Weird RAID config help - noob/greetings

bsr35802bsr35802
edited October 2007 in Hardware
Hello all,
I just joined these forums to further indulge myself into the world of tech and computers. I have a weird RAID config i'm trying to rig up and i'm wondering if it would work.. thanks in advance

-36GB Raptor and a small partition of my WD Caviar (ex. 36GB partition) in a RAID1 config. I dont have the money to buy 2 raptors to raid them just yet.

And here is where i get really stuck. Currently I have:
-250GB (232GB actual) x 2
-320GB (298GB actual)

~170GB of "Media"
~25GB of "Data"
=195GB of junk

What is the best way to RAID this odd set of drives?

Thanks again.

Comments

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited October 2007
    Hello, Welcome to Icrontic.

    You can only raid physical drives, not partitions, on a raid controller.
    You may be able to raid them in Windows XP itself, although I have never seen or tried this.

    Basically, I do not think you can.
  • bsr35802bsr35802
    edited October 2007
    Ok. Can i at least RAID my other 3 HDs in a RAID 0+1 even though 500gb > 320gb?

    If not i'm just thinking about getting the raptor for now, raiding my 2 250gb in a raid0, and then using a backup software to put my data on the 320gb... what do you think?
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited October 2007
    You need at least 4 drives to do RAID 0+1. Also, I highly recommend you stay away from RAID 0. All you're doing is doubling your chance of complete data loss.

    Also, you cannot RAID a partition. If you mirror the Raptor and another drive, the second drive will be limited to 36GB. It's also good practice to mirror drives of the same size, make, model, etc., to avoid problems. Your best bet is to pick up another Raptor.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited October 2007
    bsr35802 wrote:
    Hello all,
    I just joined these forums to further indulge myself into the world of tech and computers. I have a weird RAID config i'm trying to rig up and i'm wondering if it would work.. thanks in advance

    -36GB Raptor and a small partition of my WD Caviar (ex. 36GB partition) in a RAID1 config. I dont have the money to buy 2 raptors to raid them just yet.

    And here is where i get really stuck. Currently I have:
    -250GB (232GB actual) x 2
    -320GB (298GB actual)

    ~170GB of "Media"
    ~25GB of "Data"
    =195GB of junk

    What is the best way to RAID this odd set of drives?

    Thanks again.

    If you don't have a true need to use raid don't. The headaches of a messed up RAID are not worth the potential gains of setting one up in a home system for most people.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited October 2007
    bsr35802 wrote:
    Hello all,
    I just joined these forums to further indulge myself into the world of tech and computers. I have a weird RAID config i'm trying to rig up and i'm wondering if it would work.. thanks in advance

    -36GB Raptor and a small partition of my WD Caviar (ex. 36GB partition) in a RAID1 config. I dont have the money to buy 2 raptors to raid them just yet.

    And here is where i get really stuck. Currently I have:
    -250GB (232GB actual) x 2
    -320GB (298GB actual)

    ~170GB of "Media"
    ~25GB of "Data"
    =195GB of junk

    What is the best way to RAID this odd set of drives?

    Thanks again.

    The very best way is called raid-x. Meaning your an EX user of raid.

    This is a very new form of raid that is retro to all former raid controllers and bios's. In greek it comes from the latin "nonraid@all".

    Meaning that a noobie trying to stick a bunch of non compatible drives into raid in any format is just like commiting suicide. (now unplug those drives, hand them to me and just back away from the computer! Before anyone gets hurt here!)

    I wonder if a full CSI investigation would concur after investigating the crime scene that it was suicide or..... if you would be charged with first degree data murder???

    I sentence you to 10 years of hard labor in DATA HELL! LOL

    Now shovel those bits ! The furnaces are dieing down in here. (wink)

    Tex
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited October 2007
    Hey BSR, we are just jumping on you for fun, we're trying to help. The post about RAID 0 doubling your chances for data loss is right on the Mark. I played with RAID for over two years before I finally got fed up and just simplified things. And you know what, it really did not slow down anything that I do with a computer. It was fun while it lasted, at least that is, fun in between rebuilding arrays and restoring from well-used backup drives.

    In my opinion, the reason all the high performance motherboards have RAID options these days is just a psychological ploy - to convince the would-be buyer that he's getting something special with the purchase. Yeah, I used to fall for that.
  • bsr35802bsr35802
    edited October 2007
    well you all have been helpful.. but now to decide whether to get a 36gb or 74gb raptor...
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited October 2007
    You clearly aren't listening to us and are determined to do the pointless. So if you are determined to setup a raid with your 36gb raptor, buy another one.

    Setup them up in a raid 1 which will give you redundancy and a technical speed increase, though I'd be surprised if you noticed it. Then set that up as your primary C drive, install windows and your cache on it and any installed programs. Leave your remaining drives UN-RAIDED and just for data.
  • bsr35802bsr35802
    edited October 2007
    kryyst wrote:
    You clearly aren't listening to us and are determined to do the pointless. So if you are determined to setup a raid with your 36gb raptor, buy another one.

    Setup them up in a raid 1 which will give you redundancy and a technical speed increase, though I'd be surprised if you noticed it. Then set that up as your primary C drive, install windows and your cache on it and any installed programs. Leave your remaining drives UN-RAIDED and just for data.

    I guess i wasn't more specific. I said A 36gb or 74gb raptor. I'm not raiding them. I just want a faster hard drive for C. Currently my OS/programs are on a 250gb and it only takes up ~30gb. I rather buy a raptor, and use my 250gb for more data storage.

    But thanks for the advice.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited October 2007
    Well why not? 10,000RPM drives (Raptors included) are definitely faster than 7200RPM drives. It's simply your choice. Is the cost worth the performance benefit. That's a question you'll have to answer. I myself have not used 10KRPM drives so I can't give you cost-effectiveness opinion.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited October 2007
    I'd say go bigger, but that's just me. Last thing you want is to fill up your cdrive and then have to deal with moving data around just to get more free space.
Sign In or Register to comment.