Best gaming config: Raptor or NCQ or RAID?

[bupkus]

I'm planning a new system for gaming (currently mostly UT2004) and I'm planning the hdd subsystem.

Mobo is possibly the DFI nF3 250g unless I wait for nF4.

No desire to go nuts here.

 

[Sunner]

Aside from level loading times, the HD won't affect your performance, and even then there won't be that much of a difference between today's various high end HD's.
Most of the time when people say "OMFG this <xxx HD> made my system so much faster!!!! w00t!!!" it's 50% placebo, 25% coming from a fresh install, and 25% real gain.

 

[ts3433]

NCQ isn't utilized unless you have an NF4 Ultra or SLI chipset and a SATA II drive. (Not that this matters--NCQ seems to be actually useful only in a server environment.)

If you have no desire to go nuts, I suggest neither--RAID 0 arrays are more prone to failure, and Raptors usually get you about 3 seconds less in loading times (though I also hear owners saying that Windows feels a bit snappier). Give the wallet a break and go for standard 7200RPM/8MB drives.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Sunner
Aside from level loading times, the HD won't affect your performance, and even then there won't be that much of a difference between today's various high end HD's.
Most of the time when people say "OMFG this <xxx HD> made my system so much faster!!!! w00t!!!" it's 50% placebo, 25% coming from a fresh install, and 25% real gain.

I almost pretty much agree with this, cept it's usually not even 25% gain unless you go from an old crappy hdd, to a really fast new model.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: CraigRT

Originally posted by: Sunner
Aside from level loading times, the HD won't affect your performance, and even then there won't be that much of a difference between today's various high end HD's.
Most of the time when people say "OMFG this <xxx HD> made my system so much faster!!!! w00t!!!" it's 50% placebo, 25% coming from a fresh install, and 25% real gain.

I almost pretty much agree with this, cept it's usually not even 25% gain unless you go from an old crappy hdd, to a really fast new model.

Well, I did assume a move from a first gen 7200 RPM drive to a 7K250 or some such 🙂

 

[bupkus]

Thanks, guys... just saved me (my customer) some money. I'll just try a fresh install. The drive is a WD 200GB PATA I got from OMax real cheap ARebate. It should do.