I'm trying to figure out the best option for data storage as well as performance in my current system which I will carry over when I upgrade/rebuild. I'm just waiting to see how the new Intels work out and the next line of graphics cards fare.
I am a heavy downloader; and now with my 10Mb/s connection and extra free time on my hands, my storage is quickly filling up. I have three 400GB Western Digital drives already, no raid, in my system right now and already am about filled to the brim (well, a good 1TB anyway) I also do video work, music work, and just about anything that hogs up storage. I'm also a gamer and enjoy quick loading times. (And quick startups if possible)
It seems my WD drives are mediocre in the disk chart lineup, with hitachi coming up top in the few benchmarks I've looked at.
I also have a 80GB Raptor which I slapped in this comp a couple days ago considering maybe setting up my OS(s) on it. Problem there is my Program Files DIR alone is bordering 200GB. If I installed my OS(s) to my Raptor, wouldn't I have to install my programs to each respective OS partition? Because of registry crap I mean. Correct me if I'm wrong. If not, what would be an optimal configuration?
I also have two 250 GB Western Digital drives that I'd probably hook up (and RAID if I knew how) but only 5 SATA slots on my Asus P5WD2 and one is tied by my optical drive. Now I am in the market for a new MB and would like to find a top notch overclockable MB with a good 8 SATA slots, but I'm kinda holding off to see what happens with Intel's next batch, and also the ATI R600. But regardless, I'm open to suggestions.
Depending on factors like performance, data security, I've considered maybe 3x 750GB drives in a RAID 5 (But I really dont quite understand raid that well yet, but that would equal 1.5TB of storage with higher performance and redundancy/backup right?) Or 4x 500GB drives also in Raid 5 which would give similar results, no? I'd love it if someone could confirm/dispute this. But what about raid controllers I read about, it sounds like I need to spend some extra dough on that and a free a PCI slot .... which wouldn't really be possible with a dual crossfire or sli setup (depending which route I go-I'm just have a 1800XT Plat solo card atm)
I'm trying not to break the bank but I dont want to second rate it either. I mean, I'm not gonna buy a bunch of Raptor 150s or anything but I do want some performance and I need some massive storage. Honestly 1.5TB wont last me long if I'm liberal with my downloads & video editing, especially since I've upgraded to HD and got a fun new camera to play with.
So I dunno, maybe you fine folks can suggest some setups for me, preferably with ball park price range : )
Thanks in advance for any advice!
I am a heavy downloader; and now with my 10Mb/s connection and extra free time on my hands, my storage is quickly filling up. I have three 400GB Western Digital drives already, no raid, in my system right now and already am about filled to the brim (well, a good 1TB anyway) I also do video work, music work, and just about anything that hogs up storage. I'm also a gamer and enjoy quick loading times. (And quick startups if possible)
It seems my WD drives are mediocre in the disk chart lineup, with hitachi coming up top in the few benchmarks I've looked at.
I also have a 80GB Raptor which I slapped in this comp a couple days ago considering maybe setting up my OS(s) on it. Problem there is my Program Files DIR alone is bordering 200GB. If I installed my OS(s) to my Raptor, wouldn't I have to install my programs to each respective OS partition? Because of registry crap I mean. Correct me if I'm wrong. If not, what would be an optimal configuration?
I also have two 250 GB Western Digital drives that I'd probably hook up (and RAID if I knew how) but only 5 SATA slots on my Asus P5WD2 and one is tied by my optical drive. Now I am in the market for a new MB and would like to find a top notch overclockable MB with a good 8 SATA slots, but I'm kinda holding off to see what happens with Intel's next batch, and also the ATI R600. But regardless, I'm open to suggestions.
Depending on factors like performance, data security, I've considered maybe 3x 750GB drives in a RAID 5 (But I really dont quite understand raid that well yet, but that would equal 1.5TB of storage with higher performance and redundancy/backup right?) Or 4x 500GB drives also in Raid 5 which would give similar results, no? I'd love it if someone could confirm/dispute this. But what about raid controllers I read about, it sounds like I need to spend some extra dough on that and a free a PCI slot .... which wouldn't really be possible with a dual crossfire or sli setup (depending which route I go-I'm just have a 1800XT Plat solo card atm)
I'm trying not to break the bank but I dont want to second rate it either. I mean, I'm not gonna buy a bunch of Raptor 150s or anything but I do want some performance and I need some massive storage. Honestly 1.5TB wont last me long if I'm liberal with my downloads & video editing, especially since I've upgraded to HD and got a fun new camera to play with.
So I dunno, maybe you fine folks can suggest some setups for me, preferably with ball park price range : )
Thanks in advance for any advice!