Windows 7 RAID 0 (Striping) Performance ?


  1. Posts : 2
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    Windows 7 RAID 0 (Striping) Performance ?


    Hi all. First of all if the thread is at wrong side, mods mercy me :)

    I am new to RAID and yesterday i wanted to try it and i figured out i can do it from disk managment.(I think its call software RAID ?)

    I have 500 gb hdd with 2 partition (C: F:) (main, the hdd which is os installed) and 80 gb hdd (D:)

    I allocate 55 gb from each and made a 110 gb RAID 0 partition (E:) (or should i say to that part, drive ?)

    The main question is what is the point of the raid o performance gaining ?

    That E: is empty, just i moved pagefile.sys to that partition. what i think is, i need to move my OS to that partition to use RAID 0 advantages (i dont know if it is possible)

    Here is my disk managment screen shot:

    so shortly, questions is:

    Is that what they call software RAID 0 ?

    And how can i evalute that E part to gain more perfomance (for example moving os to there maybe ?)
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #2

    so shortly, questions is:

    Is that what they call software RAID 0 ?

    And how can i evalute that E part to gain more perfomance (for example moving os to there maybe ?)
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,497
    Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
       #3

    RAID 0 performance looks good in benchmarks but under real world conditions gains are more modest. Performance is improved because the drives can be accessed at the same time. In theory transfer rate can approach double but that is never achieved. And transfer rate isn't the only factor in drive performance. It usually isn't even the most important.

    Software RAID 0 is for a data volume ONLY. It CANNOT be used for the OS. For technical reasons this is simply not possible.

    RAID 0 works best when used with 2 identical physical drives used for no other purposes. When there are other partitions on the drives RAID 0 will likely cost you performance, not benefit it.

    The pagefile does not do well on a RAID volume. Benefits will be virtually non existent at best and likely impaired. Under normal circumstances the pagefile is best left as system managed on the OS volume.

    RAID 0 can be worthwhile when use appropriately. But typically it is more trouble than it is worth. A big downside is that if one drive fails you will lose everything. Backups ate always important but doubly so with RAID 0.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2
    win7
       #4

    raid0 post


    mstf007 said:
    Hi all. First of all if the thread is at wrong side, mods mercy me :)

    I am new to RAID and yesterday i wanted to try it and i figured out i can do it from disk managment.(I think its call software RAID ?)

    I have 500 gb hdd with 2 partition (C: F:) (main, the hdd which is os installed) and 80 gb hdd (D:)

    I allocate 55 gb from each and made a 110 gb RAID 0 partition (E:) (or should i say to that part, drive ?)

    The main question is what is the point of the raid o performance gaining ?

    That E: is empty, just i moved pagefile.sys to that partition. what i think is, i need to move my OS to that partition to use RAID 0 advantages (i dont know if it is possible)

    Here is my disk managment screen shot:

    so shortly, questions is:

    Is that what they call software RAID 0 ?

    And how can i evalute that E part to gain more perfomance (for example moving os to there maybe ?)
    hello all, i am a new member so please excuse me if i am not posting correctly, my experience with raid0 was when i built a raid0 system with an INTEL d865Perl motherboard and windows XP sp3. i built this operating system from the ground up on the raid0 array of (2) 750gb seagates, it worked great, the transfer raid was way faster thani had ever seen . note: that the motherboard has the raid configuration in the bios, and thus it allowed me to load the o/s .it looks like you are trying to get the perfirmance of raid using an old junky 80 gb disk and some relativly new 500gb. disk. did you check the read performance specs on both drives ? do the rpm's ,match do the buffers match?, my guess is no. they are all different.raid works best when the 2 drives are identical in specs.and when the motherboard supports it.
    anyways i gots to go. i do not mean to offend anyone, good luck

    0
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 2,497
    Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
       #5

    RAID 0 with such different drives would be a bad idea. Using them together would drag the overall performance down to roughly that of the slower drive. You would have all the disadvantages of RAID 0 with none of the benefits.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64 BIT
       #6

    Have to agree with L Miller. Raid 0 is not a true Raid configuration unless you install a Raid Card cost about 350.00. Spreading software over different hard drives will give you a faster sequential read and write times. A lot of testing being done are synthetic test does not show read and write times. It is a trap. Raid 0 on mother boards is a selling tool.

    Why are you moving the Page File? The only advantage to move the Page files to another hard drive if the C: drive is a SSD and need the extra space on the SSD for storage or to reduce the number of writes to the SSD. Moving the page files does not increase performance and in some cases will decrease the performance. Sounds like you are falling for the Page file trap and I say that with respect. If memory is an issue then the best bet is to purchase new memory from 8 GB to 16 Gb depending on applications you are running (computer usage) and if the system is over clocked or not?

    If the C: drive is a SSD only two reasons to move the page files and the Temp Files to a Platter drive.

    1. Moving the Page files to a platter drive will give you more storage space on a SSD. Does not improve performance. Do not fall for the Page File Trap.

    2. Temp folders can be moved from the SSD to a Platter drive to reduce the number of writes to the SSD will improve the longevity of the SSD over a very long period of time. Need to include the temp files for the CDRW as well. If you run software to clean the Temp files after being moved the TEMP files may or may not be cleaned depending on the software or utility being used. A typical SSD you can write 4 GB a day for 10 + years.
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:59.
Find Us