Advice re this spec, please

[Bumblebee]

Main use will be storage of local history - about 20gb, rising fast, hence extra hard drive for back up. Also scanning/photo editing.

So....Is Raid adequate for 100% reliable automatic backup, or Acronis better?
-Is it worth expense of full MS Office software?
-Need to download large files to memory stick/laptop. Is USB3 a good idea for future proofing?
-Any other suggestions or comments, please?

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
AMD ATHLON II X2 255 (3.10GHz/2MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A78LT-M LE: mATX MAINBOARD, DDR3, USB 2.0, SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT220 PCI EXPRESS
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£59)
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2010 (1 License Product Key Card) (£77)
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2010 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC (£12)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £591.00 including VAT and delive

 

[Gishank]

Firstly yes, RAID 1 is a reliable form of backing up data as it creates a clone of the main HDD. So in the event of a failure, you can continue without losing any data. Though I would advise getting HDD's with a larger cache.. Secondly, as for USB 3, it isn't neccessary, but if your budget can afford it then it is good... Do note that any device you plug in to it though must be USB 3 compliant to take advantage of the technology.... Microsoft Office's different versions have different features, research them and decide what is best for you, in my opinion nothing Microsoft sells is worth the extortionate pricetag..... Lastly, DO NOT get Norton, it is a resource junky and doesn't provide remotely efficent protection, I would recommend ESET's NOD32.

 

[Sleinous]

Glad to see i've recruited someone else to teh cache HDD groupie Basically what Gishank said, but also, maybe ocnsider 2x 1TB HDDs? They aren't much more nowadays, especially the WD10EARS 64mb cached ones.

 

[Tom DWC]

So....Is Raid adequate for 100% reliable automatic backup

It helps, but isn't 100% foolproof.

The worst thing you can do here is become complacent and think that your data is totally secure. I say this for two reasons.

1. It isn't totally beyond the realms of possibility that two mechanical hard disks fail at once, or within a short time period of each other.

2. Remember that RAID 1 mirrors EVERYTHING that happens on the 1st drive on the 2nd drive. If you delete a file on your 1st hard disk, it's deleted on your 2nd hard disk. If a virus cripples the data on your 1st hard disk, it cripples the data on your 2nd hard disk etc.

As such, if backup is your priority, always use an additional method too.

As I've been researching RAID alot myself lately, I can also tell you that benchmarks show the boost in disk read speed caused by RAID 1 to be a welcome bonus.

 

[Tom DWC]

Is USB3 a good idea for future proofing

Yes, but if you decide to purchase a motherboard with USB 2.0 support only then remember that you can always install a USB 3.0 PCI expansion card at a later date.

 

[Gorman]

It helps, but it isn't 100% foolproof.

The worst thing you can do here is become complacent and think that your data is totally secure. I say this for two reasons.

1. It isn't totally beyond the realms of possibility that two mechanical hard disks fail at once, or within a short time period of each other.

2. Remember that RAID 1 mirrors EVERYTHING that happens on the 1st drive on the 2nd drive. If you delete a file on your 1st hard disk, it's deleted on your 2nd hard disk. If a virus cripples the data on your 1st hard disk, it cripples the data on your 2nd hard disk, etc.

As such, if backup is your priority, always use an additional method too.

As I've been researching RAID alot myself lately, I can also tell you that benchmarks show the boost in disk read speed caused by RAID 1 to be a welcome bonus.

This, RAID is not a method of backup. Everything is mirrored, warts and all.