New Raptor 150GB or 2 74GB Raptors in Raid 0?

[texasbobby]

The price is the same....about $300.

Which set up will give me the fastest HD set up? A new single 150GB Raptor with a 16MB buffer? Or 2X74GB Raptors with 8MB buffers in a RAID 0 array?

Thanks for any insite you can provide!

Texasbobby

 

[Nodsu]

The array will be faster. The effect of the HD cache size is almost zero unless you are using a simplistic OS like DOS.

 

[swker98]

well said nodsu, but with raid 0, althoguh you get great speed there is also a risk, if one drive dies you will lose all your data.
but if its a gamming rig that speed counts, go for the duel raptor 2 74gb in raid 0 arrey

 

[Nodsu]

If it's two drives in RAID0 vs one drive, then you lose all your data in any case. The odds are worse in the RAID setup of course.

 

[swker98]

thats what i ment to say, i just worded it kind of wrong :bounce:

 

[Need_a_Dell]

go for the 2 74's in the raid config. Not only is the raid faster, but the 74's have a higher rpm. (10,000 compared to 7,200)

 

[kaymastah]

There are other tradeoffs too. Higher RPM = significantly more heat inside the case; that times two. I don't see a need for a RAID setup in a home box. If RAID at all, then RAID 5 - pure magic

Concluding, servers - yes; home boxes - is it really worth it?

 

[texasbobby]

RAID 5? Hmmmm......

Not familiar with RAID 5......Could you point me in the right direction to further my education?

Thank you!

 

[kaymastah]

Sure

Wikipedia is the source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID#RAID_5

Don't ask me though about the algorithm to recreate the lost data... I'm pretty good in math, but this is magic ;]

 

[Nodsu]

Mind you, the el cheapo fakeraid controllers integrated in motherboards can't do RAID5.

The error correction in RAID5 is trivial. For every bit position on the disks, the controller makes sure that the sum of all the bits is an even number. Now, if one of the disks goes AWOL, the bits on the remaining disks sum up as either odd or even. If the sum is even, then the missing disk had a 0. If the sum is odd, then the missing bit was 1.

 

[kaymastah]

Thanx Nodsu for the explanation ;] and yes... the "cheap fakeraid" stuff is not worth much to be euphemistic. So is software raid...

 

[Nodsu]

Software RAID is not that bad.. The Linux software RAID performs better than the fake RAID done with the original drivers.

Doing software RAID5 is a CPU killer though (that's why falkeraid drivers don't have it) and it's better to have a true hardware controller to do that.

 

[Tedster]

my question is with Raid 0 - can you have more than 1 partition - that way even though you're using both drives as a giant drive, you can save data from partition 1 to partition 2?

 

[Nodsu]

A RAID array looks and acts like a normal disk drive to any application. With the exception of special programs that access hard drives at a very low level, it makes absolutely no difference if you have a HD or a RAID array in your computer.

 

[Tedster]

that being said, I'm assuming you could partition a pair of raided drives into several partitions.

 

[Nodsu]

Yes You can even partition a dozen of raided drives into two dozen partitions

 

[Tedster]

Cool. I have 2 250gb PATA drives that I don't even use 50 of their capacity. I may reformat my system and try to raid them.