Windows 7: Should I use RAID 0 or 5?

Bryce · 07 May 2009

I'm going to buy 4 WD Black 640gb's and I'm wondering should I just do a RAID 0 as I'll be using all the space on the drives or should I do RAID 5? My motherboard supports up to RAID 5 (Asus P5Q SE PLUS), but I'm kinda nervous about it seeing how my other Asus drivers aren't working right. Opinions?

Captain Zero · 08 May 2009

Do not, under ANY circumstances use RAID-0 for anything you can't afford to lose. RAID-5 is the better option, RAID-10 is ideal (but not for you) or even RAID-7. Best choice for you in 5. Trust me, trying to fix a RAID-0 stripe is NOT fun.

Bryce · 08 May 2009

So, do I need more than 4 drives for RAID 5 or no? Does it still offer the performance that RAID 0 offers as well as the redunacy? I'm looking for the fastest possible read/write times I can get out of these.

Captain Zero · 08 May 2009

You may find this and this useful reading.

Antman · 07 Jul 2009

It all comes down to your intended application. You purchased 2+ TB for what reason? You need at least 3 drives for a RAID5.

RAID5 on 4 drives is tempting, but writing files will be slower on RAID5 than using a single drive. 1.8 TB effective

With 4 drives: RAID0+1, mirror of stripes (1.2 TB effective)
RAID1+0, striped across mirrors, 1.2TB effective

I would go for RAID0 on two drives with a dedicated backup routine.

Want crazy speed? RAID0 on three of 'em.
Want stupid crazy speed? RAID0 all four of 'em. Still only 5.9 in WEI I think.

DJG · 07 Jul 2009

Quote: Originally Posted by Antman

It all comes down to your intended application. You purchased 2+ TB for what reason? You need at least 3 drives for a RAID5.

RAID5 on 4 drives is tempting, but writing files will be slower on RAID5 than using a single drive. 1.8 TB effective

With 4 drives: RAID0+1, mirror of stripes (1.2 TB effective)
RAID1+0, striped across mirrors, 1.2TB effective

I would go for RAID0 on two drives with a dedicated backup routine.

Want crazy speed? RAID0 on three of 'em.
Want stupid crazy speed? RAID0 all four of 'em. Still only 5.9 in WEI I think.

I got my WEI up to 6.5 on 4x 1.5TB RAID 10 by shutting off all caching! Moving to 4x RAID 0 didn't improve the WEI, although it did improve the speed

. Go figure.

Antman · 08 Jul 2009

I stand corrected re: the WEI max. I am not certain where I got that idea.

Let DJ's example show that playing around with various configs can be fun. Also let disk imaging be a part of your fun.

Just recently, I took two 500GB disks out of RAID0 just because they are now about 2.5 years old.

Windows 7: Should I use RAID 0 or 5?

Should I use RAID 0 or 5? problems?