What is the best RAID setup for this situation?

[Jskid]

I'm going to build a new computer. I got my hands on 3x 40 GB hard drives (7200rpm) and could get one more. I'm planning on buying a new hard drive with the computer. I would like to have a dual boot with Windows 7 and some type of Linux. What is my best setup?

I was thinking butting the 40GB hard drives in array 5, installing Windows on them, on the new hard drive installing Linux.

 

[Jskid]

Let me restate the question; which is better, RAID 5 with crappy hard drives or one good hard drive?

 

[Leeky]

RAID 5 with crappy hard drives

If you put it like that, I'd take the brand new hard disk.

 

[TomSEA]

Ditto what Leeky said.

 

[Jskid]

Here's my situation. I can get 3/4 crappy hard drives for free so I was thinking of making raid out of them. Would it not be worth the trouble? For example would it still be crapier than 1 good hard drive?

 

[Leeky]

But they're secondhand, you won't know the history of them (in terms of use), and you have nothing to say they won't fall to pieces after setting everything up.

I'd take the new hard disk everytime, unless they were SAS disks or barely used Velociraptors or something. :haha: