which choice...

[JaMD]

I'm planning to buy new HDD. now, I've got 3 choices :

1. Raptor 74GB x 1
2. Raptor 36GB x 1 + WD sata 80GB x 2 (raid 1)
3. WD/Seagate sata 80GB x 4 (raid 10)

my requirement is speed, games, some video and pic and storage backup.
which choice is most recommended ?

my rig :

AMD 64 3500+ @ 11 x 228 = 2.51GHz
Thermalright SLK948-U
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
Kingston Hyperx pc3500 x 2
Winfast 6600GT x 2
Creative Audigy 2 ZS
Enermax 600watt PSU
Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A
Viewsonic VG910 19" LCD

 

[DougLite]

4. Raptor 74GB + 80GB Hitachi/Seagate for backup. 160GB is a better value for a data drive, but is obviously at a higher price point. Don't forget a DVD/CD Burner for backups of your pics/videos. You can get this setup for $240 shipped, the same price as options 2&3 that you outlined below, and performance will be better.

Some quick comments on the other options you outlined:

1. Only one drive doesn't meet your online backup requirement, even if it is a Raptor with 5 year warranty.
2. Raptor 36GB is not any faster than a premium 7200RPM drive, and RAID-1 will not protect you from your most likely causes of data loss and will not eliminate the need for backup to CD/DVD/tape.
3. This RAID 10 setup will be outperformed by a single 73GB Raptor in most of the tasks you outlined, will be very expensive for only 160GB, and once again, doesn't eliminate the need for backups to CD/DVD/tape.