What hard drive should I buy to arrange a raid-0 configuration?

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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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Hello there.
So I already have 2TB WD green in my rig, It's been working for the past 2.5 years.
I want to add another drive to the system and since I don't have a storage issue I decided to go with RAID 0 to boost my everyday life,
PS: I have a 480GB sata SSD for my OS and software and stuff.

My question is does the drive that I buy have to be the same as the one I have now?
:/ or can I just buy any 2TB drive and go with it?

And if there are any advice or suggestions it would be appreciated.
Thank you
 
Solution
USAFRet


Yes it will have a performance benefit.

However, probably not the uber RAID 0 that you're looking for.
The main limiting factor is your existing WD Green. Those drives spin down to zero, in an effort to reduce power consumption. Hence the "Green" label. Environmental...:ange:
A RAID 0 will choke when it tries to read both drives in the array, and one of them is unavailable for a couple of seconds.

In addition to the standard RAID 0 issues of data loss, etc.

Just add a good quality 7200RPM drive. It will be visibly faster than your existing WD Green.
I have a couple of Greens, and the difference is noticeable.
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mdd1963

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as 5400 rpm drives typically are limited to about 80 MB/sec sequential transfers, I'd simply get a faster storage drive, like a 4 TB HGST 7200 rpm drive, capable of 180 MB/sec transfers...(it'd still be faster than 2 slow WD green drives in RAID 0, and without the risk of RAID 0 and loss of all data)

(WD green drives are probably the least likely to handle successful RAID operations)
 
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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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I don't have the budget for a 4TB drive. I can only get a 2TB drive.
Can I just buy any 2TB drive or does it have to be the same?
I know my drive is slow. But will adding another drive and configuring RAID 0 increase the performance.
I usually move very large files around and it takes forever.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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Yes it will have a performance benefit.

However, probably not the uber RAID 0 that you're looking for.
The main limiting factor is your existing WD Green. Those drives spin down to zero, in an effort to reduce power consumption. Hence the "Green" label. Environmental...:ange:
A RAID 0 will choke when it tries to read both drives in the array, and one of them is unavailable for a couple of seconds.

In addition to the standard RAID 0 issues of data loss, etc.

Just add a good quality 7200RPM drive. It will be visibly faster than your existing WD Green.
I have a couple of Greens, and the difference is noticeable.
 
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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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ok my budget just increased through some borrowing. (I'm gonna regret this ¯\(ツ)/¯ )
anyway I now have enough money to buy two WD black 2TB
are those good enough for a RAID 0 config?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Would those work? Yes.
I still don't recommend a RAID 0 in a consumer PC.

But, if you go down that road...you NEED a comprehensive, automated, backup plan.
RAID 0 can make all of the data on both drives go away in an instant. Either drive, or the RAID controller dies...all data is gone.
 
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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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can I use the 2TB green I have now as a sort of backup?
is there any worthy task for it? considering both the raid config and the green have the same capacity of 2TB
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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The RAID 0 will have a total capacity of 4TB.
Just like two individual 2TB drives have a total capacity of 4TB.

So if your data extends to 2.1TB...it won't fit in your existing 2TB WD Green.
 
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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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I just ordered the two Black 2TB. :bounce:

BTW my motherboard is a Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5. I don't need a raid controller correct? I don't need a bridge or something right? No special hardware needed ?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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If you want to rely on the less-than-reliable motherboard RAID, sure...you don't need a dedicated RAID controller.

I suggest just plugging that drive in as a single, and just using it.
Try it...see what happens.

But if you're hellbent on this RAID 0, go for it.
Backup. Automated. On a schedule.
 
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HairlessHare

HairlessHare

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thought I'd conclude this whole debate with what i experienced.
as mentioned I went with two WD black 2TB drives. I set them up for RAID-0...
The 4 TB birth-child is extremely fast when it gets going. you know they're HDD's still. when you click 'paste' it still takes them a while to wake up.
but most importantly I realized I didn't REALLY need a RAID-0 config in my setup. many of the people who answered tried to tell me this but I had heard/read/listened to so many youtube channels/pc websites/news..... etc that I just wanted to have what they were praising. i was obsessed
Moral of the story: don't get too hyped by media etc... think for yourself.
 
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Corwin65

Corwin65

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You got great advice and now you understand why that advice was given. Win all around.

Enjoy your storage.
 
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