Which drive do I use (based on Nick's suggestions)

[nyfirefly11]

so, I'm putting together my new rig:
i7 920
evga x58
6GB 1600 ram
EVGA 285

For storage, I'm using 2 1st gen 74gb raptors in raid1 for Vista, and 2 WD 1TB Black drives in raid1 for storage. I also have 1 250GB sata drive, which i was going to use for FSX, but I just realized that it's Sata I and prob 8 or 16MB cache.

If I use that drive, will it be terrible for performance? I don't want to set up a raid0 array, and I don't particularly want to buy a new single raptor. I could get a new sataII drive with a 32MB cache and use that, or I guess I could use the raptors I have to set up raid0, and put Vista on my WD black drives along with all my other files (although according to Nick's list the 1st gen raid0 is one step down from a dedicated sataII drive).

Any thoughts? Thx!

[Wingo]

Put FSX on the raptors in RAID 0 for best perf, or even RAID 1 if you don't want a 0. Use the 250gb for vista and applications, there is no use wasting the raptors on the OS when you want the performance for FSX.

What is so critical that you need a RAID 1 array?

[nyfirefly11]

it's not that anything is SO critical, and I backup to an external...I just like the idea of redundancy. but really I only need that for the data...I guess it's not so important for the OS.

[nyfirefly11]

actually, would it be faster for me to just use 1 of the raptors, rather than in motherboard raid 0?

[nyfirefly11]

ok, so one last question.

I decided to get a 640gb wd black for fsx, and I'll have my 2 1tb drives in raid 1 for data.

I now have 3 drives left - the 2 74gb raptors and an older sata 250. I need to install both vista and xp, so I could do one of 3 things:

1. Put Vista on the raptors in raid 1 and xp on the 250
2. Put Vista on one raptor, xp on the other, and sell the 250.
3. Put vista on the 2 raptors in raid 0, and xp on the 250.

Any thoughts?

[homebrewer]

You have me thoroughly confused. Ain't Raid for killin' bugs?

[NickN]

ok, so one last question.

I decided to get a 640gb wd black for fsx, and I'll have my 2 1tb drives in raid 1 for data.

I now have 3 drives left - the 2 74gb raptors and an older sata 250. I need to install both vista and xp, so I could do one of 3 things:

1. Put Vista on the raptors in raid 1 and xp on the 250
2. Put Vista on one raptor, xp on the other, and sell the 250.
3. Put vista on the 2 raptors in raid 0, and xp on the 250.

Any thoughts?

How about NO RAID

http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?s=&s ... &p=1557512



Put the OS on one drive and FSX on another by itself.. Use the others for data/backups

[nyfirefly11]

lol..ok...I guess I can put Win7 on one Vrap and XP on the other, then run FSX of the 640 black drive.

I assume the no motherboard raid rule applies even when OS is on the raid and FSX is on a dedicated single drive?

[NickN]

why would you want to expose your OS to the danger of a RAID failure?

When RAID0 fails.. you lose everything.. in an instant

[nyfirefly11]

very true, and it's happened to me too...I was going to use Acronis and make an image.

but I guess the single disk solution is safer (and faster)