Raid and HDD queries

Hi, guys how are you all?

I have a few questions for my simple Data Storage Backup on my PC.

I am a bit confused about "standard" HDD's and "Raid edition" HDD's.

You see I have a 750GB HDD's I am using as storage and my OS. I also have a 80GB IDE and a 160GB SATA. I am using Windows XP SP3 32bit without a Floppy drive.

I have about 700GB worth of data, some on my HDD's others on DVD. I thought it's time to have a sensible back-up plan.

I am interested in the Seagate 1.5TB HDD's, I was thinking of buying a pair to run in Raid 0 just to store my files. Not to run as a server or anything. And also not to put my OS on the 1.5TB raid as I will have a separate drive for my OS. I am also not interested in the performance of the drive, just the safety of my data. I would maybe use the drives for 2-3years depending on future HDD capacities and how big my archive will be by the time. I think there is no 1.5TB "Raid edition" drive at the moment so my only choice is to buy the "standard" version. Also 1TB would be too small for me.

I am using a ASUS Maximus Formula X38 board with onboard Raid I believe.

So I will get to the point. Is the onboard Raid sufficient and reliable on my board without purchasing a hardware raid controller? Raid 0 is what I need I believe? Also do i need to invest in the "Raid edition" HDD's or is the "standard" good enough? I believe the Seagate 1.5TB has a 750K hours MTBF. Although I am not sure what MeanTimeBetweenFailure actually tells the consumer.

I am sorry to have you read such a long post, I just wanted you to understand my situation. And I have never used Raid in my life.

Thanks in advance for your replies, I hope you can help clear some of my queries.