SATA recommendations?

[Yossarian]

currently running an Athlon 3000 on a MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R. the siren song of the x800 Pro is too strong, so I must get a new video card and since I'm at newegg anyway, some new HDs.

I'm thinking about getting a 74 GB Raptor for Windows XP, apps, and games and a 250 GB SATA drive for data, downloads, etc. What do you think? Are there any other drives you'd recommend? You can run different size SATA drives at the same time, right? (I'm not doing RAID.)

Since these are OEM drives I'll have to get one SATA cable for each, correct?

 

[imported_obgow]

Does the Board support Ncq if so The new barracuda drives on a raid 0 will be cheaper and faster. http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=22-148-034&depa=1
Seagate 160GB Barracuda 7200.7 7200RPM SATA II with NCQ Hard Drive, Model ST3160827AS, OEM

 

[Zinn2b]

I don't know if you gave it any thought but this is what I do . I install the raptors in RAID 0 than I use an external USB hard drive to do all the other things you mentioned works great for me. good luck. yes you have to get the cables I would strongly recommend the retail version read the gaurntee first

 

[Yossarian]

I ended up ordering 2 Raptors for RAID-0, just like you wrote. I can still run an IDE HD or 2 in addition, right?

 

[Zinn2b]

If you run a raid 0 you can't run the internal drives unless you have the 0+1 opsion not the 1+0 opsion or jhob Ireally would stay with the usb external Hard drive its clean easy and you can take it with you its also a great security set up accorging to what I read you have only 2 sata op. 0 & 1 so if you run internal edi you well have to run raid 1

 

[Thoreau]

Not sure what Zinn2b is talking about, but yes.. you can still use PATA drives in a system that has SATA drives in it.

On the RAID 0, you might wanna read up on Anand's article a little while back that pretty well shows RAID 0, even with Raptors, to be severely lacking in benefits, and fully loaded with added risk of data loss. Of course, if you don't keep anything on the array of any value, then it's not really a big deal.

Raptors are already extremely fast drives on their own when compared to PATA options, and even a lot of SCSI options, of course you probably already knew that since you were willing to plop down the cash for them =)