EPOX 8K3A+ / Highpoint RAID question

[weshuang]

I have an EPOX 8K3A+, which has the <FONT face=Verdana color=#636363 size=1>Highpoint HPT372 UDMA/ATA 133 RAID chipset integrated.
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My question is, I have two IDE hard drives, and a ATAPI CD-RW. I have been told that the ideal way to use the drives would be for each to be configured as master of its own bus (there must be a joke in there somewhere...).

Anyway, does anyone know if it will work to try to use one of the Highpoint RAID buses for either a single hard drive or CD-RW?
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[Megatomic]

I used to have an 8K3A+, I loved it too. Anyways, don't install an optical drive on the Highpoint controller, it won't work. I'd put one hard drive each on the Highpoint controllers and put the CD burner on it's own Via controller.

Have you thought about RAIDing your drives? Are they identical? If they are, consider RAIDing them. It is a bit faster than running them singly. Plus there's the whole geeky cool bragging rights thing.

 

[weshuang]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
I used to have an 8K3A+, I loved it too. Anyways, don't install an optical drive on the Highpoint controller, it won't work. I'd put one hard drive each on the Highpoint controllers and put the CD burner on it's own Via controller. Have you thought about RAIDing your drives? Are they identical? If they are, consider RAIDing them. It is a bit faster than running them singly. Plus there's the whole geeky cool bragging rights thing.

Hi Megatonic,

I have considered RAIDing them, but my HDDs are different sizes -- 40 and 80 gigs. I really am curious how much performance would improve in RAID 0, but I don't have the equipment at the moment. As an aside, I was also discouraged by the opinions of the tech staff at Storagereview.com -- they are pretty vehemently against the risk/reward of data striping.

However, it sounds as if the Highpoint controllers should work in a JBOD configuration? That's great news in and of itself. It should improve the reliability of the burner and the HDDs to have their own buses, or at least so I've read...

Wes

 

[Megatomic]

Well, the guys/gals at Storagereview probably look down on striping from a data security standpoint. RAID5 would be the method they would choose IMO. But for an average guy looking for a little more performance RAID0 is fine. Just make sure to backup your important stuff to a third drive or to CD/DVD.

Yeah, JBOD is a beautiful thing, too.