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How do I test my RAID 0 setup ?

Last response: in Storage
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Anonymous

Hello there. I am on the tail end of building my system. It has been quite and experience so far. After an already successful first build, the computer is OC at 3.9 ghz stable but then I felt the urge to upgrade my sole 1TB hard drive ( 32 MB Cache /3 mbs ) into a RAID 0 config, using 2 brand new WD 1TB hard drive, 64 MB Cache / 6 mbs, which my Asus motherboard supports.

After hell trying to figure out the RAID setup in BIOS and a clean install of Windows 7 64 bit, I finally got it to work. The computer is now operational. But there is only concern I have...

I can't tell any MAJOR improvement ! A slight improvement in speed when I change windows and programs was notice. In addition, the transfer rate when I moved files to the new RAID was quicker at around 88 MBS.

Why I am concern is because my Windows system assessment's score for hard disk transfer rate is only at 5.9, which is low and the same as before. Everything else is at 7.5 or higher. Also, I was hoping the load times of my HD files ( the thumbnail previews ) would increase in speed, but appears to be the same. I am somewhat certain that my RAID setup in BIOS was done correctly. The system is seeing one drive with a 2 TB capacity. I use my computer to do a lot of hd video editing.

1- Is there a way or software to test, monitor, or tweak my RAID 0 hardware setup for optimum performance?

2- Am I actually getting the best out of RAID and my expectations were just too high?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


AMD 965 125 watt
ATI 5770
700 watt psu
Asus M4a87td EVO
8 gigs of ddr-3 memory
Windows 7 64 bit home
WD 1TB hard drive 64 mb cache/ 6 mbs ( RAID O )



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Storage Expert

I'm sure there are RAID testing tools - they are more likely to be general HDD testing tools. But I suspect your expectations were too high. There is a lot of hype around RAID0, especially among gamers. However, current HDD's are pretty fast, so the advantage of RAID0 is small. Moreover, the advantage is more apparent on certain types of file access, and almost nothing on some types. Look around Tom's for actual performance tests of HDD's with and without RAID arrays, and look closely at the fine details of which files types benefit, and how large is the difference. Get the facts and ignore the hype.
 
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