RAID 1 Questions

[bobthebuilder1]

Before we get started let me explain the hardware I have and what I intend to use it for:

Two (2) Deskstar 82.3gb 7200RPM SATA 1.5 hardrives, (Previously used in a RAID 0 setup under Windows XP Pro)
One (1) 160gb Seagate 7200RPM IDE hardrive.

My mobo is this guy:

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Sup...el.aspx?ProductID=2533

The mobo supports Raid 0,1,5 and 10.

I was thinking about putting the Deskstars in RAID 0 and just using the Seagate as file storage, with the RAID array handling the OS.

However, after reading the following article I'm wondering if RAID 0 isn't the way to go, considering the increased risk of failure and marginal performance gains:

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2101

See also:

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2974

RAID 1 looks more like the way to go in terms of nominal performance differences with the reliability to boot. The issues comes down to storage space. If I ran a RAID 1 with these two drives it will only leave a small amount of space to store additional non-OS files. Is it important that the game files be installed on the RAID array for the best performance compared to my single IDE drive?

Switching gears slightly, I've also heard of people using a separate hardrive for their paging file to increase performance. Should I still run a RAID 1 setup on

Here's some possible configurations:

1)

RAID 1 (put OS on the array and installed games, keep array as standard page file)
IDE hardrive for additional storage only

2)

RAID 1 (put OS on the array and installed games)
IDE hardrive for additional storage and the page file

3)

Suggest a better setup?

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I'm just about broke, so purchasing extra hardrives isn't an option at this time. They keep on increasing in size and coming down in price so this could be a future upgrade. However, in the mean time I really need to get something up and running soon. Given the hardware and usage patterns outlined above, what's the best configuration?

 

[ch33zw1z]

In your situation, I wouldn't even bother with RAID of any kind. Install the OS to one Deskstar, use the other for Pagefile/files, use the 160GB for storage +backup.

my current setup:

1x80, OS's
1x250, storage and backups
2x250, RAID1 for storage, important docs I want immediate redundancy for.

a few extra external drives for more backups, backups to DVD media every so often.

My point is, if you're going to do it...go all the way

 

[bobthebuilder1]

The new computer I'm building will have 4gigs of RAM, so it sounds like I don't need a page file? Someone else suggested I didn't with that much memory. Is that true? This rig will be used for gaming and Photoshop. I'm trying to remember if the scratch disk within Photoshop has anything to do with the page file?

Last but not least, if I decide to do a new Vista Install on the fastest drive, would there be any benefits to installing the actual programs on a separate drive? I've often times heard of people who install their programs either on a secondary partition or another physical drive altogether. In the past I've just put everything on the same drive/partition. Any thoughts on that?

 

[dclive]

You need a pagefile, period. Let Windows manage it, and if you must, put it on your fastest non-%system% disk. I'd rather you just kept it on the system disk though since then you'll get memory dumps, so if you have a problem you can debug it. (Or at least put a small pagefile on c.

I don't suggest software RAID. I don't suggest any RAID for most single-user machines. I'd suggest getting a 500GB HDD for $99 and then putting your entire OS + games + everything else on there.

If you are a high-end Photoshop/etc. user, there is some benefit to having a Photoshop pagefile on another drive, so that would be a good use for another drive if you really hit Photoshop that hard. That's not easy to do.

There is some benefit to putting your data on another drive (in case of OS reinstalls), but since I only reinstall my OS every time MS comes out with an upgrade (every few years) I can't see why this would be a concern. If you want, run backup software (Windows Home Server!) to back up your data every night, and don't worry about it.

Micromanaging data and where it all goes, IMHO, is a waste of time for most people in most circumstances. Is there a reason you're especially concerned?

 

[bobthebuilder1]

I use Photoshop, but not in a production-level environment. Just to edit graphics for a few websites, but not much more. I'm not against having a page file, but I've now heard conflicting stories on whether or not to have it and what size to set it to. Is there a general rule of thumb or guide that you could recommend? There's nothing mission critical on this machine, it would just be nice to get th maximum level of performance out of it, that's all. How to accomplish that with my given hardware is still a bit of a mystery to me. I'm not so much concerned as just wanting to get everything right the first time and "set it and forget it". I'm not a big fan of reformatting and reinstalling OS's, so before I wade into Vista waters, I'd just like to make sure all the x's and o's have been checked off. Thanks for understanding.

 

[dclive]

Best guide to Windows: http://www.amazon.com/Microsof...eveloper/dp/0735619174

Summary: Use a pagefile. Black Viper/etc. beliefs have been debunked.

Best usage: Set it to Windows Managed and forget about it. If you're hitting pagefile that much, you need more RAM, and so the disk the pagefile is on is only a secondary concern.

 

[bobthebuilder1]

Russinovich has an excellent site, no doubt. I looked through "books by this author" on Amazon and didn't an updated edition for Win Vista. Hopefully he'll update and publish a new one. Thanks again.