Use raid or not ?

[Evo7]

Ok, I am a newbie in computer. I plan to build a computer next week, and I want to have a harddisk of 60GB. Is is hard to set up a raid for a newbie like me ? Is raid faster than one single HD that much? Thanks you.🙂

 

[dowxp]

very much faster. in fact, i can hardly tell the difference between ideraid and scsi. probably cuz my scsi is a ghetto model. anyhoo, just get [2] 30gb 60gxp's on a fasttrak 100 and ur good to go. its easy to set up. just press control f. define array. and bam!

goodluck

 

[karmasalad]

It depends on what you plan on using your computer for. Bandwidth-intensive activities that interact with the hd frequently, such as video editing, will benefit significantly. For normal, daily use, the difference is negligible from a single hd.

You'll find lots of benchmarks that show the better "performance" of a RAID0 setup, but I doubt it shows up much at all in real-world usage. I was in a similar situation as yours, thought about setting up my two 40GB hd's in a RAID0, and decided the sacrifice of data integrity for a marginal performance boost wasn't at all worth it.

 

[dowxp]

really? it sure made a difference on my machine. everything goes faster and faster.. then scsi came, and it got faster...

 

[karmasalad]

<< really? it sure made a difference on my machine. everything goes faster and faster.. then scsi came, and it got faster... >>



Like I said, I think it really depends on what you do with your computer. For some people, it's definitely worth it. For others, why go through the hassle? Since we don't know what he wants to do with his computer, it's hard to make a recommendation.

 

[Evo7]

My computer will be used to play games.🙂

 

[Evo7]

Then is it worth it to use raid?

 

[karmasalad]

<< My computer will be used to play games.🙂 >>



For games, I think the main thing you'll notice from a RAID setup is levels and whatnot will load slightly faster. Since I've never used RAID myself, I'll have to defer to others who have to relay their experiences with RAID0 and gaming.

However, if it was me, I just wouldn't bother with it. It's much cheaper to just get one large hard drive rather than two separate smaller ones. If this is your first attempt at building a computer, I would recommend just keeping it simple for now. That's what I did. 🙂

It's cheaper that way, and you can always add more stuff later. See if you're happy a single hd's performance; if not, then you might wanna give RAID a shot.

 

[Evo7]

But is it hard to buy the same HD model after a few weeks? I think the model are changing very quickly. If I get a single one and not satisfy with it, I will need to buy another two to do the raid. That's more expensive. So what should I do?😕

 

[karmasalad]

<< But is it hard to buy the same HD model after a few weeks? I think the model are changing very quickly. If I get a single one and not satisfy with it, I will need to buy another two to do the raid. That's more expensive. So what should I do?😕 >>



HD technology changes at a pretty good clip, but not *that* fast. You'll still be able to find your same model of hd for at least a couple of months from purchase. Even if the technology did change, retailers must still rid themselves of the old stock, and if they do, you can probably get them at an even cheaper price.

Also, for RAID, you don't necessarily need identical hd's. As long as they're the same size, you'll be okay. The RAID array will just default to the specs of the &quot;slower&quot; hd.

I think you're thinking this over a bit too much, to be honest. 🙂 Just go with what you feel like doing.

RAID0 = a little more work to setup; more expensive; loss of data exclusivity (if one drive blows, all your data is lost); faster performance, especially for bandwidth-intensive apps; higher CPU utilization (the CPU has to work to split the data b/t 2 hd's)

Single IDE = cheaper; easier to setup; slow for bandwidth-intensive apps, more than fine for normal, everyday use

Good luck 🙂

 

[MichaelD]

Since I just recently went thru the same quandry, I'll share my experience/opinions.

1. If you have never built a computer before and don't have much experience resolving hardware-related issues or experience playing around in the BIOS, I wouldn't mess with RAID just yet. If you are saying &quot;what's a BIOS?&quot; right now, then I most definitley wouldn't mess with RAID. We all have to learn step-by-step. Not being a killjoy here, just telling you that setting up a RAID array isn't hard, but you do have to know the basics, or it won't work right or at all. This forum is probably the best educational tool out there and definitely IS the best FAQ/Help me place on the entire net.

2. I went from a single 7200 RPM IDE drive to a RAID 0 2-drive 7200 RPM array. In all Hard Drive Benchmarks, the RAID 0 Array simply obliterates the single drive setup. More than doubles the single-drives' score.

3. What about real-world use? How fast is it really? OK, here's what everyone wants to know before they go spend $300 on two new hard drives. Honestly, in the real-world that I use my pc for (mainly gaming, surfing, playing CD's, burning CD's and some photo-editing) it's noticeably faster than a single drive, but nothing earth-shattering.

4. The operating system loads faster. By about 2 seconds. Faster yes. Big deal? Not really. Levels of UT/Quake/DeusEx load faster. By about 2 seconds. Faster yes. Big deal? To me it is. I like speed. The faster it loads, the better.

5. You can't just slap any two drives in there and call it a day. The drives should be the same make, model, speed and size, in that order. If you can buy two drives at the same time, the better. You also need to setup the correct stripe size in the raid controller software as well ensure that you maintain that array. Defragging at least once a week is a must.

Conclusions
IDE RAID is faster than a single IDE drive, period. SCSI raid just freakin' flies, but is way out of my league ($$$$$$$$$ Big Bucks)

Whether or not you will see a noticeable performance increase by using RAID depends mostly on what you do w/the machine, and how &quot;finely tuned&quot; you are to your rig. I built my system from the ground up. I know exactly how many seconds it should take for most apps on my rig, if something goes wrong, I can &quot;smell it&quot; immediately. I notice every little performance decrease or increase, so I can see a performancee boost since making the switch.

For gaming only, the levels will load a little faster and that's about it. Game performance is related to your CPU/memory/Vidcard.

RAID means more hard drives = more money.

If your mobo already has a built-in raid controller, that's one less thing you have to buy. However, PCI card software raid controllers are cheap; no biggie.

I saw a difference. I'm glad I did it. For a first system though, stick with a good, single HD. (IBM 60GXP, Maxtor DM60+ series) you can always play with RAID later. Good luck with everything!

 

[dowxp]

maybe im too proficent, but ide-raid isnt THAT hard to set up. u just define array and ur ready to go?

playing games, you can feel the difference.

karmasalad, the purpose of getting raid is for speed, not space. i understand that you may not feel that its &quot;worth&quot; it, but you should try it. perhaps it could change your mind.


fasttrak 100 card
[2] 30gb 60gxp.

ur ready to go!

 

[MichaelD]

Hey Bangsaillio, good morning! You're right, it's not hard to setup...you just really need to ensure that you know what you're doing before you start. If I hadn't of asked all 200 (!) of my questions before-hand (Ghosting the OS and all that) I would have been lost. I just wanted to ensure that this guy doesnt just think he can take an old Gateway drive and a drive out of some noname pc, slap them in and go. Have a good day, see 'ya in the forums. 🙂

Mike