RAID Query: Matching Hard Drives?

[PerchPro]

I am going to set up a RAID 0+1 system on a HPT372 controller on an EPOX 4G4A+ board. I have 4 WD 7200RPM hard drives. 2 with an 8MB buffer, 2 with a 2MB buffer. Do all hard drive specs have to matchup to do an effective RAID 0+1 system or would this combination of drives be okay and how would I pair them on the mirror or stripe setup? ie 8MB cache drives together striping writing to the 2MB drives on the mirror? Would I be better off with 4 identical drives in this particular situation?

So far have not had any help on another forum so thanks in advance

 

[Bovinicus]

Yes, you would deifnitely be better off using the same drive, simply because that is the ideal way to go. However, your drives are so similar that the 2MB buffer won't be bottlenecking 8MB drives too much...

 

[Muadib]

You would be better with 4 of the 8MB buffer drives, because as it stands, the 2 you have will have to slow to the speed of the 2MB buffer drives. Your 0+1 setup will still work though, but think of it as 4 drives with 2MB buffers.