SSD + HDD RAID 0 Help

[ilysaml]

Hello People,
Recently I got a 64GB SSD that I want to install Win7 on it and RAID0 my 500GB HDDs, I've been trying to figure a solution for this for 5 hours and still too frustrating, the problem is that SSD needs to be in AHCI mode to work and boot up Win7, I have the AMD SB850 chipset, 6 x SATA 3.0 Ports.

According to my BIOS configuration, I can set Ports 0:3 to IDE/RAID/AHCI, Ports 4:5 can be as IDE or whatever I set Ports 0:3...ONLY. Can't choose 0:3 as AHCI and 4:5 as RAID.

If I make all the ports go for RAID, I configure my array and then load AHCI/RAID drivers and fortunately I can see the SSD and install Win7 on it, but once installation is done, I can't boot from the SSD, becomes unavailable and BIOS recognizes the RAID 0 array only.

I plug the SSD on SATA Port0, HDDs on SATA 2,3.

The main question here, Can I use the SSD as a boot drive and Raid 0 my HDDs? If I can, simply how to?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Supermuncher85]

I wait wut? Yes you can raid your HDD's and use th SSD as boot drive.

Also need more info, what mobo do you have. There is no AMD board with 6xsata 3.0 ports!

 

[ilysaml]

Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5, it does have 6 Sata 6Gb/s ports.

 

[Supermuncher85]

I'll eat my shorts it does!

Did you create the raids in BIOS? Page 81 of the manual http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-890fxa_ud5_v2.0_e.pdf if using the Gsata you need to use ports 6/7 which are the top 2 sata ports.

 

[weaselman]

I not sure why you would want to try that kind of setup, to be honest your better off just leaving them all as single drives.
The ssd is way fast enough to install the os on for quicker boot times and running your most important program or to quickly launch fave program from the ssd.
You don't get much of a speed increase anyway, by doing a raid of two 500 Gb HD.
You will go from 90 in crystal mark to about 160 if your lucky, on read and write performance.If your not bothered about redundancy of data why bother. If you were talking about a few Solid sates then i would say ok.

 

[ilysaml]

Ok, I figured it out...I had to put the sata mode to RAID and create the array with HDDs, any drive out of the array would default to AHCI. Loaded RAID/AHCI drivers during Win Installation and it already recognized the drives.

Thx all for the help.

 

[ilysaml]

Best answer selected by ilysaml.