Raiding 2 SSD Please Help

vapezilla

November 15, 2011 6:31:56 PM

So first off i need instructions on how to RAID 2 SSD. before i go any further here are the pc build specs
-Asus Maximus IV extreme z MB
-2x OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD
-1 WD velociraptor 300GB HDD
-intel 2600k
-DVD/CD optical drive
-Nvidia 470 gpu
-16 gb ddr3 2133 G skillz ram
-thermaltake 750 watt toughpower psu

Ok so i have 3 questions
1. What is the BEST RAID configuration for performance?
2. How do i setup the raid configuration? step by step instructions
3.how do i update the ocz ssd firmware(not sure if this is important but i just came across this when troubleshooting why bios wouldnt show the 2 ocz ssd in raid configurater) ONLY IF THIS STEP IS RECOMENDED OR IMPORTANT

now originally when i posted his pc for the 1st time i went into the bios and went to the raid setup area and it did not show the 2 ssd. it only showed the velocirapter HDD. since i couldnt figure it out i just installed windows on 1 ssd normally. I am aware that i will have to format my friends pc and start from scratch for the raid setup however i just wanted to install windows and make sure the ssd drives were working since the raid config in bios didnt show them. SUpposedly i have to also upgrade firmware on the SSD.

More about : raiding ssd

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saint19

November 15, 2011 7:44:04 PM

1- RAID 0 for performance, but keep in mind that you can lose your files and data in a easy way with this array
2- Download the drivers from the ASUS web page>configure your BIOS as RAID and AHCI>boot from the OS drive>load the RAID drivers and select the SSDs>follow the installation process as normal
3- The OCZ page gives you the best instructions for do that, basically I never do that if my SSDs are working fine. You can read the firmware details and see what new features have the latest firmware.

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Chainzsaw

November 15, 2011 7:55:31 PM

1) RAID 0 gives the best performance - it allows your drives to work in Tandem. RAID 1 is for reliability (1SSD crashes, the other takes over, and you can replace the busted one). Although RAID 0 also increases the chance of one of your drives crapping out. So for 2 SSDS in RAID 0 - your chances increase 2x to fail, with 3SSD's it becomes 3x...and so forth.

2) Disconnect all your other drives, plug in your SSD's into the SATA ports that support RAID. You will also need AHCI set in the BIOS.

Now usually when you restart - most computers give an option to select the RAID build menu - sometimes it's something like CTRL+ALT or something similar (depends on motherboard).

Once your in the menu you should be able to select both SSD's and select the option of RAID 0.

3) If your not having any problems with the SSD - I wouldn't flash it. If you are - flash 1 at a time, and make sure theres no expected power offs. Use a USB key and a DOS menu.

Now - Since SSD's are actually generally very fast to begin with - I don't really reccomend RAID 0ing SSD's. Unless your doing crazy CAD work or working with HD files constantly the Reads and writes won't do much.

Is there a specific reason your friend wants RAID 0?

To me - the chances of 2x failure with a RAID 0 system is not worth it. I would rather have 2 SSD's as seperate drive - that way I can have the OS on one - and maybe use the second SSD as a scratch disk for page file/ HD movie converting/that type of thing.

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