RAID with varying Drive Sizes Possible?

[mda]

Hey all, I'm currently using a Gigabyte X38 motherboard with an ICH9R SB.

My current configuration is as follows:

2x250GB Seagate 7200.10 in RAID
1 640GB WDD Caviar Black for storage of noncritical files/media/etc

I was experimenting around with my RAID when I first set it up and here is how it's done at the moment:

Drives C&D are partitions of my array--

C:\ is running RAID 0 with 150GB useable space for Windows and programs that I'd rather be running faster (but risk a HD dying off on me)

D:\ is running RAID 1 worth 160GB useable space for critical files such as family photos, documents etc.

**E:\ is my 640 storage drive and is not part of the array**

For clarification, these are separate partitions running different RAID types but using only 2 hard drives.

I'm currently running out of space on my 2x250 drives, and would like to propose the following:

Add 2 WD 750GB Green drives to the RAID array.

RAID 0+1 250GB partition for C:\ utilizing the 2x250 as well as 2 ~250GB partitions from the new drives --> will be used for Windows as well as my other programs

RAID 1 for the rest of the useable space for critical files.

I'm wondering if this is actually doable or if there a better way to do this.

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Why not just buy faster/bigger hard drives in the first place? A 1TB hard drive will only set you back like $60.

You're not being very specific on which hard drive is in what RAID array.

If hard drive speed is that important, then get an SSD as they'll be faster than any HDD RAID setup.

 

[mda]

Sorry. OP updated.

I can always get bigger/faster hard drives to begin with, but I'd like to implement RAID 1 for storage security given what I have right now with less wastage (these spare HDs have nowhere to go), and that the prices of budget 750GB drives are already approaching 60$ from where I'm from...

Also, SSDs are prohibitively expensive here moreso than in the USA. Not touching those until my next build...

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Security? As in keeping your data backed up?

 

[mda]

Yup. For keeping data backed up, but keeping the 0+1 for performance purposes.

Just wondering if it's possible to pull off that 0+1 with 2 x 750GBs and 2 x 250GBs (effectively a 500GB partition), while using the rest of the leftover space from the 750s in RAID 1 (effectively, another 500GB partition).

 

[Meeho]

Neither is RAID 1 backup nor is RAID 0 giving you noticebale, if any, speed improvements for Windows/Program Files.

 

[rive22]

Mixing drives in RAID of different data densities is not recommended.
Mixing drives in RAID of different RPM is not recommended.
Doing both is definitely not recommended.
RAID is Not backup. If something goes caput in your system and screws everything up, there goes all your data with it.

Here is what I recommend you do.
Sell your current 3 drives and get three current generation 1TB drives.

Use 1 for your OS/APPs, which will be faster than your current RAID0.
Use 1 for all of your storage
Use 1 for external backup of everything.

And of course you can always get more to store at the bank for safe keeping.

 

[Yonzie]

C:\ is running RAID 0 with 150GB useable space
D:\ is running RAID 1 worth 160GB useable space
**E:\ is my 640 storage drive and is not part of the array**

150+160=310 on 250GB drives? Eh?

RAID 0+1 250GB partition for C:\ utilizing the 2x250 as well as 2 ~250GB partitions from the new drives --> will be used for Windows as well as my other programs
RAID 1 for the rest of the useable space for critical files.

That would be a 500GB partition. It should be doable, if wonky and less than ingenious, but I have to ask what you do that makes you want 0+1 for the OS. The effect of RAID 0 in a desktop environment is near zero. Buy more memory or a SSD instead. Follow the KISS principle.

Edit: Do what rive22 said. It's sensible and smart.

 

[drescherjm]

Mixing drives in RAID of different data densities is not recommended.
Mixing drives in RAID of different RPM is not recommended.
Doing both is definitely not recommended.
RAID is Not backup. If something goes caput in your system and screws everything up, there goes all your data with it.

Here is what I recommend you do.
Sell your current 3 drives and get three current generation 1TB drives.

Use 1 for your OS/APPs, which will be faster than your current RAID0.
Use 1 for all of your storage
Use 1 for external backup of everything.

And of course you can always get more to store at the bank for safe keeping.

I second this recommendation.

Edit: Reading Yonzie 's edit, I third this recommendation..

 

[mda]

150+160=310 on 250GB drives? Eh?

Just to clarify - Since one partition is RAID 1, then it's 150 + 160 + 160 ~=470GB

But thanks for the input guys. Yeah, I may be overcomplicating things.

Might drop the RAID idea altogether. In that case, maybe a reformat is in order to fix up my HDDs. But before that, I'm curious about this though:

RAID is Not backup. If something goes caput in your system and screws everything up, there goes all your data with it.

Just worried about HDD crashes so was thinking that maybe a mirrored drive would have its uses especially for keeping old/important documents and such. Still a no go?

 

[drescherjm]

Its still better to just backup your important data to 1 or more drives.

 

[Yonzie]

Just worried about HDD crashes so was thinking that maybe a mirrored drive would have its uses especially for keeping old/important documents and such. Still a no go?

How about lightning strikes, fires, floods, viruses, malware, accidental deletion, evil people or your computer crapping itself taking all drives with it?
If you want (real) data security, do backups.

 

[Dangman]

To expand on some of the points people have made in this thread so far:
- Many of current generation 1TB drives like the Samsung F3 1TB (usually the cheapest yet fastest drive), Seagate 7200.12, and Western Digital Black SATA 6.0Gb/s 1TB (As fast as the Samsung and is more widely available but tends to cost a lot more) will outperform those RAID 0 250GB drives. In fact, there's a possibility that the current get 1TB drives will perform as well if not better than those 750GB Green drives in RAID 0.

- Most forms of RAID just makes sure that your data is available after a hard drive death. That's it: increased uptime of your data. It doesn't protect against the situations that Yonzie mentioned unlike real backups

- By backup, we mean external hard drive, file server, hard drive on another PC even, NAS, online backup, a hard drive you temporarily connect to the PC to do weekly backups and then store somewhere safe, etc. Even the simple and relatively cheap external hard drive would protect against most of the calamities that Yonzie pointed out as long it's not connect to the PC and plugged in all the time.So yeah, if you want real backup, do any of the above with your data.

 

[mda]

Convinced!

Thanks for all the input, guys

 

[Cantonious]

150+160=310 on 250GB drives? Eh?


That would be a 500GB partition. It should be doable, if wonky and less than ingenious, but I have to ask what you do that makes you want 0+1 for the OS. The effect of RAID 0 in a desktop environment is near zero. Buy more memory or a SSD instead. Follow the KISS principle.

Edit: Do what rive22 said. It's sensible and smart.

If I'm understanding this properly, it's like this:
Drive A: 250gb
Partition 1: 75gb-ish (RAID 0 with dBp1)
Partition 2: 160gb-ish (RAID 1 with dBp2)
Drive B: 250gb
Partition 1: 75gb-ish
Partition 2: 160gb-ish


I'm going to recommend what others have stated already. Get yourself some 1TB 7200rpm drives. They're much faster than you think. I consistently pull 125mb/s reads off a single 1TB Spinpoint F1.