RAID

[dwisen]

i want to set up a RAID config for my gaming pc for faster reads=faster game level loads ect...
question #1 do you HAVE to have 4 disk for a RAID 1+0 array?
question#2
for gaming mainly what out of RAID 0 or 1 would perform best for reads, writes is not a big issue here i just want fast reads.

i have one 200Gb sata hdd that i can install os to and two 1Tb drives for the raid
or should i just use the two 1Tb drives as the os and game install drive?

200Gb=OS + 2-1Tb (raid 0 or 1)=media
or
2-1Tb (raid 0 or 1) both OS and media

and lastly is it true that RAID 1 is as fast in reads as RAID 0

 

[Ubrales]

If you want speed, go for SSDs (I know that prices are still high).

Here is some info from Wiki - RAID 0+1: striped sets in a mirrored set (minimum four disks; even number of disks) provides fault tolerance and improved performance but increases complexity.
The key difference from RAID 1+0 is that RAID 0+1 creates a second striped set to mirror a primary striped set. The array continues to operate with one or more drives failed in the same mirror set, but if drives fail on both sides of the mirror the data on the RAID system is lost.

This will explain better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

I have my OS (Win 7 64-bit) and all programs on one single 750GB (overkill, but I had it around) drive. My data is on two 1TB disks set up in RAID1 (mirroring).

Reply to your last question. Read as well as write is slightly faster in RAID0 as compared to RAID1. But at today's high speeds, is this really noticeable?

 

[dwisen]

sweet, thank you for the reply i found out that RPM, HDD Size, seek time and latency all play an important role in raid
so what im going to shoot for in a set up is
2x 60-120Gb, 10-15000RPM 2ms seek or lower and a 2ms latency or lower.
the closest i have found to that in a drive is

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
RPM 10000 RPM
Cache 16MB
Average Seek Time 4.2ms
Average Write Time 4.7ms
Average Latency 3ms (nominal)
$139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296

does this seem like a good drive and if so is it a good deal on price?

 

[Ubrales]

Western Digital VelociRaptors have a good reputation, good reviews, and Newegg's price along with free shipping looks fine.

 

[dwisen]

i decided to get two of these
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

 

[Ubrales]

Good product - you will be well satisfied!

 

[dwisen]

Best answer selected by dwisen.