[UFCfan04]

Well this is a question that has been nagging me for quite some time. I am in the process of building my own "super computer" and right now Im in the initial phase of finding the best/right parts for my computer. I am looking at building a computer with 4 hard drives, but cant decide on the 300GB Velociraptor drive or the 128 SSD. So I have come to the only place left to look that could give me the right answer. Here are my questions:

Which of the 2 hard drives should be used for my main hard drive?

Should I use all 4 of the same drives (if so, which one)?
or
Should I use a mix of the 2 hard drives (such as 2 SATA drives and 2 SSD's)?

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Advertisements]

Raid works best if you are using the same hard drives. So the same brand, same speed, and same connectors. You can use two different kinds of hard drives, but it would make the system unstable. I would definitely go for the SSD hard drives. Here is why.
1. Faster start-up, as no spin-up is required
2. Typically, fast random access for reading, as there is no read/write head to move
3. Extremely low read latency times, as SSD seek-times are orders of magnitude lower than the best current hard disk drives
4. Extremely fast write
5. No noise: a lack of moving parts makes SSDs completely silent
6. High mechanical reliability, as the lack of moving parts almost eliminates the risk of mechanical failure
7. Larger range of operating temperatures
8....well you get the idea.

Cheers
ROIDO

[=OSS*ROID=]

Raid works best if you are using the same hard drives. So the same brand, same speed, and same connectors. You can use two different kinds of hard drives, but it would make the system unstable. I would definitely go for the SSD hard drives. Here is why.
1. Faster start-up, as no spin-up is required
2. Typically, fast random access for reading, as there is no read/write head to move
3. Extremely low read latency times, as SSD seek-times are orders of magnitude lower than the best current hard disk drives
4. Extremely fast write
5. No noise: a lack of moving parts makes SSDs completely silent
6. High mechanical reliability, as the lack of moving parts almost eliminates the risk of mechanical failure
7. Larger range of operating temperatures
8....well you get the idea.

Cheers
ROIDO

[james_8970]

Please note, that the cheaper SSD are worse then conventional HD. If you can afford to spend 800$ on a single hard drive, then go for it, otherwise I think you're best to stick with conventional drives.
James

Edited by james_8970, 19 December 2008 - 12:06 AM.

[Neil Jones]

Solid State Drives wear out like there's no tomorrow. They only last a few thousand read/write cycles before they're dead. If you're going to run Windows XP or, worse, Vista on a SSD I'll be very surprised if it lasts more than 15 months.

[=OSS*ROID=]

Well now that I have read a little bit more on SSD drives, I would not recommend them. Like Neil pointed out, they don't last very long and like james pointed out, they are very expensive. If you want a really good hard drive, go for this one http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136260 . It is currently the fastest hard drive made ever, and it is very reliable, so it is a great substitute for a SSD and its a lot cheaper and will last longer too.

Cheers
ROIDO

*EDITED*

Edited by =OSS*ROID=, 22 December 2008 - 01:49 PM.

[james_8970]

If you want a really good hard drive, go for this one http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822116065 . It is currently the fastest hard drive made ever, and it is very reliable, so it is a great substitute for a SSD and its a lot cheaper and will last longer too.

That's not SATA and cannot run in a SATA port. It's also a 15000RPM drive and is directed towards the server/enterprise market, not your typical consumer. That thing would likely be louder then heck.
James

[srferrier]

I, too, am building a 'super computer'.
How does SATA III compare to solid state drives in terms of speed, reliability, etc.?

I was thinking of placing the OS (Win 7 ultimate) on a small solid state drive, and my data, etc. on a 1GB SATA III drive.
The MAIN reason for doing this is if my OS crashes, I can QUICKLY restore just the OS drive from an image backup.
Also, i understand the this type of 'separation' increases performance as well.

Edited by srferrier, 26 June 2010 - 04:47 PM.

[breade98]

Newegg has this info on the drive: Deactivated. This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked.