RAID 0 with two WD 320GB HDs

[Vlip]

I have a WD 320GB SATA I (1.5GB/s) hard drive and want to add a second to create a RAID 0. This drive is no longer available but the identical drive in SATA II (3.0GB/s) is. Can I use these two drives in a RAID 0? If so, are there any issues I should be aware of? What will be the performance difference compared to two SATA II drives?
BTW, I will be using my Mobo's on-board RAID controller. Mobo is a Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6.

Thanks,
Vlip

 

[Keitero]

You'll see the performace of two SATA I drives in RAID 0. SATA II just gave full NCQ, hot swap support, and faster burst. The performance from SATA I to SATA II wasn't that big for me, but it's YMMV.

 

[Nathelion]

FYI, for non-server usage raid 0 doesn't give you squat. It's also a TERRIBLE hassle to troubleshoot. I used to run two 300 GB drives in RAID0, and the resulting bi-weekly headaches is something I wouldn't wish upon anyone.
There are plenty of anandtech reviews confirming that the performance benefit from raid0 is negligible for desktop usage.

 

[Vixx]

Although I'm a RAID junkie, I'm not sure about using mismatched drives. I've always used matched drives, and with the exception of when my old Nvidia board died, I've never had a broken stripe issue. (10+ years)

If I remember correctly the DQ6 has a ICH8R southbridge, so RAID performance should be superb! (Intel MatrixRAID rocks!)

 

[LOUISSSSS]

sata I and sata II drives should raid together fine...

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I have had SATA-150 and SATA-300 drives in RAID 0,1, and 5 configs with no problems at all. And there shouldn't be any performance difference either.

 

[Vlip]

Thanks everyone! You know the DQ6 board has two RAID controllers, one supported by the ICH8R southbridge and one by Gigabyte. I am currently using the Gigabyte RAID controller for two identical WD 500GB drives in RAID 0 and have had not a single issue in a little over a year. I used a tool (forget which) to determine read/write speeds and saw a significant difference compared to a single SATA II drive. I currently use it for backups. I wanted to set up the two 320GB drives on the ICH8R controller as my system drive (I currently have a single 320GB for my system drive and a second 160GB SATA II drive for video file storage). I want to replace the 160 with another 320 and set up the RAID 0 array.

Thanks again!
Vlip

 

[TerryMathews]

Originally posted by: Nathelion
It's also a TERRIBLE hassle to troubleshoot.

RAID is the perfect example of something where you get out of it exactly what you put into it. IMO, all of the people who complain about how terrible RAID is, especially RAID 0, are the ones running on cheap controllers or onboard RAID soultions. Conversely, the people who talk about how they never have any trouble with it are the ones using higher-end gear from reputable RAID solution provides.

BTW, you can put me in the trouble-free camp. 4xWD400BBs on a FastTrak TX4000 in a 64/66 slot and 6xWD2000JBs on a SuperTrak SX6000 (RAID 5) in a 32/33 slot. The array, and the computer in general, have been on effectively 24x7x365 for years now. RAID 0 is drive C, all of my downloads and documents go on drive D, which is the RAID 5.

I've also got 2xWD1200JBs on a FastTrak66 on my HTPC that have been running 24x7x365 for longer than I can remember now. RAID 0 there as well.