performance boost from RAID-0 array??

[bloodrayne]

is a raid array really worth the extra money and the decreased reliability ???

how much is the performance gain in real world??

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: bloodrayne
is a raid array really worth the extra money and the decreased reliability ???

how much is the performance gain in real world??

Honestly, it depends a lot about your setup, and what you are using it for. If you are using two drives connected to the motherboard in RAID 0, and you use your computer for general (non-specific) use, then you aren't going to notice much difference. If you are a gamer, you might notice some decrease in level load times.

My view on the matter of RAID 0, is that you should use it at all if it is your only drive setup. It is okay to use if you have another drive for storage, and you perform regular backups. But even then, it really isn't worth doing unless you are doing something that requires the higher bandwidth such as video editing / streaming, animation, rendering, or something to that effect. And if that is the case, you are better off going with a hardware controller anyway...

However, only you can decide if it is worth it to you......

 

[loafbred]

I don't do any real work on the pc... just gaming, web browsing, and a little photo editing. I used RAID 0 for approximately a year, went back to non-RAID with the same drives, and I haven't missed it. It improves read/write, but decreases seek. No wow factor for me at all.

 

[AstroGuardian]

On the contrary, RAID 0 helps a lot when you have SATA2 RAID controller and SATA2 HDD. I added another third drive to the array ( i had to rebuild it though and re-create the partition) and noticed even more improvements. Lets say that with two SATA2 hard disks WindowsXP Pro Installs within 10 minutes maximum. Boots faster, it's like you have maybe double speed hard drive. But if one disk fails or partiton is damaged, then my friend your data are blown with the wind.

 

[dguy6789]

"how much is it really??"


Just a little bit.

 

[lamere]

Virtually none.
You're better off having a fast boot drive and a second drive for data.
Really, raid isnt worth it unless it's in a server enviornment.

 

[corkyg]

Have had RAID 0 - and got rid of it. The performance difference with real world software is not noticeable. I then went back to a RAID1 array strictly for data storage. There is some beneficial redundancy in that, however, it is not a real backup. But for data only, it works for me.