Whether that's an extra internal disk or and external one is up to you.

smids · 19 Apr 2007 at 19:08

I've never had a RAID0 fail, but of course anything can happen. I would recommend using a backup program like Acronis True Image Home or similar.

Probably going to move to a 4 drive RAID5 soon though...

mrh2019 · 19 Apr 2007 at 20:52

This will be just for a gaming pc only,, I have another pc for messing about on the internet and important stuff etc, so if it crashed it wouldn't be the end for the world

melbourne720 · 20 Apr 2007 at 08:57

rpstewart said:
Your understanding is correct, sir. Use the RAID0 array for what it's good at and use something else for what it isn't good at. Whether that's an extra internal disk or and external one is up to you.

Good to know, thanks.

Offtopic - your gallery looks good, rpstewart, might have to purchase some of those prints for my flat

.