Using RAID 0 Properly

[Questor]

I am the lucky recipient of two velociraptor hard drives (credit the wife) and would like to arrange them in a RAID 0 array. That part I can handle.

The question(s) is/are: What do I install on them? The OS and games? Just the OS? Just the games? Keep the OS on my RAID 1 array as it is currently? Convert my RAID 1 to a RAID 0 and copy the drive to the new larger/faster drives?

I have "heard" one should definitely put programs like games on RAID 0, but have also been told and "heard" having the OS on slower drives (7200 v 10K) and/or slower RAID array (RAID 1) makes the games slower as both arrays have to be accessed at various times for whatever information windows needs to run the program, etc.

As always, good advice is appreciated.

Questors

 

[corkyg]

IMHO, anything on RAID 0 is at reisk unless you have the entire array backed up. Why use RAID at all? Put your OS on one Velocipator and your data on the other.

The difference in actual speed of RAID 0 over RAID 1 is more myth than reality - especially when it comes to actual program performance.

 

[Old Hippie]

I would put my OS and as many games that space allowed on the RAID 0 Raptor array.

Put the Acronis image of that array and your storage on the RAID 1 array.

With a decent back-up regimen, 99% of home users don't need RAID 0.