2 WD raptors 74gig or 1 500gig

[x_2fast4u_x]

Hello, so i was looking on Ebay for raptors and i came across many deals where you can buy 2 74gigs for like $60.00 and i was wondering if it would be faster to raid0 2 of them and put my OS and games on them then use my 250gig hd for storage i do mostly gaming plus things for school(powerpoint, Micro word ect...ect..) or should i buy just 1 150gig raptor.

things to keep in consideration

1. my raid controller is on board and i know that slows the whole system down
2. i have a Drive #1 - ST3500630AS (465 GB) 16mb cache, Drive #2 - WDC WD2500AAKS-00VYA (232 GB) 16mg cache.
3. im 99% shure that 2 74gigs in raid0 are faster then 1 150gig (remember im not looking for storage) and also they are faster then any of the single drives i have now


Thanks in advance!

 

[br3nd064]

I'd go with a single 150gb velociraptor. The older raptors really aren't that good and the newer velociraptors out-perform them by a lot.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

yeah a single velociraptor is as fast as 2 of the older raptors in raid 0. Also alot of the modern 1TB drives are just as fast as the older raptors as well. If you want performance get the single velociraptor.

 

[aevm]

I just did some research in another thread, for the same thing. Two old Raptors in RAID 0 have an average read rate of about 84*2 MB/s. A single Velociraptor 150GB has 108MB/s. That is, the RAID 0 will win, and quite noticeably. Sorry guys, I used to think just like you but the research shows otherwise.

I also found a poster who had just switched from that RAID0 with two old raptors (150GB versions) to a single velociraptor 150GB and he said the velociraptor was definitely slower but quieter.

That being said, the two old Raptors in RAID 0 are a risky proposition because they are older tech, they are second-hand, and RAID0 itself doubles the chance of losing all data. They also mean more power consumption, heat and noise. I would prefer the single Velociraptor myself, no doubts there.

Just a few more numbers: the old Raptor does 84MB/s, the Seagate 640MB 89 MB/s, the WD6400AAKS 90 MB/s, the Spinpoint F1 1TB 120MB/s. For editing videos or other things that involve large files, these newer drives will beat the old Raptors indeed.

 

[x_2fast4u_x]

ok can anyone point me in the direction of a new hardrive? thank you! Please include model numbers.

 

[aevm]

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (bare drive) - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296

Or just get a 640GB 7200 rpm drive for half the price and lots more room. It will be slower but not by that much.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=wd6400aaks