Raid 1 Setup Question

[Carbo]

Building my first PC and I want to set up a Raid 1 array. I'm new at this so bare with me......
My understanding is this type set up is basically disk mirroring. What goes on HD1 automatically goes on HD2. Is this correct?
Once this is set up, can it be turned on and off? Or, is it automatically on and running at all times? Does it drag down system speed? I'll be running a P4 3.2 with a gig of RAM.
The big question I have is can I do this? How difficult is this the first time around? I'll be using this Intel mobo, and these WD hard drives. Do you see any compatability issues? Will I need a controller card?
Thank you.

 

[ITJunkie]

Yes it is disk mirroring and yes all of disk one goes on disk 2. Basically though you have 2 harddrives it'll be like you only have one.
No...once setup it is always on.

Yes you can do this. If performance is a concern than you would be wise to get a RAID controller. If you want to play with the technology on the cheap than you can set this up through the OS but you will take a performance hit.

 

[Carbo]

Thanks for the reply, ITJUnkie. So, with mirrored disks, when HD1 becomes a paperweight, HD2 steps up and I don't lose a beat. Correct?
Will I take a noticeable performance hit even with the rig I described above? You say a RAID controller card will make a difference with this? Are they all pretty much the same?

 

[Smileymcsmiles]

You may want to take a look at the promise line of cards. There is one model in particular that standard PC100/133 ram can be added. Up to 256MB. If you are looking for performance and fault tolerance Raid 5 is the solution.